Today we’d like to introduce you to Annemarie Alf.
Annemarie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
After more than ten years as a strength and conditioning coach and one year as a physical therapist, I was offered the ultimate gig: to work with Chinese Olympic athletes.
I went on to train and treat the Chinese gymnasts who competed in the 2012 Olympics in London. It was during that experience that I discovered a new approach to performance physical therapy and an approach that included an integrated team of holistic practitioners.
In 2017, I founded Olympus Movement Performance, an integrated medicine practice with performance physical therapy, sports performance, functional nutrition, sports massage therapy and a plethora of wellness services offered by a certified Nurse Practitioner. We opened in Vista, one year ago.
My method is simple: offering an innovative and thorough approach toward the whole body. I want to give people the opportunity to take care of their whole self. I want to give people the knowledge they need to move better, feel better, perform better and live better.
Olympus Movement Performance differs from typical physical therapy offices in that it offers clients an integrated team that includes strength and conditioning coaches, wellness coaches, nutritionists, doctors, and massage therapists.
I learned how crucial the integrated approach was to sports training after I had worked with the Chinese Olympics team, which had a variety of experts and coaches who worked with the gymnasts. With the team approach, we were able to learn from each other. We found that was the best way to success. Olympus offers one-on-one rehab, which allows therapists to address each client’s limitations and improve his or her overall performance.
But, the integrated approach to movement and performance doesn’t just cater to Olympic or professional athletes. Athletes of all age groups can benefit from the integrated approach. In fact, my number one passion is working with youth and high school-aged athletes.
I really enjoy working with younger athletes because it allows me to help them recognize their potential. I want to give them the education and knowledge they need to influence their lives as well as movement patterns and hopefully reduce injury risk early on. Our facility allows us to do that!
The passion for working with youth always pays off in ways you can never imagine. I recently had a teenage soccer client; I began working with after she sustained a fracture in her spine. She went through months of rehab, and now she’s back on the field playing at the highest level.
A couple of months before we opened our new facility in Vista, she came to me and said, “Annemarie, I’d love to do something special for you, to thank you for all that you’ve done for me.” She drew and painted a 14 foot mural of an ‘Olympus Man’ on the wall of our training gym. When you’ve made that sort of impact in someone’s life, it really means a lot to me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It is never a smooth road. The struggles are what makes you who you are and stronger for them. As a new business owner, there’s a very steep learning curve, especially as someone who comes from strong coaching and Doctor of Physical Therapy background. They don’t teach you ‘business ownership’ strategies in school.
Thankfully, I have an amazing team around me that I can bounce ideas off of and we work together for the same end goal. One month after opening, my mom became very ill, back in my hometown of Buffalo, NY.
For four months, I had to travel back 12/16 weeks; red-eye Wednesday or Thursday evenings and back Sunday evenings. Work 3 or 4 days and repeat. If it wasn’t for the amazing staff we have at Olympus, we would have never made it thru the 1st six months.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Olympus brings together a vast skillset to ensure a full-body transformation. From Performance-focused Physical Therapy that ensures you are moving right to Functional Nutrition; that ensure you are eating right to Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy to balance out your inner conflicting chemicals, Olympus takes the entire human system into account with each client.
With extensive experience in improving professional athlete performance, Olympus is a trusted resource for many local high-performing athletes as well as people just looking to start their wellness journey. In a time when the fitness and wellness industry confuses and over-engineers the art of movement and performance, along comes clarity with Olympus. We’ve done the research and hard work so our clients can be confident and well-informed as to what truly heals and strengthens the modern athlete and person.
Olympus is a holistic approach to the temple that is you. We go beyond just treating your injury or symptom. Olympus is about improving your overall movement, and lifestyle which will lead to increased performance. We deliver a hands-on, top-tiered professional approach to physical therapy and wellness. Emphasis and direction are placed on the actual underlying causes; as well as mobility, injury prevention, strength and conditioning, regeneration and recovery to ensure that you are always prepared to train and compete at the highest level.
Our objectives include the treatment and mitigation of habits and trends that are proven detrimental to the athlete. Olympus creates longevity and superior performance executed through a well- designed program tailored to the athlete’s specific needs.
What were you like growing up?
I was a total tomboy as a kid. Was a competitive waterskier, snow ski racer, swimmer, basketball player and a baseball/softball player. In high school, I had a serious hip injury and was sent to Physical Therapy. It was at that time that I met and worked with an Athletic Trainer and decided that was what I wanted to go on and study in college.
Pricing:
- Monthly Performance Fitness Memberships $120 for Unlimited Programmed and Coached Sessions
Contact Info:
- Address: 1281 Liberty Way, Suite A
- Website: www.olympusmovement.com
- Phone: 7602310224
- Email: info@olympusmovement.com
- Instagram: olympusmoveperform
- Facebook: olympusmoveperform
- Twitter: olympusmove
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfPpYLgbPGKU49h1FuiX0Mw
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
