Portland Integrative Fitness — Local services in Portland

TLDR; I was in chronic pain for five years and was giving up on ever getting better. Then I started working with Ian and team at Wholeself. Three months into the program and I had my first pain-free day! I've now been going to Wholeself for over 9 months and I'm not only almost back to the level of fitness I was before my injuries, I'm a thousand times more aware and informed about my own body. The trainers here are some of the best coaches and people that I've met in my 10+ years of physical fitness. I seriously cannot recommend this place enough.

Long Version:

Ian, the owner and head trainer at Wholeself Wellness, is constantly asking me how I’m doing. How my body is doing during a workout. If I’m feeling any pain. If I feel comfortable with the movement I’m doing. At first, I found myself hesitant to answer honestly. Especially, if I was feeling pain or feeling uncomfortable. It wasn’t until a few weeks of working out with Ian that I realized why I felt so odd about answering honestly. It was because I had been told my whole life that admitting pain was weakness. That pain was the sign of progress but that it was a silent burden to bear. That men suffered and they suffered quietly. That you didn’t express that pain to other people. Particularly not to other men.

But, at Wholeself it’s different. Walking through the doors of Wholeself is like walking through a wall and into a world where all the toxic masculinity and self-deprecating motivational nonsense of our culture is absent. When I enter Wholeself I set down my bike bag by the front door and take off my shoes. But really, it feels more like I’m setting down my personal emotional and cultural baggage by the door. Everyday I come in and I set down more and more of it. Everyday I feel less shame around admitting my pain. I ask more questions. I ask for help. I say thank you for the encouragement I’m given instead of shyly brushing it off because I don’t know how to take a compliment.

At Wholeself Wellness it’s not about how many reps you can do or how much weight you can lift. It’s about doing the movements that heal you. It’s about learning your own body; about studying your own patterns and learning how to change the ones that are hurting you. It’s about getting better at the ones that heal you.

Wholeself Wellness may look like any other gym from the outside but what it really is an organization built to heal and strengthen every part of you. With a combination of intensely personalized physical training, access to certified nutritionists and body workers, and the Food Story groups, you’ll have the chance to delve deep into the scientific, physical and mental aspects of your own well being.

Seriously, this...

TLDR: chronic pain- improved; posture- improved; strength- improved; commitment to myself- improved; belief that my body is capable of hard things- new! I am a nurse with two herniated discs in my back (cervical and lumbar). The first from a car accident when I was 19, the second from moving a patient wrong when I was 27. I am in my 30s and I have chronic pain that keeps from doing a lot of things... ...or at least it used to. I was ready to quit going to Portland Integrative Fitness after the first couple sessions. My body spasmed and it was incredibly painful in the beginning. I KNEW it was unlearning poor compensation it had grown used to. I cried. A LOT. And Gina and Danielle (trainers at the gym), held me through it. They adjusted my personalized program to go even slower- that sucked for the competitive person in me. They encouraged me through the tiniest of wins, the emotional releases, and the days I just needed to rest and strengthen my pelvic floor above all else. They helped me set safe limits, to not be in a competition with myself, to get into my body and out of my head. They referred me for additional support in the form of acupuncture. After what felt like forever, I started noticing less pain and better sleep. I started noticing when I would hurt- it wouldn't last for weeks. I noticed the daily headaches weren't there. I noticed I didn't need to go to sleep with a heating pad on my back and ice on my neck (which I had been doing for years!) I noticed my back allowed for small self adjustments again. I noticed strength in muscles that have always been weak. I noticed muscles that have never been present, suddenly showing up. I noticed my posture in the picture from the first day at the gym. I was astonished I hadn't noticed how forward my shoulders were rotated. I need a new pic to put next to that one now! Not only do I trust Danielle who I train most with, I believe in Gina and Danielle and trust them implicitly with my body and my safety. One of my favorite parts about this gym is the group classes and how the other members cheer and encourage each other, commenting on the HARD things we are each doing. It truly is a community that feels so good to be a part of. It is worth it, because I am worth it. For the first time in my life, I feel good in my body with all it's lumps, bumps, and curves- because it is capable and strong. YOU are worth it and deserve to feel good in your body and are missing out if you don't go...

I started working with Gina to get back into shape (with a friend) after we each had our second babies. We started slow, as her focus is really about making sure you're using your body correctly and getting the right muscles to engage as you move.

As soon as my body started to engage correctly, and the old bad habits removed themselves, she pushed me hard, and the results were quick! My husband saw my results after a couple of weeks of training and joined the team as well! We love the strength we have found in our bodies.

Then the pandemic hit, and after a couple of weeks of not working out, we signed up for zoom workouts, and we were skeptical to say the least. I don't know why, looking back, because Gina has helped us stay in shape, and just as importantly, has helped us stay positive in these, sometimes difficult, times. She does an amazing job of knowing if we're not engaging the right muscles even through our zoom calls, and makes little tweaks to make sure we are using the correct form.

She has been flexible and helped us learn to be more flexible, as we have integrated everything from lifting wine bottles to having our young kids push us over and run around the block with us to make at-home workouts work for our ever changing lifestyle.

I love that she appreciates what brings us to the table, and what continues to bring us to the table. The solid foundation of a strong body used in the right way, and a healthy emotional state, gives us constant motivation to keep...