Chronic disease management at the Atleta clinic

Exercise physiology for chronic conditions in Erina.

Exercise is medicine when it is prescribed properly. For chronic conditions, the right intensity, frequency and exercise selection is the difference between measurable clinical improvement and an expensive gym membership.

Chronic Conditions

Chronic disease management

Exercise is medicine, when it's prescribed properly. For chronic conditions, the right intensity, frequency and exercise selection is the difference between meaningful improvement and an expensive gym membership. Neil's approach is research-based, individualised, and designed to integrate with your medical team's plan, not compete with it.

Who it's for

  • Type 1 & Type 2 diabetes
  • Cardiovascular disease, hypertension, post-stroke
  • Osteoporosis & osteopenia
  • Arthritis (osteo & rheumatoid)
  • Cancer recovery & active treatment
  • Depression & anxiety
  • Chronic pain (back, neck, joint)
  • Chronic fatigue & long COVID

What's included

  • Comprehensive health screening
  • Liaison with your GP, specialist or oncologist
  • Risk-stratified exercise prescription
  • Progressive 12-week structured program
  • Quarterly reviews & re-testing
  • Detailed reporting for care plans

Funded sessions welcome.

Atleta accepts self-funded bookings and private health rebates. No referral is required to get started, and most extras policies cover exercise physiology.

Private Self-funded sessions. No referral required.
Private Health Most extras cover Exercise Physiology sessions. Check your fund.

Visit the Atleta clinic in Erina.

A completely private studio in Erina, purpose-built for clinical exercise physiology. Functional movement equipment, a dedicated consultation space, and no crowds. Easy access from Gosford, Terrigal, Wamberal, Avoca and Kincumber.

Suite 26 166A The Entrance Rd, Erina NSW 2250

On-site parking · 5 mins from Gosford · Free initial phone chat

Why generic advice does not work

“Just do some exercise” is not a prescription.

If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis or a cardiac condition, you have almost certainly been told to exercise more. What you were probably not given is the dose. Which type, at what intensity, how often, for how long, and what to do on the days your condition makes the plan unrealistic.

The dose matters clinically. Resistance training improves glycaemic control through a different mechanism to aerobic work. Bone density responds to load and impact, not to walking. Blood pressure responds to sustained moderate intensity. Prescribing the wrong type at the wrong intensity produces no measurable change, which is why so many people conclude that exercise did not help them.

How chronic condition programs work here

Prescription, not general advice.

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Screen before anything else

A comprehensive health screen covering your diagnosis, medications, comorbidities, symptoms and any contraindications. Some medications change how your body responds to exercise, and the program has to account for that.

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Risk-stratify the prescription

Exercise intensity is set against your clinical risk, not against a generic template. This is the core of what an Accredited Exercise Physiologist is trained to do and the reason the qualification takes four years.

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Integrate with your medical team

Neil liaises directly with your GP, specialist or oncologist, and provides written reporting suitable for care plans. The program supports your medical treatment rather than running alongside it in isolation.

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Re-test on a schedule

Quarterly reviews with objective re-testing. Where relevant, this includes functional capacity, strength, blood pressure response and the measures your treating doctor is tracking.

A typical program

What twelve weeks looks like.

Week 1 Screening

Health screen and baseline testing

Sixty minutes covering diagnosis, medications, symptoms, contraindications and functional baseline. Nothing is prescribed before this is complete.

Weeks 2 to 4 Establish

Build tolerance and consistency

Conservative starting doses focused on establishing the habit and confirming how your body responds. For most conditions, consistency at a modest dose beats intensity that cannot be sustained.

Weeks 5 to 8 Progress

Increase the therapeutic dose

Intensity and volume increase toward the dose the evidence associates with clinical benefit for your condition, adjusted for how you have actually responded.

Weeks 9 to 12 Review

Re-test and report

Objective re-testing and a written progress report for your GP or specialist, plus a decision on whether to continue supervised sessions, move to a maintenance schedule, or adjust the plan.

Is this the right service for you?

This is a good fit if

  • You have a diagnosed chronic condition
  • Your GP has recommended exercise as part of treatment
  • You have a Chronic Disease Management plan or are eligible for one
  • You have tried gyms and found them unsuitable or unsafe
  • You are on medications that affect your exercise response
  • You want your program coordinated with your medical care

This is not the right fit if

  • You need acute medical treatment or diagnosis
  • Your condition is currently unstable and not medically cleared
  • You are looking for dietary or nutritional therapy as the primary treatment
  • You want a general fitness program with no clinical component
Frequently Asked

The questions we get asked most.

Which conditions does Neil work with?
Type 1 and type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, post-stroke recovery, osteoporosis and osteopenia, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer recovery and active treatment, depression and anxiety, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue including long COVID.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You can book directly. If your GP is already managing your condition, bring any recent results or letters, because they shape the program and mean less repeated testing.
How many sessions will I need?
A short block of supervised sessions is rarely enough on its own. The pattern that works for chronic conditions is a thorough assessment, a program built around it, then periodic review, with most of the week's work done independently between those reviews.
Can I do this if I am currently in cancer treatment?
Often yes, and there is good evidence that supervised exercise during treatment helps with fatigue, function and treatment tolerance. It requires clearance from your oncologist and a program built around your treatment cycle. Neil will liaise with your treating team.
What if I have several conditions at once?
That is common and it is exactly what the qualification is for. The program is built around the combination, including any interactions between your medications and exercise response, rather than treating one condition in isolation.
Do I need to be fit to start?
No. Programs start from wherever your current functional capacity actually is, including from a seated or supported starting point where that is appropriate.

Book a chronic condition consultation.

Bring your care plan and referral if you have them, and we will handle the paperwork.