Align - Functional Fitness

We're expanding our team! We are looking for a dedicated Trainer or Exercise Specialist to join our team and help us to provide specialized, adaptive and sustainable health, fitness and rehabilitation services to our community! At Align, we have a unique, collaborative team of physiotherapists, personal trainers, neurophysiotherapist, clinical exercise physiologist and our holistic health coach who all work together to programme and support our clients. Requirements: - Qualified Trainer (or equivalent) - Experience working with clients of various backgrounds but with a focus on adaptive exercise and rehabilitation - Passion for promoting holistic health, fitness and rehab through education and empowerment - Strong communication and interpersonal skills - Ability to design, modify and implement personalised training programmes based on individual goals and needs - Commitment to continuous learning and professional development If you're ready to become part of our dynamic team dedicated to making a difference, we'd love to hear from you! To apply, please send your cv and cover letter to admin@alignfunctionalfitness.com

Have you heard of stress resilience strategies? Here are some simple solutions from our Align Health Coach, Morgan, to nurture your wellbeing and safeguard your health and longevity. In a world that seems to run fast, admire constant productivity and encourages the hustle - we challenge you to slow down, take a breath and implement some of these practices - you never know how much better you may feel! @alignfunctionalfitness

⚠️ 4 Important Benefits of Strength Training for Seniors ⚠️ 💪 Increased Muscle Mass As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass due to factors like hormonal changes and decreased physical activity. However, strength training can help seniors maintain or even increase muscle mass by stimulating muscle protein synthesis and promoting muscle growth.  🏃 Improved Strength and Functional Ability Strength training helps seniors improve overall strength, making it easier to perform daily activities such as lifting groceries, climbing stairs or getting up from a chair. This can enhance independence and quality of life. 🦴 Enhanced Bone Health Strength training is a weightbearing exercise, which means it puts stress on the bones, stimulating bone growth and increasing bone density. This is a great way to prevent osteoporosis and reduce risks of fractures. 🧠 Cognitive Enhancement Engaging in regular exercise such as strength training has been linked to improve cognitive function and overall brain health. Exercise has been shown to stimulate the production of neurochemicals in the brain. Remember it's never too late to start exercising to improve your functional strength and fitness! If you're nervous about starting, or not sure where to even begin, talk to us at Align today and we can design a programme that fits you personally! admin@alignfunctionalfitness.com

Check out Winnie performing a new exercise that has just been added to her programme - Landmine Rows! Why❓ Winnie has a life goal of maintaining strength at any age and a shorter-term goal of hitting her first pull-up, but her initial goal has been to improve her upper body posture. This dynamic exercise targets her upper back, shoulders, and arms while engaging her core for stability. 🏋️♂️ By promoting proper posture and strengthening key muscles, Landmine Rows enhance functional movement, reduce the risk of injury and help Winnie train her body as a whole - just like she'll need for her pull-ups! ✅ Add this versatile exercise to your routine for improved strength, stability, and overall performance!

A huge congratulations to Bruce on completing his 5km walking course in Melbourne! Your achievement is truly commendable! After having knee surgery in September 2023 for a complete rupture of his quadriceps tendon, Bruce started his rehabilitation in November 2023 with our collaborative Align team - Tom for Physiotherapy and Luke for Exercise Rehab - with a goal of competing in a race just 5 months later!! It was evident leading up to the event that Bruce's dedication to his rehabilitation with Luke and Tom was paying off - and to receive an email with the subject line "Mission accomplished!" after Bruce's race was an incredible feeling for the team. Bruce has now set his sights on another event - the Kokoda Memorial Walk (1000 Steps). We look forward to seeing what more Bruce is about to achieve - marching through challenges and achieving his goals is a testament to his perseverance and determination. Well done Bruce - we are extremely proud! - Luke, Tom and the rest of the The Align Functional Fitness Team

Finding clever ways to work out our willpower muscles today! Happy Friday :)

Finding clever ways to work out our willpower muscles today! Happy Friday :)

Today we join Pinnacle House in celebrating 15 years! Pinnacle House is a Charitable Trust, who operate to serve those with disabilities, specifically those with very high needs who have left school and for whom full-time employment is not an option. We have been working alongside the participants of Pinnacle House and their Allies for almost 40 weeks now(!!). They join us at Align each week to participate in group programmes that are fully catered to them. We feel very blessed to be a part of their weekly routine and can't wait to see what more they achieve this year! Thank you, Pinnacle House, for everything you do.

Research published in the journal of Mental Health and Physical Activity demonstrated that even a single session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve sleep quality in adults with insomnia! Some other benefits of Physical Activity on sleep include: ⏰ Helps regulate your body's internal clock, which governs your sleep-wake cycle. Regular exercise can synchronize the Circadian Rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning. 💥 Exercise is a natural stress reliver and mood enhancer. By reducing stress and anxiety levels, exercise can promote relaxation, making it easier to experience deeper, more restful sleep. ✅ Studies have shown that exercise can increase melatonin production, a hormone that regulates sleep-wake cycles, leading to better sleep quality at night. ⏳ Research indicates that individuals who engage in regular exercise tend to experience longer sleep duration and improved sleep efficiency, meaning they spend more time in restorative sleep stages. 💤 Exercise has been associated with higher-quality sleep, characterized by fewer awakenings during the night, decreased sleep latency (the time it takes to fall asleep), and increased time spent in deep sleep stages. 🌙 Exercise can be an effective complementary therapy for managing certain sleep disorders, such as insomnia and sleep apnea. It can help alleviate symptoms and improve overall sleep quality in individuals with these conditions. @alignfunctionalfitness

A big welcome to Caitlin - Align's Clinical Exercise Physiologist! Caitlin graduated from Otago University in 2016 with a Bachelor's degree in Science, majoring in Exercise Physiology with Honours. She has extensive experience working with patients with chronic health conditions and illnesses including cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, long covid, mental health, osteoarthritis and auto immune conditions. Caitlin is a strong advocate of 'knowledge is power'. She goes above and beyond to empower clients and ensure they have complete understanding of what, why and how. She also has an in-depth understanding of the role an engaging and integrative health model can have on the long-term health outcomes for anyone. We are excited to have Caitlin joining our team at Align Functional Fitness! @alignfunctionalfitness