Pilates instructor has helped those from 11 to 90
Watch Morgan Hill Life’s video on CoreHealth Method
Published in the June 24 – July 9, 2015 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Robert Airoldi
Photo by Marty Cheek
Pilates instructor Dorene O’Malley works with clients Jan Conrey (near) and Leah De Lane in her Morgan Hill CoreHealth Method studio.
Dorene O’Malley always enjoyed living the life of an athlete. At age 18, she started teaching exercise classes and aerobics and worked as a personal trainer. She also performed as an acrobat and trapeze artist in an independent circus. Unfortunately, the heavy constant athletic strain on her body took its toll.
Two years ago, she had a spinal fusion and both her knees have been rebuilt. That’s when she discovered Pilates, learned about the programs and said it helped her recover from her injuries.
“I thought to myself, I teach exercise and now I have all this education about Pilates, so I went through the Balance Body Training and Educational Program and became a certified Pilates instructor,” she said.
Her CoreHealth Method business was born out of the desire to help others understand that there are ways to exercise, be fit and healthy, and eliminate pain and weakness that do not entail a “no pain, no gain” philosophy, she said.
Her approach to movement takes into account how our bodies were really designed to move, bear loads and maintain balance and strength. She uses that unique approach on others from as young as 11 to 90 in her Monterey Road studio.
“People come in with poor posture, including leaning to one side or forward and they can’t do Pilates without proper posture,” she said. “So with corrective movement we first teach them how to move certain parts of the body so they can then begin Pilates or a different fitness program, but you have to get the movement correct first.”
She works with her clients on correct posture, stability and muscle balance. “If one side is weaker than the other, we work on the weak side to strengthen it. We work with a lot of people who come in from word of mouth because they’ve been injured and they’re wondering if they can work. The answer is yes, they can. They just have to learn how to work under those conditions.”
Pilates, developed by the German Joseph Pilates around 1920, is an innovative system of mind-body principles and exercises that use specialized spring-based equipment.
It focuses on developing core strength and control for the support and health of the spine which translates outward to the appendages. The program is safe, effective and, when combined with proper nutrition, can transform the way your body looks, feels and performs in daily life, she said.
What makes CoreHealth Method unique is it focuses on people who want to get back in shape but don’t know how. They may have an injury that limits them and they want to learn more. “It’s a mind-body exercise program or a way of focusing on finding how to work safely and regain posture and live pain free,” she said.
Some of her clients are children who are in sports and who are often learning just that sport, and that could be a detriment to muscles not used for that particular sport. For instance a baseball pitcher has to do things with his or her throwing arm and often the rest of the body has to compensate for that movement.
“We’re looking for more balance,” she said. “I’ve worked with dancers who have scoliosis, a child who has imbalance because of her jumper pony program and a young girl with shoulder problems from hauling around a 25-pound backpack all day at school. Getting them all balanced and restoring body functionality.”
Born on Long Island, O’Malley left home when she was 19 to compete in national aerobic championships and after graduating college moved to Europe where she taught dance and musical theater for eight years.
She then moved back to United States and found her way to Los Angeles “because that’s as far as you can go in a car without falling into the ocean.” Then for six years she lived in Atlanta, followed by New York and Switzerland before making her way to Morgan Hill when her husband landed a job with Specialized Bicycle Components.
“At CoreHealth Method we help our clients by finding the correct fitness plan for them,” she said. “If compensation patterns and imbalances are in the way, we work to correct those before diving into Pilates or any fitness regimen so that their system returns to full functioning capacity. When muscles function properly, the skeleton moves as designed, the body moves with more ease and efficiency and our fitness goals are more easily achieved. When we are aligned we live without nagging pain, and isn’t that what we all want?”
