What is EXMO?
EXMO started life as our shorthand way of referring to Exercise Motivation. The EXMO approach was developed to assist people who want to work towards engaging in regular exercise, but struggle with motivation and other personal obstacles. However, the EXMO approach is just as effective when applied to other health and lifestyle goals so we have continued to evolve the EXMO approach to also assist people with other healthy lifestyle goals. Whether you want to improve your confidence, lose weight, improve your quality of life, better manage a chronic health condition, improve your mental health or increase your competitive edge, there is a version of EXMO that can work for you. In fact, the underlying tools and strategies we use are quite universal regardless of your reason for looking for support.
EXMO is about so much more than exercise!
Whether you want to focus on the goal of regular exercise or another healthy lifestyle change, we want to help you better understand how what we think and do effects the way we feel. How our own expectations and intentions, as well meaning as they may be, can lead us to becoming stuck in a cycle of frustration and despair, until one day we just stop trying.
More than anything else, we want to show you how much you can learn through the journey of struggling with change of any sort, because that is where the real treasures lie. We use an experiential learning model to help you treat every struggle and setback as a way of gaining helpful information and insights to refine your approach in the future.
This program is about teaching yourself how to get out of your own way. How to approach your goals and best intentions in a way that maximizes the chances of a successful outcome. By the end of the program you will have the skills and confidence to continue your journey beyond the program and apply the tools and techniques you have learned to other areas of your life.
The EXMO program is designed to help you;
- Understand how exercise changes brain chemistry, and how this helps improve mood and motivation.
- Learn how to manipulate your own brain chemistry by engaging in activities that increase motivation and attention.
- Understand what types of exercise are most beneficial for mental health and why.
- Modify thoughts that make it harder to engage in exercise.
- Set goals in a way that maximizes motivation and achievement.
- Develop skills to help deal with setbacks, mistakes and failures.
- Gain strategies that help to create healthy and sustainable habits.
- Learn about other lifestyle factors that negatively impact on mood and motivation.
- Learn how to apply these skills and tools to other future goals beyond exercise.
We offer the EXMO approach in a variety of formats depending on your personal circumstances and preferences. At present, we are able to offer EXMO in the following formats.
- 6 Week Group Program for Depression Treatment and Management (EXMODE)
- Group Program for general health and well being (EXMO)
- Incorporated into CBT based clinical treatment programs for depression and anxiety related Mental Health Issues
- Personalized coaching with a Clinical Psychologist
- Specifically tailored 1/2 and Full Day workshops for Organizations and Community groups (contact us to discuss options)
Can exercise help to treat Mental Health issues?
Absolutely YES! If you have ever struggled with depression and gone to a doctor, exercise is likely to be one of the first things that is discussed as a first line of treatment. This isn’t because your doctor doesn’t like you and wants to punish you! Research consistently shows that regular exercise is extremely effective in the treatment and management of depression and other mental health issues. Engaging in regular exercise leads to a range of adaptive changes in the brain, leading to improvements in mood, sleep quality, cognitive performance, decision making, stress management and a reduced risk of cognitive decline in later life. Incorporating exercise into your daily life can also help with improvements in confidence, body image and self worth and can lead to improvements in your overall health and well-being.
As a Clinical Psychologist I often provide support to people around the benefits of regular exercise as part of a treatment plan for depression. However, in the early years of my career it became very evident that giving advice is a whole lot easier than implementing it. I know this to be true for myself as a practitioner and also as a patient. As part of the human condition we can all sometimes struggle with implementing new things into our lives and this becomes even more challenging when struggling with depression and the associated symptoms, of which a lack of energy and motivation are at the top of the list.
This was one the main reasons that first led to the development of the EXMODE group program. Despite the many benefits that Exercise can provide and the value people see in it, many find it challenging to make this lifestyle change in the first instance, and make it stick in the longer term. We wanted to find a way to help people target exercise as part of the treatment and management for mental health issues, but to approach this goal in a way that made it achievable for anyone and maximized the chances of making the habit stick in the longer term!
Click below to find out more about the EXMODE group program and upcoming dates.