Real People. Real Results.

Our mission is to create value and provide our customers with solutions that get results. We have set out to enhance the healthcare experience, put our customers needs and goals first, and tailor everyone's care to get results that matter!

Movement is life! When you are injured and in pain and your movement system is affected, your whole life is affected - physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. Besides personal frustration or disappointment, your immobility and pain may affect your relationships and ability to do activities with those you love. Don't live in pain! We can help!

Pro Athletes Utilize Mental Performance Training

Attention Athletes! And Parents of Athletes! Mental performance training gives you the edge. Are you ready for college scouts? Are you performing to the best of our ability or are you looking to tap into your true potential?

The Chicago Cubs went to the World Series this year for the first time in 71 years! And they WON!! Coincidence? We think not!  We specialize in cutting edge science because it works!

Breathing is a big part of Mental Performance. Taken for granted by most of us, it regulates our physiology, movement and our postural system. Wisdom knows this and David Ross didn't just give good advice to his teammate, he backed it up with his performance. Ross entered the game in the bottom of the inning and hit a HOME RUN over center field that sailed over the fence.

Smart Teams are formulating strategies to amplify performance. This includes heavily investing in systematic mental performance training as part of their quest to win, grow young players and stay the course to be able to perform when the pressure and competition is the greatest. 

Help your Team optimize mindset and breathe for performance like the new World Champion Cubs.  Learn more about our services and if you are a coach interested in Team Training contact us and we can put together a customizable skills program for you and your team!

Check out our video that was posted on yelp!

We are so grateful to have the opportunity to do what we love to do! Our work is our passion and we have an amazing team that makes THRIVE a special place. Check out one of our videos and get a sneak peek at whats inside our clinic!

Phoenix Fitness & Movement Course Review

A few weeks ago, I got to traveled to Phoenix to teach the PRI Integration for Fitness and Movement course for the 6th time.  Read the entire course review HERE. 

The course was hosted by the Sports Medicine Staff and Strength Coaches of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Amazing facility and staff. We had over 55 people in attendance, some were PTs, ATCs, Chiropractors, Strength Coaches, Personal Trainers, Yoga & Pilates Instructors, and even a PE teacher. 

The course presents principles of Postural Restoration and Athletic Durability, so this quote in one of their training rooms couldn't have been more fitting! 

After the 2 day course, Sarah and I got to enjoy a day in beautiful Sedona, AZ! Great Trip and so grateful Sarah got to travel with me! 

EVEN IF YOU HAVE ALREADY TRIED PHYSICAL THERAPY...

Don't give up! You may be surprised at the options you have when you trust the right professionals to help. We offer solutions - alternative therapies, advanced techniques, and affordable prices for you to take control of your health. We are Biomechanical Movement Specialists with niche specialities that change lives

Who's Behind the Scences taking care of your athletes? What are you doing for Performance Longevity & Performance Sustainment?

When we look at the Olympics and Professional Sports (athletes at the highest level) there are clearly some athletes who always seem to get it right. What many people don't know is that it's not the physical training that keeps athletes performing consistently at the highest level.

There is work that has to go on beyond the physical training for an athlete to have performance sustainment and longevity, and well as durability to handle the excessive wear, tear, and stress many athletes have to put their bodies through to do their job. 

We specialize in the behind scenes work, beyond the physical training.

• We help the mechanical, muscular, and structural systems stay most functional with advanced physical therapy, athletic training, and massage.

• We maximize the physical, mechanical, and physiological benefits of the ventilatory system so the body can balance and optimize healthy breathing, posture, and movement patterns.

• We train the mind to enhance its ability to perform under pressure, improve focus, attention, and concentration skills, and maintain confidence and motivation. 

• We help the body rebound quickly from injury or rebound quickly from mental mistakes which affect training and performance. 

• We help train the body for relaxation using various forms of meditation, reflexology, aromatherapy, soft tissue and bodywork to optimize sleep, rest, recovery, and regeneration. 

• And lastly, we provide guidance and coaching through performance nutrition, so you can know the best nutritional practices to properly fuel and refuel your body to enhance recovery and optimize performance.  

We Keep Healthy People Healthy.

We Keep Athletes Performing Consistantly.

We believe in Proactive Health.

Treating the high level athlete and elite performer requires extra training, specialization, experience and skill beyond any entry level education, certification, and licensing trade. I've spent my whole career dedicated to understanding the finely tuned systematic machine which we call our human body, and the secret to truly get it to function and operate at its best is that you need to have a team. There is no trainer, therapist, coach, or sports performance expert that knows it all! A team of experts that work together to take a systematic approach while putting the athletes' health first, are the ones that are truly making a difference in this industry and leading the way. I've worked hard to strategically bring disciplines together to be able to offer athletes and coaches a holistic, well rounded, systematic, and supportive approach so that we together can make a difference, exceed expectations, and provide athletes with a more wholesome and complete profile to out smart their competition and help them achieve their goals. 

If you are not an athlete, but have read this blog - don't let it scare you away. Our advanced training is often the missing link which solves pain mysteries and we may be able to give you a different perspective in how to resolve an injury and help you understand why your chronic pain has not responded with other treatments or therapies. The human body has many amazing neuropathways which are often untapped opportunities to retrain connections and promote self healing -  if they are tapped into and facilitated properly and strategically. 

If you don't have chronic pain, but a mild nagging pinch or hitch --- what are you waiting for? Come in for a quick tune up and prevent that minor issue from getting worse.  We can renew mobility and decrease unnecessary muscle tension with quick releases and adjustments. No long term commitment or high medical fees are associated with our tune up services. 

 

We all need attention and maintenance to THRIVE. 

Attention Coaches & Parents - we can provide services off site at your location. Fill out the form and let us know what services and consultations you are looking to integrate with you team. We need to know about how many athletes will be involve, any special dates/schedule the team may have, and what kinds of services you think will benefit your athletes the most. 

What is the value of Mental Performance Training?

Our Doctors specialize in training mental performance and cognitive skills to help athletes achieve their full potential. Mental performance integrates the fields of sport science and applied sport & performance psychology to teach performance enhancement and recovery techniques so that you can accomplish more in sport, fitness, work, and everyday life. 

Check out this video to learn more about what Mental Performance Sports Psychology is!

What goes on inside the mind of champion athletes?

Our Doctors are Certified Consultants through the Association of Applied Sports Psychology.

Are you an athlete ready to get started? 

Call today (757) 416-6700 or request an appointment here.

How are you managing your body's response to stress?

"Chris, a 45-year-old business executive, had a family history of heart disease, and was feeling extremely stressed, fatigued, and generally in poor emotional health. A 24-hour heart rate variability analysis revealed abnormally depressed activity in both branches of his autonomic nervous system, suggesting autonomic exhaustion ensuing from maladaptation to high stress levels.

His heart rate variability was far lower then would be expected for his age, and was below the clinical cut-off level for significantly increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

In addition, Chris’s average heart rate was abnormally high at 102 beats per minute, and his heart rate did not drop at night as it should. Upon reviewing these results, his physician concluded that it was imperative that Chris take measures to reduce his stress."  

The Doctor recommended healthy alternative options to help Chris improve his psychophysiological coherence. Like the techniques Chris used in this prologue* we too specialize in helping the body regulate the autonomic nervous system through manual techniques, massage, breath work, education, and mental performance training.

Our programs provide increased synchronization and harmony in the functioning of many physiological systems to benefit multiple dimensions of your health.

We are your one stop shop offering natural solutions and healthy alternatives to managing stress and providing you with the wellness, attention, and maintenance your body needs to operate and perform. 

If you are concerned with how stress is affecting your life or someone you love, TAKE ACTION. We are here to help and can offer different services to help regulate the autonomic nervous system and affect the physiology of many body systems. 

Get started by booking a PhysioMassage and Mental Performance Session today!

Do not let your health deteriorate. Proactive Health not only affects you, but also those you love! Think about your Return of Investment (ROI). Your ROI affects your health, your relationships, your body, and your quality of life in many positive ways. 

We know you will not be disappointed!

Learn about our niche - We are different!

*Excerpted from McCraty & Tomasino (2006),1 pp. 360-361.

Learn how to be Brilliant Every Single Day

Our Doctors of Mental Performance provide cognitive training not only to Athletes, but also to Non-Sport High Performers as well.

Those successful in their careers understand the value in learning. There is great benefit to learning about your personal physiology and how your body self regulates to keep your brain operating at its most effective level.

We are experts in providing strategies and tools to facilitate self-awareness of performance inhibiting thoughts and behaviors, as well as, teaching personalized strategies to individuals to optimally self-regulate the mind-body connection.

You can train and optimize the mind to optimize the body so it can work more efficiently. 

Learning how to regulate your physiology is achieving a state of coherence. What is that you ask? Check out this video

More helpful links Business Performance and Non-Sport Performers

If you would like to learn how to regulate your physiology and achieve a state of coherence schedule an appointment with one of our Mental Performance Specialists today! Call 757-416-6700 or request an appointment here.

Meet our Featured Wellness Advocate - Angela Kristiansen

When you first meet Angela, you immediately sense her warm energy. She radiates health and literally has a glow about her that makes you want to do whatever she is doing! This is why it came as a big surprise to learn that she wasn’t always this healthy and used to spend a lot of her time in and out of hospitals.

Angela used to suffer from chronic health issues and stress. She didn’t realize that all of her health ailments were due to the amount of stress that she had in her life.

“The stress was creating anxiety – I didn’t even realize I was having anxiety attacks until I was sitting in front of my doctor when she told me I was in the middle of an anxiety attack.”

Her doctors continued to prescribe her antibiotics to deal with the sinus infections caused by allergies, which weakened her immune system and disrupted her entire system. Angela also suffered from migraines and had to see a pain management specialist to receive trigger point injections for the tension she carried in her shoulders. 

“All of these appointments caused more stress due to time off from work.”

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She found peace and healing in yoga. “Yoga really soothed me – and I knew that there was more to it than what meets the eye, and I wanted to learn more. I enrolled in a yoga teacher training program and knew this was what I needed to do.”

Angela attended Yoga Teacher Training through Yax Yoga Concepts, which focused heavily on the mind and body connection and introduced her to holistic nutrition. This sparked her desire to explore Integrative Nutrition and she discovered the missing link to bettering herself. Angela gave up processed foods for whole, organic foods and traded synthetic medicine for DoTerra Natural Essential Oils and supplements.

 

“When I went non-toxic with food and started yoga with meditation I became a completely different person.”

She discovered that she did much better when she was able to be physical rather than sitting at a desk for over 8 hours a day.  Angela resigned from her corporate finance job and became a full-time yoga teacher and integrative health coach.

“Once I made changes in my life – I realized I could help other people. When I aligned myself with my heart’s true desires and the path that I was supposed to be on, all of my health issues resolved naturally without medication.”

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Angela started her own brand and website GlowWithAngela.com so that she could help others who can benefit from these gentle lifestyle changes. “My goal is to guide people to bring their mind and heart into alignment so that they can balance physically and spiritually.” She has 3 main steps that she will lead her clients through:

1. Detox -Guiding people to eat whole foods while eliminating preservatives and artificial chemicals will support the body in naturally healing itself. The first thing that I like to do with people is help them get off synthetic products, synthetic foods, synthetic OTC medications and possibly prescription medications with the integrative support of their prescribing doctor.  This sets up the body to begin healing itself by reducing the burden overload on the filtering systems of the body.  Reducing toxins also brings more clarity and focus into their life to help with stress reduction. I help them with easy changes.  Although gentle and easy, the changes are a wake-up call. Detoxifying helps not only physically, but also helps people be mindful of their thoughts, shifting from patterns from negativity to positivity and focusing on self-love.

2. Meditation – Building mind and body awareness with yoga, meditation, and breath work will reduce stress by getting the energy flowing in the body,  helping them reconnect back to their center where they begin to remember.  She works to help get people grounded and connected back into their bodies. This brings balance to the nervous system, therefore also balancing hormones, and restoring the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Additionally, meditation physically changes the brain structure, particularly the amygdala, which helps to reduce fear and stress in conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

3. Energy work – Scanning the body to notice which energy centers are out of balance to make a holistic plan and create the awareness needed to bring the client’s health back into alignment. Sessions will focus on the seven main energy centers in the body and how they correlate with our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives.

Angela Ioves working with women who would like to have more balance and natural health in their lifestyle. “My niche is women who struggle with stress, anxiety, focus, and self-love.” She also works with people who have minor health ailments, like migraines and digestive issues. “If they didn’t have these issues, it would change their lives.”  

You can take one of Angela’s Yoga classes at the following locations, dates, and times:

Hot House Yoga – Monday at 12:30, Wed at 2:00, and Thursday and Friday at 9:00 am.     

Community Yoga at Thrive on certain Saturdays.

Yoga Buddha Brunch at The Green Cat on Sundays at 9 am.

Angela sees coaching clients in person, by facetime, or phone on Tuesdays from 8:00 – 11:00 am, Thursdays from 11:00 – 2:00 pm, and Saturdays by appointment only.  

For great advice on meditation, delicious recipes, and more information about her health coaching programs visit GlowwithAngela.com

You can also follow her on social media at GlowWithAngela on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube channel GlowWithAngela.

Meet Our Featured Yoga Instructor + Transformational Life Coach - Chelsea Latham

At the young age of 11, Chelsea remembers seeing yoga for the first time on t.v. and knowing that she wanted to learn more. It wasn’t until she went to college that she was able to experience her first yoga class.

“I loved it as much as I thought I would, and it wasn’t long after that I knew that it was what I wanted to commit to.”

After graduating college with a business and finance degree, the economy had crashed and she was unable to find a job. This opened the door to start traveling the world while volunteering and found herself on a sustainable retreat in Costa Rica.

“I was able to get more connected with living simply and naturally. It really gave me the true value of living and going beyond the traditional 9 to 5 lifestyle.”

Chelsea knew she wanted to do more than work in an office and found she was more passionate about helping people learn not only how to be healthy, but how to feel really good about being alive. This led to her transition into a wellness career.

“I always felt a strong connection to India and wanted to go there, so it was a natural choice to go there and get the most traditional experience for becoming a yoga instructor.”

She was in India for 6 weeks and practiced 6 -7 hours of physical yoga a day in addition to learning Sanskrit and meditation.

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In addition to becoming a registered yoga instructor, Chelsea also became a Transformational Life Coach.Chelsea helps people get to know and love themselves so well that they want to do what is best for them emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

“It became more spiritual because I felt like in order to have health, you must want to have health and love your life. I help bring every aspect of the client’s life together to assess what is and is not serving them best, then make decisions that honor this uniqueness. I think it’s a matter of connecting with people and creating a supportive environment to support them in exploring all the different ways their lives could improve. I prefer to empower clients than give them cookie cutter paths to wellness. Only the client can make herself happier and healthier, it’s my job to support and inspire, as well as connecting clients to other people so that they may collectively inspire, support, and empower each other to be the best that we can be.”

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She leads Coaching Workshops to continuously facilitate and support people as they raise awareness of themselves and take ownership of that loving awareness of self and then take action based on the awareness of self.

“I like to teach people how to take care of themselves instead of just tell them what to do. It’s about raising awareness, assessing, and taking action.”

Chelsea tends to work with women who are really interested in living incredible lives beyond traditional goals.

“The work that I have them do teaches them to independently think, feel, and continuously assess their lives and what’s working for them so they can get to a more profound state of living and being.”

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You can take one of Chelsea’s yoga classes at the following locations:

Angela Phillips Yoga –  Saturdays at 9:30 am

Inlet Fitness South – Mon 4:15, Wed 12:30, occasional Fridays at 5:45 pm, and

Inlet Fitness Great Neck – Thur at 6:45 pm

You can learn more about Chelsea by visiting her website Chelsealatham.com and connect via Facebook Tula Vida Body and Soul and Instagram The_Soulful_Women

Meet Our Featured Personal Trainer from OneLife - Melyssa Johnson!

Melyssa’s interest in fitness began in high school as a competitive cheerleader. She excelled in the sport and transitioned from team captain to head coach after graduating and began her quest to get into nursing school. 

“After coaching for a year, my body started changing because I wasn’t participating in the sport anymore and stopped working out. I knew nothing but cheerleading. But I knew I had to change something.”

Melyssa began reading Oxygen magazine and started following the nutrition and exercise plans and saw great results. 

“Nursing school was parallel to the new lifestyle I was living.”

When Melyssa began dating her now husband, he started teaching her how to weight lift. She realized she was capable of lifting much heavier weights and added more intense workouts into her routines even beginning CrossFit. CrossFit taught her how to train intensely, but something was missing. Soon, Melyssa realized the missing piece was knowledge regarding nutrition. CrossFit gave her the motivation to decide to compete as an NPC bikini bodybuilding competitor and she quickly placed in top 5 her first national show in Las Vegas at Muscle Contest's USA National Championships!

Melyssa put competing on hold once being accepted to a nursing program. She has her sights set on working on the cardiac floor as a Nurse. Training on the cardiac floor gave her a passion to help people take care of themselves.

“I really enjoy being able to educate people about different lifestyle choices, why they’re sick, and how to feel better.”

Melyssa’s goal is to help train her clients so they will never have to be one of her patients.

“I want to reach out to people who are intimidated to enter a gym and teach them that the gym is a safe place and encourage them to incorporate healthier choices into their lifestyle. If more people become comfortable in the gym and realize the importance of fitness and nutrition, less people will see me in a hospital setting.”

Whether you are training for a marathon or new to working out and want to learn more about how to live a healthier lifestyle, Melyssa is here to ensure you meet your goals, safely and effectively. 

Melyssa’s Favorite Work Out Style: Combining functional training with isolation training techniques she learned from CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, and Bodybuilding.

“I love that combining these styles keeps my heart rate up while safely and effectively working on cardiovascular endurance, athleticism, and aesthetics. What more could you ask for?”

Favorite Post-Competition Meal: Burger with fries and a glass of red wine. 

Melyssa trains Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and Saturdays. To get on her schedule call 340-4800! 

One Life Fitness - VA Beach Blvd.

2844 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23452

Postural Restoration Integration for Fitness Workout

Around this time last year, I got to spend a weekend at North Carolina State University preparing for the PRI Integration for Fitness and Movement course. Last year, I worked with James Anderson to write and put together an advanced post graduate continuing education course to help various movement professionals understand the important functional application found in the PRI Science. 

In this post graduate course, we teach sound biomechanical application for fitness movement patterns and how to restore tri-planar muscle integration.  Special attention is placed on training key muscles groups like the abdominals, glutes, hamstrings, and the thoracoscapular muscles around the ribcage. 

After James and I took Matt through a series of fitness based movement patterns taught in this course, here's what he had to say:

Regardless if you understand any PRI or not: always remember: working out and lifting weights should NOT be painful. Workouts and performance programs should incorporate a variety of loads and movement patterns so that the body does not adapt incorrectly or get locked up in compromising biomechanical adaptation patterns.

Incorporating movement patterns where the body has to move in and out of zones of movement, rhythmically, and reciprocally in an alternating fashion, offers our physiological and biological systems the variability they need to function effectively. This also restores tri-planar function and core performance needed to improve athletic durability and performance longevity, not to mention protects and reduces the excessive loads and forces to the spine, hips, knees, shoulders, neck, and more. 

Incorporating PRI Fitness principles into your current routine is not hard to do. It can serve many benefits and we encourage you to learn more and get evaluate to objectively see how your body is balanced. Making sure your workouts are balanced in 3 planes will help you get rid of nagging injuries, reduce pain and excessive muscle tension, recover faster and improve functional mobility to move with less effort.

You can read my original post here.

Graston Certified!

Graston Technique® is a unique, evidence-based form of instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization that enables clinicians to effectively and efficiently address soft tissue lesions and fascial restrictions resulting in improved patient outcomes. Graston Technique®  uses specially-designed stainless steel instruments with unique treatment edges and angles to deliver an effective means of manual therapy.

Sarah and Julie recently completed the Advanced Graston Technique® M2 Training! This progressive course incorporated the use of weights, resistance, sport positions and movements, along with new strokes and ways to use the Graston Technique® tools. The additional techniques learned offer more effective functional releases and transfer into sports movements. 

Graston Technique® is successful in effectively treating the soft tissue impairments associated with pain and various injuries, whether they are chronic, acute or post surgical.

The PT Team at THRIVE incorporates Graston Technique® with various other manual therapies and advanced therapy care to help you achieve fast pain relief, as well improve functional mobility so that you can quickly return to doing what you love without pain or restriction!

GrastonTechnique.com • Research