It was like three days after starting WeFlex – a company that provides personal training services to people with a disability on the NDIS – that it was explained to me that almost NOBODY has personal training funding in their NDIS plan.

I was off to a great start…

However. After a lot of time working with NDIS professionals, I realised you don’t NEED personal training in your NDIS plan to access these services. As it stands, we have over 100 clients and I can count on one hand the number of our clients using that line item.

So, how does it work?

There are 4 different items across both the NDIS core and capacity building support categories you can use to fund your first WeFlex session. Because we work in the general community, at your home and in local gyms (as opposed to ‘special’ gyms’ .. eww) we are supporting the NDIS participant with social and community participation. Which can be funded. Check out the graph below as these are all items we leverage for our clients to access NDIS funding for personal training.

NDIS funding categories for personal training

The NDIS personal training price guide

As it stands the NDIS personal training price guide is a single line item standing on its own (see below), in its own little capacity building category along with exercise physiology under improved health and wellbeing (we have also outlined this above under support category 12). This makes it seem like it is a specific function with a specific outcome for specific goals – but the truth is the benefits of personal training are so varied that it does contribute to all types of goals and people. It is outlined as below

Above image taken from page 86 of the 23/24 NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits Guide (previously the NDIS Price Guide)

More than just improved health and wellbeing

For the NDIS core funding category ‘Assistance with Social, Economic and Community Participation’ – considering our personal training sessions often occur in the local community whether it be in the park or local mainstream gym – it does assist with community and social participation. Similarly for the capacity building support ‘Increased Social and Community Participation’ it is literally increasing social and community participation – while getting in a good workout.

As for the latter two, ‘Improved Health and Well-being’ as well as ‘Improved Daily Living Skills’ often people have broad goals around improved well-being and are trying to stave off the affects of ageing, degenerative conditions or simply living a sedentary lifestyle. Many participants report that the personal training sessions are supporting them in their allied health therapy, as increasing strength, range of motion and gross motor skills are beneficia in many facets of allied health work.

This was always a goal of ours, to connect people to their local communities through the gyms and fitness/leisure centres. The benefits of exercise combined with the benefits of improved social engagement and connection to local community. Winner.

WeFlex NDIS personal trainers – A great supplement to other NDIS support services and therapies

If your goal is less social and more health aligned – our personal trainers can pair with an NDIS exercise physiologist and work under their recommendations and exercise prescriptions. The NDIS personal training line item is less than half that of exercise physiology so you can get more bang for buck – if appropriate.

In NO WAY are we saying, personal training is a substitute for existing therapies, but what we’ve learnt is that it is a brilliant supplement for existing therapies. It has shown to help our clients with occupational therapy and other allied health therapies.

If you or someone you know is ready to chat with a NDIS personal trainer, click here to get in touch

To help educate you more we have included a link below to the NDIS Price Arrangements & Price Limits, formerly the NDIS Price Guide. This is updated frequently so stay tuned for the latest version.

Download the complete version of NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits 2023-23.pdf

About WeFlex

Frequently Asked Questions About NDIS Funding For Personal Training

Does NDIS cover gym equipment?

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides funding to Australians with a disability to help increase their independence and quality of life. While NDIS does not cover the cost of purchasing gym equipment directly, it does provide funding for personal training services which may include the use of gym equipment within a gym or private setting.

For example, an NDIS participant may choose to use their funding to access one-on-one personal training sessions at a gym via WeFlex, which may include the use of gym equipment.

Do the NDIS fund gym membership?

The NDIS supports a range of services and activities designed to improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities, and this can includes gym memberships but it is reviewed on a case by case scenario. We can’t comment specifically, but in our experience it’s more common than not it won’t be covered unfortunately.

You can read an example of the information and a review of a sample case from the NDIS.gov.au website here.

Does NDIS Funding Cover Personal Training?

The short answer is Yes, you can access funding via the NDIS for your personal training. The extended answer is, that it really depends. We recommend reading the above article, discussing with the NDIA directly and talking to our team to work through your plan individually to work out how you may access the funding.

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I started WeFlex almost 3 years ago and I‘ve read every piece of research on kids exercise and disability that I could get my hands on. Sadly, there isn’t a tonne of research out there and some of it is already dated but one thing remained consistent: appropriate exercise and physical activity is always beneficial (no matter how much or how little). Adaptability is key!

I couldn’t find a report that concluded with the notion ‘under no circumstances should kids on the spectrum or with a disability exercise’.  

In fact, they often reported not only the benefits we all experience with exercise and physical activity – like improved mood and sleep. Some research for example showed that the benefits for kids on the spectrum went beyond this and showed signs of improved regulation, on-task concentration, and ‘positive’ behaviours. Neat right? Most kids with a disability don’t need special gyms, personal trainers and NDIS clinicians to help them get active and moving. There is plenty you can do right now at home to begin to introduce it to their lives and routines. Below are just 5 ways you can get your family up and moving to access some of these benefits.

1. Morning walks (or roll). Exercising and moving first thing in the morning is great because it’s done early and so no matter what the day throws at you, it’s already ticked off. It also helps kids go to sleep and wake up. It’s not just the exercise component, but morning sun can assist with vitamin D absorption and improve your mood and ability to concentrate throughout the day. Even if someone in your family is in a wheelchair, benefits are still there. It can also be incorporated into existing routine. If they catch the bus to school, walk/roll to the next stop, if you drive them, park the car a block further away and walk or roll. Start the morning right.
2. Balloons! Not a typo. I’ve done all kinds of workouts over the years yet the toughest one ever had one piece of ‘equipment’ – a balloon. We’re not sure if it’s slightly more famous because of Bluey’s Keepy Uppy game? Nonetheless balloons are awesome (and very cheap) fitness aides. Setting up a game of balloon tennis starts off easy but after a while the shoulder workout kicks in. Bat it to each other, not letting it touch the floor can have you running around upping the cardiovascular output. The games also promotes hand-eye coordination, can be done indoors and little risk of it knocking off that priceless, antique vase. They are also bright which makes it easy for children with low vision to spot. Balloons baby. Ps. If you want to up the challenge…add more balloons
3. Dance parties. If your kids love the Disney movies, YouTubers, Netflix shows etc and loves to sing and dance along to them – embrace it and join in. Not only is it exercise for you, but is for them as well. Dancing is a great workout, can be fun and singing along only adds to the cardiovascular effort. This is also a wet-weather-proof workout. Further to that, there are so many dance tutorials on YouTube to follow along to, which have the added cognitive benefit of learning and memorising movements.
4. If they want to play video games, make them stand. I’ve been reading a lot about sitting vs standing in relation to work and I’ve started to incorporate these learnings into my daily life. Standing to work or play games burns more calories, is better for back and posture, improves balance and builds leg muscles. Even something as simple as getting your child to stand to play games is a sneaky way to incorporate some form of activity or physical challenge into their downtime.
5. Toilet Paper Rolls! So this is one for kids who are a bit more limited in their range of movement, coordination and cognitive functioning. I’ve had a few clients with cerebral palsy who needed a bit more time to get their arms moving. So I grabbed some toilet paper rolls, drew some faces on them and had the client knock them over. It’s fun, easy and promotes movement, reach and coordination. If your child uses a wheelchair and has a table or try you can even mark the location of the rolls each time to hopefully see a progression over time of their reach. You can time how long it takes and finally end the session with a demolition derby where they have to knock over all the rolls as fast as possible. Even kids in wheelchairs with limited mobility can be active and have fun doing so!

Let’s recap!

Movement doesn’t have to be regimented or gruelling or even feel like they have just climbed Everest! Incorporating play and engagement into daily life are ways you can promote any level of movement and exercise whilst having fun.

If you manage to smash the above out of the park and feel like your child is ready to work with a NDIS personal trainer let us know Otherwise, stay tuned for more tips and tricks on how to get the kids moving at home or outdoors! Together, WeFlex

About WeFlex

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Carers Australia, the peak body for Carers in this country (amazing org look them up) released last year the findings in their latest piece of research Caring For Others And Yourself: 2022 Carer Wellbeing Survey where they surveyed close to 6,000 Australian carers about their health and wellbeing. Some of the surprising but not that surprising outcomes were:

• Carers where more than twice as likely (55.2%) to report a low wellbeing compared to the average Australian adult (25.4%)
• Carers were 2.8 times less likely to have good/excellent health (17.1%) compared to other Australians (47.9%)
• The age cohort of carers that have the most declining wellbeing is actually those aged 35-44 who mostly cared for their children with disabilities whilst also having to care for other children, work or manage a single income household all while the cost of living increases
• As for psychological distress those at highest risk of high levels of psychological distress were; carers aged 25-34 (71.0%), unemployed carers (63.1%), carers who identify as LGBTQIA+ (60.3%) and carers aged 35-44 (60.3%)

Although there were some improvements amongst young and older carers – it is a sobering reminder of the impact a caring role can have on a human.

Most of the carers I know (and I include myself) would be uncomfortable even acknowledging this impact. I love the people I care for deeply and would choose to do it again and again. And this heroic – slightly martyrish – outlook on the role and responsibilities of a carer are somewhat to blame for these poor health and wellbeing outcomes.

Time to think about you first (controversial…I know)

So, here’s a question for you: if you began taking better care of yourself tomorrow – getting a full nights sleep, good diet and regular exercise would that make you a better or worse carer? If you were slightly healthier would that have a positive or negative impact in the household?

And no, I’m not suggesting that we all have time to make fresh nutritious food for every meal, or that we all have an extra few hours a day to go exercising. But you’re not much use to anybody if you burn yourself out. Then YOU will NEED a carer. And the cycle continues. So this isn’t a rallying cry for selfishness but rather one for getting closer to self-centred. So where to begin?

1. Sleep. Sleep isn’t a part of the mix of good health, it’s the bedrock of it. When you don’t sleep well, your food choices aren’t typically stellar the next day – nor are you bounding with energy to go for a walk or exercise. If you can find an extra 15 or 30 minutes each side of going to bed and waking up – take it. Put down the phone before you get into bed. Consistency in bedtime is even better. Get sleep right and the rest will follow.
2. Activity. Even 30 minutes a day can have a huge impact on your wellbeing. It doesn’t need to be arduous either. Go for a walk, follow along to a YouTube dance class in the living room, something. Anything. Even breaking up that 30 minutes into 3 x 10 minute sessions achieves the same affect. More than anything, we are training our consistency and ability to set aside some time, to defend that time from demands of others and to then show up to the workout.
3. Diet. As a major stress eater (sweet biscuits and cinnamon donuts) this one has always been difficult for me. A simple strategy that has worked wonders for me is to have tasty and healthy snacks around the house. Fruit and nuts are my new go-to. But also when we eat can have an impact as well, eating a lot before bed can actually impair your sleep – as can alcohol. If you close up shop in your belly 90 minutes before bed you should find better night’s sleep ahead of you.

Next steps (literally)…

It’s really easy to forget to look after yourself when caring for others. It’s even easier to feel bad about that and guilty, and then do nothing about it. A few times in my life I’ve had intense caring roles that took a major toll on me – but the idea of caring for anyone more than my loved one was almost unapproachable for me.

More than anything we need to start tackling this mindset of blind and complete sacrifice for others. Because it’ll just make us more unwell and isolated, which will make us worse carers as well as obviously unhappy. Find the little things you can do for yourself and make it a priority. Communicate those needs and slowly but surely carve out enough space for your own wellbeing and walk your way slowly back to (self) centre.

You deserve it.

Together, WeFlex

About WeFlex

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