MY STORY
I used to think the more intense the workout was and the longer I exercised, the faster I’d see “results”, regardless of the chronic pain and pure exhaustion I felt. Years of trial and error later, I finally found a way of exercising that feels sustainable (and enjoyable!) and helped me (finally) achieve the results I was looking for. Here's how I did it.
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As a ballet dancer for the first 20 ish years of my life, I never fully appreciated how amazing it was for my body to constantly be moving in all different planes of motion - articulating my spine forward and back, moving side to side, twisting, and utilizing the full range of my joints. Sure, it came with some not-so-great side effects (hello squished toes and bunions from being en pointe). But, for the most part, it gave me an enormous sense of body awareness, great balance, better posture, tons of hip mobility, an amazing derriere, and the list goes one. When I graduated college and my dance career was over was when I was really introduced to the world of fitness for the first time and that's when my body started changing (and not for the better). For years I was on the workout hamster wheel, taking every trendy ClassPass class under the sun. From Barry's Bootcamp to cycling, running to aggressive (but poorly programmed) Pilates/megaformer classes, I thought I had to be working my entire body every day, constantly be switching up my workouts, and always ripping my muscles apart in order to see results.
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Unfortunately, while I was training hard but not smart, I developed imbalances in my body that left certain muscles completely over worked and other muscles nearly atrophied (bye bye perky tushy). Not only was I unhappy with my body aesthetically after all that time and effort, I also developed chronic neck and hip pain and had depleted my entire system to the point of complete exhaustion and had to take naps every day at 25 years old (hello adrenal fatigue). And yet, the more unhappy I was with myself, the more I thought I would eventually see results if I just worked harder.
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I finally got off the hamster wheel when I realized that there is so much more to "functional movement" than just squats, lunges, and planks, and that form truly is everything. Surprisingly, both the classical Romana Pilates teacher training program and the Lagree Fitness training program I took had taught me exercises and how to structure a class, but not how to teach to the body in front of me (the lack of anatomy education was truly appalling in both tbh). When I was fortunate enough to begin studying biomechanics in depth under the tutelage of a great mentor I was introduced to, everything began to click for me. I took a step back from the aggressive training and multiple various workout methods and instead swallowed my pride and went back to the basics. I realized that I had to unlearn and relearn many fundamental movement patterns. To my great surprise, (and because the body is highly adaptable), it didn’t take long for my body to start understanding these new and improved movement patterns and for certain muscles to start “waking up” again. My cortisol levels decreased, my energy increased, and my hormones began to regulate. Also to my surprise, when I began prioritizing form and function over aesthetics, the aesthetic results soon followed.
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I started KORE | KINECT because I wholeheartedly believe in progressive training and learning to meet our bodies where they are currently at. I am here to help you achieve all the goals you have for yourself. But, I am also here to tell you that in order to get there, learning the fundamentals of good form and breath is going to both protect your body from potential injuries AND help you progress exponentially more than you would by simply jumping into advanced classes right away. This science-backed method of training has never failed me once with any of the hundreds of private clients I have taught over the last decade (because it's simply reeducating your body how it was designed to function) and I believe it can help you too. In fact, what makes my training unique is that I am first and foremost a 1:1 private instructor, so I have witnessed literally all different types of bodies over the years with different physical limitations and I take all of those things into account as I'm programming these exercises.
If you'd like to start training with me, I recommend starting with The Fundamentals Program. It will prime your body to start working more optimally while also delivering muscle quivering workouts aimed to increase muscle tone and definition. It’s my belief that when you better understand how your body works, you are more empowered to take control over it and create positive permanent change that will last forever. Trust me and trust the process.​
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Love, Kourtney