WE START WHERE YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL

Having a body is a relationship - your most important & precious relationship.

safe + true = success

We assess your Momentum - the way you’re safely moving through space & time, in the training environment safest for your success.

We then look at your body Mechanics -It’s your form, as you function. The truth of what your body is saying.

We then add in Mind Set - utilizing the strongest muscle, the one between the ears! The most effective tool we have. It feels the success, which builds new neural-pathways & neuro-plasticity, because it’s moving safely. When safety is combined with success

It’s all connected and affected by success, encouragement, truth.

  • Through the assessment process, we begin to see where your body is successful while moving through the specific motions. We honor and respect how your body is moving, in the moment. We believe it. We treat this precious relationship like any other. We encourage, support & give it time. We would never ask a newborn baby to run, right? And when it can’t run, we would never gaslight the newborn, shame it, compare it, or judge it for falling down when trying. We respect and appreciate, in this moment, the truth of how your body functions with success, and work from there.

  • First, we have an intake conversation which will give us a good idea of which environment would be best to start. Then, we schedule a simple movement assessment. How your body responds to the assessment gives us the best roadmap on how to proceed. Success in functional movement is safe movement. When we experience success, it builds new positive Neural Pathways for more success. Moving through motions in a manner where you feel safe, supported and encouraged, builds new movement potential, positive neuro-plasticity and you are more likely to keep going!

  • At AquaBodies we use an integrated, whole-body assessment approach which means we look at how the whole body is working together, as a relationship. Most traditional physical therapies and orthopedic practices are governed by insurance and industry protocols, which may restrict treatment to only the ‘approved’ problem area of the body. This often may result in a more limited isolated approach. We know the problem area didn’t get like that all on it’s own. Which other body parts had a part in creating this pain, injury or discomfort. Assessing through the lens of the “whole-body” approach provides a roadmap to find out what else in the body is accountable for this problem area. We then create the most effective authentic treatment program. It’s all connected!

  • We begin in the right environment for you, depending on your current situation and goals - one that supports your success and encourages progress. This includes where you feel safe, less pain and more movement potential. At AquaBodies, Kathleen is passionate about the healing properties of water. You have the option to choose between the water, land, or a combination of both environments.

  • Let’s talk about what you’ve tried. I know that you want to have a body that performs at its best, without pain, without fear of getting hurt and with signs of improvement. It’s easy to compare and judge our bodies. Building on the body’s success can help shift a mindset to one of support, encouragement and self-compassion. It’s essential to first honor your body’s success. We need to discover the truth of what is going on with your body. If moving on land is limited or painful, we may suggest an aquatic assessment. This can be determined in a 30 minute intake phone call.

If you’re ready to start your journey to wellness, click the button to get in touch!

WE START WHERE YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL

How do I know where I am successful?

Through the assessment process, we begin to see where your body is successful while moving through the specific motions. We honor and respect how your body is moving, in the moment. We believe it. We treat this precious relationship like any other. We encourage, support & give it time. We would never ask a newborn baby to run, right? And when it can’t run, we would never gaslight the newborn, shame it, compare it, or judge it for falling down when trying. We respect and appreciate, in this moment, the truth of how your body functions with success, and work from there.

How does ‘the success’ get determined?

First, we have an intake conversation which will give us a good idea of which environment would be best to start. Then, we schedule a simple movement assessment. How your body responds to the assessment gives us the best roadmap on how to proceed. Success in functional movement is safe movement. When we experience success, it builds new positive Neural Pathways for more success. Moving through motions in a manner where you feel safe, supported and encouraged, builds new movement potential, positive neuro-plasticity and you are more likely to keep going!

What makes AquaBodies approach different from other physical therapy and orthopedic modalities?

At AquaBodies we use an integrated, whole-body assessment approach which means we look at how the whole body is working together, as a relationship. Most traditional physical therapies and orthopedic practices are governed by insurance and industry protocols, which may restrict treatment to only the ‘approved’ problem area of the body. This often may result in a more limited isolated approach. We know the problem area didn’t get like that all on it’s own. Which other body parts had a part in creating this pain, injury or discomfort. Assessing through the lens of the “whole-body” approach provides a roadmap to find out what else in the body is accountable for this problem area. We then create the most effective authentic treatment program. It’s all connected!

How do you encourage success with your approach?

We begin in the right environment for you, depending on your current situation and goals - one that supports your success and encourages progress. This includes where you feel safe, less pain and more movement potential. At AquaBodies, Kathleen is passionate about the healing properties of water. You have the option to choose between the water, land, or a combination of both environments.

What if nothing else has worked for me?

Let’s talk about what you’ve tried. I know that you want to have a body that performs at its best, without pain, without fear of getting hurt and with signs of improvement. It’s easy to compare and judge our bodies. Building on the body’s success can help shift a mindset to one of support, encouragement and self-compassion. It’s essential to first honor your body’s success. We need to discover the truth of what is going on with your body. If moving on land is limited or painful, we may suggest an aquatic assessment. This can be determined in the intake phone call.

If you’re ready to start your journey to wellness, click the button to get in touch!

“I started working with Kathleen because of back pain due to sciatica pain. I was receiving epidurals and seeing a chiropractor. Also, I had Radio frequency ablation for the pain, and I felt that water aerobics would help. I had a few instructors before Kathleen. The process of working with Kathleen was heaven sent. Since working with Kathleen, I can do things that I couldn’t do before, such as walking my dogs and I feel great. I have not had to go back to the doctors since starting with Kathleen.”

— Elanie

Whole Body Approach~the Body as a Relationship

At AquaBodies, we recognize that your body is your most important relationship and every body is different. Each body creates the program. There is no protocol. There is no insurance telling us which area of the body we can and cannot work on. We look and listen with an integrated, whole-body approach. It’s my job as an Aquatic Therapy & Rehab Specialist and Fellow of Applied Functional Science®, to honor and respect what your body is saying. What worked for the last client who had back pain, for example, is not necessarily what will work for your back pain. Your body is unique and wonderful in the way it has served you up to this point. It is very smart. We work with the intelligence living in your body, it’s Movement IQ, to help it feel better. Functional movement science recognizes the truth of the way the body moves and operates. Together, we will work with your whole body to see what it has to say about the function that works best for your goals! We focus on YOU!

 

Momentum

This is our body moving each and every day, within the world around us. It’s getting from point A to point B in our envirnoment. How well our body responds to our daily tasks, ADL’s (Activities of Daily Life) and fitness goals. How we well we navigate in our individual body in relation to the world we live in... Achieving the tasks of our daily life and doing so with success. Momentum is knowing we must keep going in our everyday, in the environment we live and play in.

Mechanics

This refers to how well we are moving mechanically within the constant momentum of life. There are changes and influences, aches and pains, good parts and getting better parts. Aging, injury, our pathology, our genetics, our bones, MRI’s & X-rays, inflammation, bulged discs, scoliosis, etc…these are all possible realities we face about our bodies each and everyday. These are the mechanical, or bio-mechanical, true facts about our body. 

Mindset

Sometime, this is our most powerful tool and most feared foe. Each step along our path, we have the opportunity to work with our momentum, work with our mechanics, and work with our mindset. When the first two aspects are challenged, mindset, or behavior, can be our most effective tool.

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t~~you’re right.”

— Henry Ford

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”

— Dr. Maya Angelou

Working with the “Big Rocks” of the Body

Feet, hips and shoulders.

How compensatory patterns develop in the body and, like in any system, we look to relive the stress and strains causing the problem, and assign accountability.

Labled as “Big Rocks” by Dr. Gary Gray, PT of Gray Institute®, the feet, hips and shoulders are three major joint complexes of the body often a source of lack of motion. Over time, if the biomechanics of the “Big Rocks” are limited, they can start to have an affect on other smaller parts of the body up or down the ‘chain’. The body is super smart and it will do what ever it takes to get you from point A to point B, successfully. Sometimes at the cost of wear and tear on neighboring areas. They might indeed start to “bully” those smaller parts into doing their jobs for them. Think about some other joints which live close to these areas of the body: lower back, knees, neck, elbow, wrists, ankles. Any of these sound familiar? When these joint complexes get forced into doing the motion for the BIg Rocks, well then we have an issue. You can bet that any one, or more, of these parts will start talking to you, getting louder and louder until we figure out HOW this little guy has been is compensating for which Big Rock. This ‘bullying’ continues to can create pain. Which can lead to lack of motion and less variety of movement. No we have a cycle of pain and less and less movement. All this can eventually lead to worn out parts, unwanted surgeries and chronic injury.

In applied functional movement science, we look at the body as an integrated whole “Chain Reaction®" of movements, as made known by the Gray Institute®. Simply put, one part of the body affects the other parts along the entire chain. This approach to seeing the body allows me to discover the bio mechanics of where things are not moving with ease. What if the low back is suffering with limiting pain? We want to find out who in the body is not doing its job that’s making the low back do more that its share of the work. At AquaBodies, we look at your whole body as the roadmap to create the most effective authentic treatment program. It’s all connected!

Feet

It’s essential to address the feet. The feet are where the body meets gravity. Everything up the chain from the feet is affected as soon as the foot hits the floor. With 26 bones in each foot, 33 joints and 3+ planes of motion for all joints, that’s 99 motions possible for each joint in the foot. Limited mobility anywhere in the foot can create pain up chain. Make sure the foot gets properly addressed and cared-for along with the rest of the body. Let’s agree, everything from Noes to Toes is our CORE. Authentic Movement Training prepares those feet and everything up the chain. NO matter your goals or level of fitness, we need the feet to be ready! Ready for Triathlon, Costco, the evening walk or run, this weekend’s Tough Mudder or that next marathon you’ve been training for.

Hips

Hips hold the power for the body’s movement. Let’s be honest…they are CORE. Often when the hips aren’t happy, they can affect their neighbors in very unkind ways. The closest parts of the body to take the brunt up the chain is the lower back (lumbar spine). And then down the chain to the knees. Those are examples of neighboring common areas to become painful when the hips are not functioning properly. It doesn’t stop there. What about to the front of the body, the abdominals, pecs or even biceps? Or your golf swing? Poorly functioning hips can affect the body along the entire chain. Over 24 muscles in the hip area. 4 joints. That’s a lot get ready! Authentic Movement Programming ensures that the hips are healthy, ready and powerful in all 3+ planes of motion.

Shoulders

Shoulders are the big powerhouses of the upper body. If the 17 muscles, 3 bones and 2 joints get limited, there are many smaller parts in the upper body who will pay the price. Neck, elbow, rotators, nerves in the wrists and fingers. Down the chain to the hips, calves, ankles. Similar to the hips, when the shoulders are restricted, the body insists that other parts do their job for them. Then the issues surface. All 3 “Big Rocks" of the body are important, yet this area is chronically overlooked when the symptoms aren’t coming from the shoulders. The relationship between the shoulders, hips and feet is essential in everyday functional movement. Authentic Movement Training make sure the essential shoulders are well addressed. Simply put…these 3 “Big Rocks” are the CORE!

“Kathleen  does an exceptional job of explaining body mechanics and how our activities in the water  relate to everyday movements.  She monitors the accuracy of our body movements while being constantly encouraging.  Her instructions are clear and helpful.  As compared to other instructors, Kathleen's class is very practical & useable, helping me to remember correct body movement throughout the rest of my week.  Excellent experience!”

-P.K.