Supporting ESSA’s Exercise Right Month

MAY IS EXERCISE RIGHT MONTH. It’s a celebration of the part exercise scientists and exercise physiologists play in keeping Australians healthy. The event was held in Brisbane by their professional accreditation and membership body, Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA).

IN BRISBANE

Our Better Balance Initiative Leader Dr Trevor Clark and I went to Brisbane for the morning to support ESSA in their ‘who moves you’ activation designed to highlight members’ expertise in exercise prescription, behaviour change and the overcoming of emotional and physical barriers for individuals at all ages and stages of life.

Featured in the photographs above are Dr Trevor Clark, ESSA CEO Danielle Smith, AEP Jamie Wilson, community member Liu Su Chuan, yours truly and Aileen MacDonald OAM MLC. ESSA General Managers Scot MacDonald and Maree Taylor were also there, alongside a dozen or so ESSA members and gymnastics Olympian Ji Wallace.

Altogether, we tested the postural sway of 52 people at the Jan Powers Markets in New Farm on a wet Saturday morning, alongside ESSA members who performed several health checks for members of the public, including blood pressure, sit to stand and grip strength.

Trevor commented, “This was such a fun event and everyone who stopped by to ‘test’ themselves came away with some vital information on their current state of ‘health’. Ian and I were testing static balance which meant they needed to remain as still as possible. Amazingly a 70+ yr old female had the least movement, scoring zero on her test (no sway), while many others scored in the 1+ category (high sway) which makes them more susceptible to falls, especially later in life.”

The postural sway results were: 16 (31%) had low postural sway, 25 (58%) were in the medium range and 11 (21%) were in the high range. This represents 36 people (a combination of medium and high “swayers”) whom we believe would most benefit from exercise therapy by an accredited exercise physiologist.

IN SYDNEY

Earlier in the month, on 2 May 2025, I attended another Exercise Right Month event, this one organised by clinical AEP Danny Miller from Rehab on the Road. See us below – me outside RSL Lifecare ANZAC Village in Narrabeen, Sydney – and Danny with a resident inside the residential aged care facility.

Of the 27 people whose postural sway we tested, 8 (30%) had low sway, 8 (30%) had medium and 11 (40%) had high postural sway. The higher “high” result can be explained by the environment – people living in residential aged care tend to have a higher falls risk than those living in the community. These numbers show that 19 people were potential exercise physiology clients.

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