GET TO KNOW MAKS

NASM Corrective Exercise Specialist, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, MovNat Level II Certified Trainer,  B.A. University of Massachusetts Amherst, J.D. Touro Law Center.

In my early-to-mid-twenties, I felt like my body just gave up on me. Debilitating hip pain kept me from living the life I wanted.

I stopped playing sports. I stopped going on long hikes. I wasn’t even 30 yet but I already feared too much physical activity because of a “bad hip.”

Being fit and active was a staple of my identity. I no longer knew who I was. I became depressed and began the pain-relief seeking cycle.

I went to the orthopedic surgeons and got a bunch of scary diagnoses for my hip pain. Then I went on the conservative treatment hamster-wheel of physical therapy, cortisone injections and all the other things that didn’t help.

There was only one option left - surgery. Getting hip surgery in my mid-20s just didn’t sound right to me so I sought a different answer.

My search to move and feel better led me down a long and curious path of introspection. I explored the world of corrective exercise, Feldenkrias, natural movement, psychology and read just about everything humanly possible about movement and fitness.

I discovered that there was no perfect discipline, just like there was no movement guru that had all the answers to my problems.

I learned that to move and feel better, I had to trust myself while taking in the wisdom of other teachers throughout history who paved the way.

These days, my body feels better than it ever has. I play basketball, run, golf and chase my young son around the house. I still have all those scary diagnoses in my hips but I never think about them - unless I’m writing a blog article about it.

My goal with the content I create is to help you take ownership of your body. I want to teach you to listen to your body and no longer rely on someone else to “fix” you. This is how you build a movement practice that lasts a lifetime.