No Pain, Lots of Gains, Body Awareness, and Empathy with Mariah Heller

Committed to becoming an athlete, Mariah Heller started facing unusual health issues for someone her age. She was 16 when she began dealing with chronic pain, and just a few years later, she had to undergo a couple of surgeries. Trainers, fitness instructors, and physical therapists didn't know what to do with her; she was a mystery case. Mariah then had to become her own instructor, fitness coach, and therapist for a while. 

Mariah was in one of the fitness industry's blind spots, so she decided to work hard so no one else would be in that place and founded Pain-free Fitness. 

Mariah Heller is a Fitness Industry Executive, Gym Co-founder, Author, Speaker, and Creator of Pain-Free Fitness. She is the author of two eBooks and the creator of Fitness Fundamentals Flash Cards - a line of flashcards designed to help fitness professionals add value to their clients. When she was 28, she was diagnosed with Ehler-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder that causes chronic pain among hundreds of other things. 

In this episode, we talk about Mariah's unique approach to fitness, overall health, and the relationship between chronic pain and reduced mobility and training. Mariah kindly shared bits of her background and experience in the fitness industry, the five pillars of the Pain-Free Fitness method, and her view on the obesity epidemic, the diet culture, sedentarism, and much more. 

Tune in to Episode 98 of Rejuvenaging, to learn about a more emphatic side of the fitness industry.

Some Questions I Ask:

Can you give us a short course on what Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is? (4:28)How did you happen to get into the fitness industry? (6:32)Are there general principles about working with pain patients that we should keep in mind, whether through a formal program or even if we're dealing with our own lives? (11:42)If somebody wants to get into the fitness realm at this point, and they're not used to it, and perhaps lived quite a few decades without it, where should they begin? (23:05)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

What made Mariah decide to get into the fitness industry (6:16)Having little wins daily. Mariah's unique approach to fitness (9:21)The best way to find the perfect fitness instructor (11:44)The five pillars of the Pain-Free Fitness method (13:48)How powerful changing our habits can be (18:46)

Resources:

Mariah Heller websiteBook: Mariah Heller - Pain-Free FitnessBook: Mariah Heller - The Pain-Free Guide to Healthy Travel

Connect with Mariah:

LinkedInInstagramYouTube

Useful Rejuvenaging Resources:

Website: https://www.thementalhealthgym.com/Book: Dr. Ron Kaiser -Rejuvenaging: The Art and Science of Growing Older with EnthusiasmEmail: [email protected] TEDx Talk: Aging Enthusiastically to Make the World a Better Place

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