Physical activity has always been of part of who I am. As a child I was outside climbing trees and swinging on ropes swings. In my youth I was a competitive gymnast and volleyball player. Gymnastics was a perfect lead into competitive bodybuilding, which in turn led me to competing on the American Gladiator show. I still love to be active outside; cycling, hiking and golf are some of the activities which bring me joy.
Through all these amazing experiences my body has taken a lot of falls and hits. I don’t think there is a part of my body that hasn’t had a sprain, strain, tear or break. My injuries and conditions started to become more frequent even though I was working out and living a healthy lifestyle. Conventional protocols were only focusing on the injured site and not what caused it, which would give temporary relief but wouldn't solve the underlying cause.
I pivoted my career to focus on functional movement and corrective exercise. I became a fitness professional with the Titleist Performance Institute and studied under some amazing people in the functional movement world. Learning the appropriate assessment has given me the tools to be able to address my own conditions, and I want to bring this knowledge to helping others.
If you can’t move properly, you can't exercise properly. Poor movement creates lack of mobility, stability, and motor control problems. This leads to poor performance and/or injuries.
All too often strength or stretching is prescribed before an adequate functional movement screen has been done. This becomes a temporary fix for symptoms and can cause more problems by failing to deal with the underlying cause. With a proper assessment the dysfunctions are apparent, and the appropriate program can be implemented.