“It’s a really powerful pharmacological intervention. We know it has the power to decrease blood pressure, change lipid profiles or cholesterol and increase bone density.”

The 46-year-old was named 2017 Exercise Physiologist of the Year by Exercise and Sports Science Australia, becoming the first Tasmanian to ever receive the award.

Mr Stone works with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Tasmania on rural health programs, including the new Prime Mover Program, which involves classes at George Town, Dorset, St Helens, Glamorgan Spring Bay and Flinders Island.

It is an exercise and educational therapy program for people recovering from, or at risk of heart and lung problems.

Originally from Smithton, Mr Stone decided at age 13 he was going to look after his health.

“My father died of lung cancer when I was 13 and he was quite young at 51,” he said.

“I suppose that was a real awakening at that time that I thought, well, I don’t want to get to that stage where I’m a bit overweight or heading towards those disease states, so what am I going to do about it, how am I going to prevent that?

“Then I started learning about exercise and did a personal training course to understand how the body operated and worked.

“It evolved from there. That was, I suppose, a light bulb moment at that point in time.”

Exercise physiology is a relatively new concept. They are university-qualified allied health professionals who specialise in the treatment and management of acute, sub-acute and chronic medical conditions, injuries and disabilities.

Mr Stone became an EP seven years ago, when there were only a few “pioneering” EPs who set up practices in Tasmania. His current work focuses on rural health.

“Because we also work with mental health professionals, we’ve got a good relationship, where if someone comes in and they think they can benefit from some physical activity, then they’ll send them to us and we’ll get them sorted with that.

“And vice versa, if we identify someone with a chronic disease that maybe is struggling with their mental health, then we can send them to our mental health workers.”