Meet Vanessa
​Workplace ergonomic assessment in corporate downtown Toronto and a Senior's wellness program in North York was my intro to public health in 2015. I was added to practitioner teams on WSIB cases as the 1:1 in-home injury rehab Kinesiologist/community support worker to design evidence based treatment programs for spinal and brain injuries, partial paralysis, shattered bones - majority caused by slips, trips and falls.​ Watch your step!
An opportunity in private healthcare working with a team of Psychologists providing cognitive behavioural therapy, transferred me out to Alberta where I helped clients on long term disability overcome chronic pain and opioid dependence, return to work (and the gym ofc 😉) and get back to enjoying their lives with loved ones. After a few years of witnessing the physically, mentally, emotionally and financially devastating ripple effects that begin with one unexpected injury, I moved back home to Ontario to be close to family and shift my career and efforts into the preventative side of healthcare.
I became a certified Yoga Instructor in 2019 having loved the practice for 10 years already as a critical part of my self-care routine. Today, I'm passionate about designing creative personalized programs that integrate strength training for all ages and levels with body mind and soul wellness practices to maximize efforts, feel good and see results sooner.
Every practitioner has their philosophy.
Let me explain my approach...
START WITH THE CORE TO LIVE MORE
We can live 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water but the majority of people can't hold their breath for 30 seconds despite our body's potential capacity to tolerate climbing levels of CO2 for 3-5 minutes. Martial Arts, Yoga and Qui Gong are only 3 examples of ancient movement practices whose foundations are based on the connection of breath and movement in healing. From research in exercise physiology, we know that optimal movement begins in the muscles that make up intrinsic core; whose job it is to support the spine by controlling abdominal pressure that fluctuates with breath. The more expanded and controlled the breath, the stronger our movement and the less injuries, pain, disease, unrest and illness we experience.
​
Breathing assessments, gait analysis, functional movement screens and neurological connectivity muscle tests reveal your body's strengths and opportunities - this data, the goals you share with me and your injury/health history is what guides program design.
Each session begins with diaphragmatic breathing exercises to down-regulate the nervous system, dump tension, ease anxiety, up-regulate healing processes and optimize core control to minimize compensation patterns. Functional training abides by the sequence of neurodevelopment, coordinating intrinsic core strength to support spinal stability allowing for joint mobility in your daily movement. Progressive overload is the strategy we use to safely and effectively force adaptation to build resilience.
Let’s Work Together
Have questions? Send me an email (:
