Welcome!
I'm Marcia, a Medical Massage Therapist, Personal Trainer, and Permaculture Designer {gardener, hiker, and calisthenics nerd}. My goal is to support people who want to be healthy, active, and outdoors. Whether it's kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, gardening, or wildlife photography; there's things we all share.
When we struggle with chronic pain it can make it challenging to engage with the hobbies and activities that bring us joy. I've spent 14 years as a Massage Therapist focused on helping people manage or eliminate chronic pain. As I continued to study and work with patients I learned more about the habits, lifestyles, and condition that surround a healthy, active life:
- Stress Management
- Restful Sleep
- Balanced Nutrition
- Physical Fitness
This led me to get certified as a Personal Trainer so I could confidently guide a wide variety of people through their fitness journey. I found that massage is an excellent way to manage stress and improve the body, but our bodies are designed to function best when they move. Our immune system, our blood chemistry, our pain resilience are all improved by regular exercise.
And finally, working with clients over the years I've seen how hard it is to make changes in our daily routine. Permaculture Design is traditionally applied to landscapes and agriculture, however at it's core it is a philosophy. Based around beginning with deep reflection and assessment, you then move on to design a system that creates supportive relationships between everything in our environment. These principles can applied to our spaces to support healthy habits and productivity. Combined with Remote Coaching you can design your success and get an accountability partner that can answer questions along the way.
My Services
If you have questions please text 828.22.7528 to schedule a Discovery Call. This phone call lets you share what you want to accomplish and how you think I can help you with that. We'll talk about if we sound like a good fit and what I should be able to provide. This is a complimentary, as I work with clients during the day I'm not always available to take calls. So it's easier to schedule rather than play phone tag.
If I think I'll be able to help you we'll schedule a Consultation to explore your situation.
If you are currently dealing with pain you’ll want to start your process with Massage to help break that cycle. At your first massage we’ll schedule a 30 minute consultation at the beginning to give time for assessments of posture, movement patterns, and/or flexibility and range of motion. We’ll also discuss your condition and what factors may be contributing to it. My style is a customized blend of deep tissue, trigger point therapy, stretching, hot stone, and cupping. I find most people don't need one modality for a whole session, so I cater each session to your unique needs that day.
If you aren’t dealing with pain but are trying to prevent it and improve the ease of daily living, we’ll schedule your consultation along with a training session so we can move on to establishing your fitness baseline and prepare an exercise program. Strengthening the postural muscles of the body plays a key role in preventing chronic pain and improving balance. If you are de-conditioned from a sedentary lifestyle or injury, or you are new to exercise, you'll find it most beneficial to start with some direct guidance. This will allow us to drill good form into place with direct feedback during your workout.
You don’t need to be a member of the gym to attend training or massage sessions, but they do have a whirlpool tub, steam sauna, dry sauna, indoor pool, and beginner’s group fitness classes that can all be very beneficial.
Finally, chronic issues usually result from a series of bad habits, these habits must be identified and corrected for long-term success. I have Remote Coaching Programs that give you direction and feedback on exercise, self-massage, and habit formation. If you prefer to workout at home and want guidance on how to create a health focused routine with an accountability partner to check-in on you, this is a great solution.
Coming Soon: Permaculture Design seasonal groups. If you would like to improve your nutrition by growing fresh fruits, veggies, and herbs at home let me know you would like information about our upcoming seasonal gardening groups.
About the Location:
The Spa Athletic Club is an inclusive gym and that focuses on our member's health and wellbeing. At your first appointment I will be waiting for you at the front desk. Membership is not required to attend training or massage sessions (you're welcome to use the bathrooms but not the showers). After your first visit simply let the staff at the front desk know that you have an appointment with Marcia and they'll let you in. In addition to a broad variety of fitness equipment the facility has a Stretch Cage, showers, indoor pool, whirlpool tub, steam sauna, and infra-red sauna. If you are not a member you can extend your stay (or come in to warm-up/relax ahead of your session) and use the equipment with a $10 day pass purchased from the front.
