I first became interested in fitness in my 20s, with a drive to
improve my own health and wellness, as well as help other people
meet their goals. In the 1990s I worked as a certified
aerobics instructor and personal trainer, specializing in active
older adults. In the 2000s I began training, studying, and
eventually teaching Tae Kwon Do. My martial arts training
included hard striking, board breaking, and power concrete
breaking. Later, my pursuit of fitness eventually led me to
what I thought was “functional fitness” training, which included
high intensity explosive movements and heavy weightlifting.
This type of hardcore training, in addition to the martial arts
training created many dysfunctions in my body. Adding insult
to injury, I was involved in an automobile accident in 2017 which
left me with pain and instability in my lower back.
Dealing with pain and dysfunction in my body, I started searching
for something more, which led me to Functional Patterns. I
met with a practitioner in 2018 and began practicing and studying
the Functional Patterns method. Functional Patterns has
taught me how to train my body in such a way that I am no longer in
pain and my lower back is stable. Now in my 50s, my body
feels stronger and more resilient than it did in my 20s, 30s, and
40s, and I am able to do all the activities that I enjoy, including
hiking, water skiing, and playing with my grandchildren.
Driven by a desire to help other people like myself, I became
certified as a Functional Patterns practitioner in September
2020. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow on my
personal journey with Functional Patterns, as well as further
developing my skills as a practitioner to better help my
clients.