nothing changes until something moves.
nothing changes until something moves.
-Albert Einstein
Meet Aileen
Aileen has been in the fitness industry since 2013 when she started teaching indoor cycling classes. Her original plan was to teach cardio kickboxing but she tore her MCL the week before the certification. That was the first of many times she would have to pivot in order to keep moving. She taught several formats from silver sneakers and cardio kickboxing to water exercise. But she kept seeing the same struggles on repeat, participants had to stop coming because of schedule changes or nagging pain, or the ones who could continue coming hit plateaus.
So she got certified as a Personal Trainer and focused on learning how to get people strong using kettlebells, barbells and neuromuscular re-education. Through this time she also went through some life changing events including a major hip surgery, miscarriages, and our daughter Audrey was stillborn.
Suddenly the grind at the gym didn't seem as meaningful. Her training needed to pivot again, so she took what she all ready knew and introduced unconventional training tools like clubs, gadas, steel mace and rope flow. These tools helped her find joy in movement again, while addressing asymmetries and imbalances she developed while injured and carrying babies.
Now Aileen wants to continue to grow and share what she’s learned with others in a way that honors where they are at in life both in and outside the gym. She believes in meeting others where they are at working together to reach their goals. Fitness doesn’t have to be all or nothing, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It needs to be effective, fun, and done in a way that honors you and your body.
She started RiverWell Movement out of my home in Monticello in 2018, with a focus on biomechanics and unconventional training tools. She is so excited to have the opportunity to share more of what she does with a studio in downtown Monticello!
She lives in Becker with her husband Jamie and their four wonderful children. Outside the studio she’s soaking up every minute with them, playing harp, and cold swimming in the winter months.
You can’t teach anyone anything, you can only create the conditions in which they can learn. ~Moshé Feldenkrais
Testimonial
jeff
I was seeing a physical therapist for recurring back issues and he recommended Aileen for physical training to gain strength and hopefully decrease frequency of issues.
I had previously worked with personal trainers and had limited success and/or time-place issues with the training. Started out training with Aileen in her gym until Covid hit. She offered to do training over Zoom, so we set up a small gym in our home. This has worked out very well and I even got my wife to work out with her, on a regular basis via Zoom.
I had a back fusion in my 30’s and have intermittent back pain as well as neuropathy( non-diabetic). About 2 years ago, I had a minor stroke affecting my balance.
Throughout training and my intermittent back issues, Aileen has pinpointed movements to improve issues when they come up and they resolve quicker and come up less frequently, with her help.
Overall, my core strength has improved dramatically. My balance has been restored and is better than prior to stroke. During the period after the stroke, Aileen was very flexible with me to maintain movement and worked to help me regain proper balance.
She is fun to work with, always pleasant, and she has a very good understanding of how the body works so I don’t further injure myself when excercising.
I would highly recommend Aileen, she is the best trainer I have ever worked with!
movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional and mental states.
-Carol Welch
