Vanessa
Certified Pilates Instructor
Vanessa has always loved sports and fitness, coupled with a deep interest in science and nutrition. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a focused concentration on biomechanics, strength and conditioning education to build sport-specific exercise plans. She has worked with both college and professional athletes. She minored in nutrition, where her studies focused on autoimmune disorders and an anti-inflammatory diet. She also has an Associate’s degree in Health & Wellness promotion with a focus in community health and education - primarily working with seniors, focusing on fall prevention, strength in later life, maintaining independence, along with nutrition and diabetes education. After being diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Vanessa started her fitness lifestyle and coaching in the gym setting, focusing on building strength through movement, in an effort to relieve her joint pain. Building strong muscles in order to protect the joints is pivotal to those with joint conditions! Because of her diagnosis, being in proper alignment is absolutely required in order to avoid being injured, so she became a yoga instructor as well as a Reiki practitioner in order to learn more about true joint range of motion, joint safety, flexibility vs hypermobility, and how being both strong and flexible builds a healthy life. Then Vanessa found Pilates! She believes Pilates is a perfect coupling of both the strength and “gym world” as well as the flexibility, stretching, and mindfulness of the “yoga world”. With Pilates, we are building a healthy foundation and lifestyle for the rest of our lives by focusing on maintaining healthy spinal alignment and a focus on core strength (and pelvic floor strength) in order to stay healthy, better perform habitual movement patterns, and staying injury free, feeling vibrant even into later years of life. Vanessa lived in Indiana where she was the General Manager of a Club Pilates for a year before becoming the sales director for 5 studios in the Indy area, and she has now returned to Buffalo to be closer to family. She could not be happier to be a part of your fitness journey!