Testimonials

"My name is Matt Swope and I’ve been working with Rachael Van Schoick since September of 2015.  I was in my mid-40’s when I started with Rachael, and I started with her in part to get in better shape but more because way too much of my body hurt.  I was active, competing in sports like basketball, running and golf, but kept hurting myself.  I had MRIs on my ankle, knee, hip and shoulder and was always worried that I was going to do something to my body that would be permanent.  When I went to one of my orthopedic doctors and explained that my shoulder hurt when I tried to do pullups, she said to me that I should never do pullups again.  My neck hurt when I tried to turn it too far and my hips and adductors were always sore.

One of the first lessons I learned when I started working with Rachael was to differentiate between tightness, weakness and injury.  She helped me refocus from blindly trying to build strength and speed to understanding that, especially as I got older, it was really important for me to improve mobility in almost every part of my body and to improve my form to use the proper muscles in everything we did.  Rachael is a very patient person and has she helped me be more patient and relaxed.  I’ve now been working with Rachael for over 7 years and continue to see improvement.  I had a Personal Best in the half marathon last month and can do more pullups than at any other time in my life.  I’m much more intentional than I’ve ever been which gives me greater confidence and purpose in all of my workouts but most importantly, my body has never felt better.  I have so much more mobility, alleviating the constant pain I felt when we started – and that so many of my peer's experience as they complain that it “sucks to get old”.  And I’ve built so much functional strength in my core and lower body that I move better.

I have worked with a lot of fitness professionals in my career, but Rachael is unique.  She has an incredible depth and breadth of experience.  She is a certified trainer, has extensive physical therapy experience, has a certificate in massage therapy and has trained with French orthopod Guy Voyer with a focus on the ELDOA methodology and spine health.  She is a nutrition expert and has taught yoga and pilates.  Rachael appropriately named her company Align Movement.  She grew up as a dancer and a gymnast and is a coordinated and natural mover herself but I’m most impressed by her hunger to learn and learn.  She is always adding to her extensive knowledge base and has the rare self-confidence to admit when she doesn’t know something or can provide a better answer by referencing her materials.  My ambitious goals have tested her skills in many ways and she always finds a solution. 

Ultimately, Rachael has given me the confidence to believe that I can continue to improve on my fitness journey as I get older rather than writing activities off.  She has amazing creativity that helps avoid boredom and somehow finds the right balance between physically demanding and backing off.  There are no shortcuts in this process, and she always takes the approach that we need to do things the right way even if it takes longer and leads by example – she never seems to tire from the process.  Because of my time with her, I enter into every rep with an intention.  She is a natural teacher and always educates me rather than just telling me what to do.  Rachael is extremely supportive – she goes out of her way to encourage me in my various athletic ventures and is always available as a resource.

Most recently, we have spent significant time working on improving my posture and learning to breathe better.  I sit in front of a computer for most of the day and I continue to create better habits for myself.  My posture improved enough that I measured a full inch taller at the doctor this year.  I decided to train less but with more intentional thought, using a training plan that Rachael designed, and when I ran my half marathon last month, I reaped the benefits for the full 13 miles.  I focused on pelvic mobility and axial extension as a I ran – concepts that we’ve worked on internalizing and implementing.  I always look forward to my sessions with Rachael and can’t wait to see how much better I can get as I get older!"

- MATT S

I had the pleasure of using Rachael's services over the last year for two separate issues, my low back, and shoulder. Rachael is a great listener, and extremely knowledgeable on overall anatomy and pathologies, and can very quickly determine an appropriate path toward pain relief, for both the short and long term. I highly recommend!

- SHERYL -