Improving my fitness and confidence using exercise physiology

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Say hello to Emily, one of our amazing long standing Active Ability clients! Emily has been working with an exercise physiologist for the last 8 years to help increase her independence and confidence with exercise due to her rare medical condition. Emily was born with a rare genetic disorder which has caused Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), which has impacted a large portion of her vision. As a result of her medical history this means that Emily has a high falls risk and has suffered from multiple knee injuries over the years. Emily is typically seen in her home to help increase her general fitness, strength and mobility, with the goal of improving her confidence and independence in her daily life. Emily is currently hoping to run in a June 5km marathon at the Bay to Bay running festival later in 2025.

Here are some of Emily’s big wins recently:

Emily has enjoyed having control over the music choices in her sessions, which has helped her to remain motivated and focused during her sessions. She has also gained more trust with her exercise physiologist to have the confidence to share her likes and dislikes knowing that her exercise physiologist will listen and acknowledge her needs, as well as adjust the session accordingly.
Emily feels like these exercise sessions have helped her to become more confident in her daily life with the different activities that she does such as cooking, being out in the community, going on tandem bike rides and walks with family and continuing to work towards more running achievements.
Emily has also enjoyed working with the Exercise Physiologists at Active Ability as they have helped her recover from ACL injuries and also build her strength after multiple times in hospital. With their guidance she has been able to increase her strength and confidence allowing her to push her boundaries and to set and achieve greater goals, growing stronger socially and physically.
Emily has objectively improved in her balance as well as her overall strength, and can now walk, tandem bike ride and run for longer. Her tandem bike riding endurance has improved to 23km and her running pace has improved significantly over the last 12 months! Emily’s confidence level to run independently on the treadmill has also improved significantly, since she started running and exercising more frequently. Emily has also shown a stronger interest in exercising more frequently as she is intentionally finding time on family holidays to stay active and recently joined her local gym again.

Through hard work and the guidance of her exercise physiologists, Emily continues to progress and increase her confidence, enabling her to engage in activities she enjoys including going on holidays or out for a run. Awesome work Emily, keep smashing your goals!

Areas we provide NDIS exercise physiology services to:

(Open to view lists for each location below)

Sydney NDIS Exercise Physiologists

CAMDEN

Bringelly, Camden, Cobbitty, Elderslie, Gledswood Hills, Gregory Hills, Harrington Park, Mount Annan, Oran Park, Spring Farm

CAMPBELLTOWN

Ambarvale, Campbelltown, Denham Court, Eagle Vale, Glenfield, Leumeah, Minto, Ruse, St Helens Park

EASTERN SUBURBS

Bondi, Coogee, Darlinghurst, Eastern Suburbs, Kensington, Kingsford, Little Bay, Maroubra, Port Botany, Randwick, Rose Bay, Vaucluse

HAWKESBURY

Freemans Reach, Grose Vale, Hawkesbury, Hobartville, Kurmond, Kurrajong, Londonderry, Richmond, Windsor

HILLS DISTRICT

Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Dural, Glenhaven, Hills District, Kellyville, Pennant Hills, Rouse Hill, Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds

INNER WEST

Belmore, Concord, Drummoyne, Earlwood, Five Dock, Inner West, Leichhardt, Marrickville, Newtown, Strathfield

NORTH SHORE

Chatswood, Gordon, Hornsby, Killara, North Shore, North Sydney, Ryde, St Ives, Thornleigh, Westleigh

NORTHERN BEACHES

Allambie Heights, Belrose, Collaroy, Frenchs Forest, Freshwater, Manly, Mona Vale, Northern Beaches, Terrey Hills

PENRITH

Colyton, Cranebrook, Emu Heights, Emu Plains, Erskine Park, Glenmore Park, Kingswood Park, Mulgoa, Orchard Hills, Oxley Park, Penrith, St Clair, St Marys, Werrington Downs

SOUTH WEST SYDNEY

Auburn, Bankstown, Fairfield, Greystanes, Guildford, Hurstville, Lakemba, Lidcombe, Liverpool, Merrylands, Milperra, Punchbowl, Revesby, Rockdale, Roselands, South West Sydney, Villawood, Yagoona

SUTHERLAND SHIRE

Bonnet Bay, Caringbah, Como, Cronulla, Engadine, Gymea, Illawong, Kurnell, Loftus, Menai, Miranda, Sutherland, Sylvania, Woolooware

SYDNEY

Glebe, Kogarah, Redfern, Surry Hills, Sydney, The Rocks

WESTERN SYDNEY

Blacktown, Doonside, Kings Langley, Marsden Park, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Prospect, Riverstone, Rooty Hill, Ropes Crossing, Schofields, Seven Hills, Toongabbie, Western Sydney

Wollongong NDIS Exercise Physiologists

Albion Park, Bulli, Dapto, Fairy Meadow, Figtree, Keiraville, Port Kembla, Shell Cove, Shellharbour, Thirroul, Unaderra, Wollongong, Woonoona

Canberra NDIS Exercise Physiologists

Amaroo, Belconnen, Braddon, Bruce, Campbell, Canberra, Franklin, Fyshwick, Griffith, Holt, Kaleen, Macquarie, Phillip, Queanbeyan, Watson, Weston

Central Coast NDIS Exercise Physiologists

Central Coast

Amanda Semaan – Co-Founder & Accredited Exercise Physiologist

Amanda Semaan is an Accredited Exercise Physiologist and Co-Director of Active Ability, which she co-founded alongside Kara Foscholo in 2014. She earned her Master of Exercise Physiology degree at the University of Sydney and has over a decade of experience helping people with disability maximise their health outcomes.

Amanda specialises in exercise interventions for individuals with disabilities and complex mental health conditions. She has extensive experience in both hospital and community settings, where she has helped clients use exercise to manage issues such as depression, anxiety, low motivation, and fatigue. Her passion for this field is evident in her educational efforts; Amanda delivered a lecture series on exercise for mental health to exercise physiology students at the University of Sydney and co-authored a published consensus statement outlining the role of exercise physiologists in mental health treatment.

This commitment to merging academic insight with practical care underscores her authority in the area of mental health and exercise. In addition to her clinical work, Amanda is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Sydney, where she contributes to training the next generation of allied health professionals in disability and mental health practice. She is also a proactive industry leader; Amanda co-founded the Exercise Physiology NDIS Network to promote higher standards and best practices for exercise physiology services within the NDIS community.

Her contributions to the profession extend to developing resources and guidelines for others – for example, she collaborated on an educational resource to teach health science students about ethics in professional practice, published in a peer-reviewed journal in 2019. Amanda regularly presents at national conferences and writes for industry publications, sharing insights from Active Ability’s work and her research. With her approachable demeanour and deep expertise, Amanda exemplifies the values of Active Ability.

She is dedicated to evidence-based practice and continually strives to improve service quality across NDIS-registered physiotherapy, exercise physiology, dietetics, and occupational therapy. Her leadership remains firmly focused on empowering people with disability, ensuring they receive empathetic, effective support to achieve better health, greater independence, and an improved quality of life.

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