Rachele Dove: Certified Pilates Instructor, Survivor
Rachele Dove Certified Pilates Instructor, Survivor
Now Offering One-On-One Sessions Inside Core Performance Fitness Studio in Ellicottville
You know how you might meet someone, and something in the back of your brain says, this one’s a keeper. It may consist of no more than a brief exchange, or a pouring out of one’s heart to a stranger, but you just know… this is a very special person whom you need in your life. I felt exactly that way when I serendipitously befriended and was mutually befriended by the very incredible and amazing Rachele Dove.
This young woman is joining the ranks of the young entrepreneurial whiz kids in this community who take life by the horns and decide that they want to drive their own bus, be their own boss, and start their own business. Rachele has established her own brand-new business, Sunshine Pilates by Rae. Rachele is a STOTT Pilates instructor who specializes in Neurological Pilates, Injury Rehab and Athletics. She is offering one-on-one sessions inside Core Performance Health & Fitness Studio, 30 Bristol Lane, Ellicottville, NY.
Pilates can be a great exercise for older adults or those recovering from injury due to its low- impact exercises and subtle movements. There are many forms of Pilates. The main difference between them is the type of equipment used. Rachele offers all types of Pilates (mat, chair Pilates, injury, rehab, barre and neurological conditioning) and a program on the Reformer machine. Reformer Pilates is a form of exercise that shares the principles of centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow with traditional classes.
Webmd tells us the following: “Some studies have shown that Pilates could help with weight control as well as increasing core strength to improve stability, improve posture, increase flexibility, and ease lower back pain. Pilates is also a valuable tool for physical rehabilitation. In one review of 23 studies, 17 studies found that Pilates reduced pain and disability in individuals with a variety of conditions, including back pain, neck pain, scoliosis, and multiple sclerosis. Pilates is not an aerobic exercise. But it can reduce stress, which does benefit the heart. In most cases, Pilates is safe for pregnant women, seniors, and children. Beginners should learn with the help of a certified Pilates instructor.”
Now, as Paul Harvey used to say (go ask your parents or grandparents who he was) here’s the rest of the story: Rachele isn’t just a health fanatic who decided she likes Pilates and getting certified to teach it would make a fun business opportunity in a town devoted to athleticism and health. Although that may be true, here’s the part of the story that tells you how she got here.
Today, Rachele Dove is a 34-year-old young woman who has been teaching Pilates for 10 years, after she first went to workout in a Pilates studio 12.5 years ago… as a form of rehab following a massive stroke at age 21. Now, this stroke took her out, big time. She couldn’t speak. Couldn’t move her right side. Couldn’t walk. Couldn’t swallow and needed to be tube fed. To top it off, she couldn’t even smile her sweet, beautiful smile. This twenty-one-year-old Olympic hopeful was a snowboard instructor at Whistler, B.C. with plans to go to Vermont in the fall of 2010 to try out for the Olympic team. But, in June 2010, her destiny changed in an instant. This young aspiring athlete became a victim of her own body. Instead of being surrounded by healthy strong young athletes, she became surrounded by therapists - speech, physio, occupational, kinesiologists and she underwent treatments from seeing a nutritionist, swimming, hyperbaric oxygen treatments and more. Of course, her friends and family were with her the whole way.
Her mother started a blog to update people and took a leave of absence from her job. They all got to work, with Rachele at the helm. Instead of a snowboard she had a wheelchair, braces, and every other kind of equipment to get her back in the game. She fought like the devil was on her heels and worked diligently to outrun him. In two years, she was back up on the boards, and later riding her bike on unforgiving terrain, acquiring a few bumps and stitches along the way. She was teaching Pilates even though she hadn’t quite relearned the art of speech, crediting her clients with patience as they learned how to read her cues as she taught them. And today, Rachele invites you - especially if you are rehabbing, recovering, or rebuilding your body to train and recover with her guiding you along, because, after all, she has “been there, done that.”
Remember I said that you sometimes you meet someone and you know right away that someone is a keeper? Hope my story helps you to understand why I felt that way when I first met Rachele. Here’s how you can reach her: 716-338-8568, rae.m.dove@gmail.com, and follow her on FB/IG @sunshinepilatesbyrae.