HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · DECEMBER 2018
HEALTHY LIFESTYLE · DECEMBER 2018
INTERVIEW WITH
MELANIE RINALDI:
M
elanie Rinaldi is an athlete
through and through. She’s
an exceptional diver who
at one point existed among
those at the pinnacle of
her sport. While she was with the University
of Miami, she won an ACC Championship,
an ACC MVP, and All-American Honors. She
also won two national championships in
her native Canada, and competed in several
international tournaments for the National
Team, winning four medals and ranking her
in top four worldwide. But unfortunately,
her body began to feel the wear and tear so
injuries started plaguing her. So much so that
she narrowly missed making the Olympics
twice. But she’s never let anything stop her.
Even though she may no longer be diving
professionally, Melanie has used her wisdom
from the lessons she’s learned to flourish in this
second part of her career. This month, we’re
speaking to her about Rinaldi Performance—
the current love and labor of her life.
Your bio describes your fascinating career as
an athlete, but can you tell us a bit
more about your professional
journey? How did Rinaldi
Performance come to be?
I created RP to act on my vision
of providing people with a
special place to develop into
the best version of themselves.
Throughout my athletic career,
I had the opportunity to visit
many facilities all over the
world. I became fascinated
by the different ways distinct countries
provided care for their population. An overall
theme-- most places had a singular focus, be
it physical therapy, pilates, yoga, strength
training, nutrition etc… It was often difficult
to find high-quality services in different
health & wellness areas all under one roof. I
wanted to create that. I wanted to be able to
provide the best possible service for anyone
that came through the door, no matter what
they were looking for in this industry.
You come from Montreal, went to school at
the University of Miami and then decided
to stay here. What made you fall in love with
RENAISSANCE TRAINER
the city? Anything you’d like to say to the
community?
Simply put, The Gyrotonic
method decompresses your
body and helps get your mobility
and strength back. If you have
The weather and The U! I was recruited by
one of the most prestigious Diving programs compressive issues in your
spine, pinched joints, arthritic
in the country, and it was an honor to
compete for The University of Miami. My two joints, sciatica issues or
any type of pain or
coaches, Randy Ableman and Dario Difazio,
became father-figures for me— the amount discomfort due to
tension, tightness,
of care they gave me as a student-athlete
shaped me into my best self. The U became my trauma, overuse,
or compression-
family away from home and still is today.
this exercises
I also must admit that the spectacular weather system can help.
South Florida has to offer definitely influenced The difference
between Gyrotonic
my decision to stay. I am a very outdoorsy
and Gyrokinesis exercise is that the
person, and the unforgiving Montreal winters
former uses specialized equipment to assist
clashed with my personality. I now live and
in learning and performing the movements.
work in Coconut Grove and absolutely love
Gyrokinesis exercise only uses your body
this community. I come from a multicultural
background and really enjoy the diversity South (similar to yoga or Thai chi), a stool, and mat
so it can be practiced anywhere.
Florida has to offer.
Resilience seems a key
theme throughout your
life’s story. Have any
advice for someone
going through similar
setbacks that may seem
out of their control?
You are always in
control. No matter the
situation, you always
have control over
how you will respond to
any situation. Your reactions are the key to
your success or your failure. Setbacks are
inevitable, and sometimes unforeseen or
unfortunate things just happen. Even so, you
have a choice as to how you will handle the
situation and overcome any challenges. If you
give your absolute best effort, work hard,
and make the best decisions you can with the
information you have at that moment, your
setback will turn to triumph.
Can you tell us a bit about the
GYROTONIC® method? How does it
work in layman’s terms? How does the
GYROKINESIS® method differ?
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How does Gyrotonic exercise compare to
other rehabilitation techniques? What does it
offer that others don’t? Are there any it may
work in great conjunction with?
Gyrotonic exercise is exceptionally
versatile and works in conjunction with
all rehabilitation and exercise techniques.
You can think of it as a positive addition to
(instead of a replacement of) movement
practices. You can add it to your weight
training routine, yoga or pilates practice,
rehabilitation or sport because it is a
compliment to all movement practices.
An exceptional quality of this system is that
it focuses on decompressing the spine,
joints, and overall body while strengthening
all connective tendons, ligaments, tissues,
and muscles especially the stabilizing ones.
Moreover, it really focuses on spiraling, turning,
and 3-dimensional movements which are vital
to a healthy body and often times overlooked
in other movement systems.
Are there any common misconceptions about
Gyrotonic exercise? Any little-known facts
you’d like to share?
Yes, that it is only used for stretching.
Although flexibility is highly emphasized
in this program, stabilization, strength,
and breathing patterns are also highly
stressed and all connected. The special
thing about Gyrotonic exercise is that you
can work out hard to get stronger, stretch
to become more flexible, and not feel that
compressive pain and tightness which
usually arises after a hard gym workout.
It is incredibly liberating, stress-stress-
relieving, and highly effective in aiding in
healing an injured or unbalanced body. It
definitely opens up your body.
What sorts of people do you
imagine coming through to Rinaldi
Performance? Is it mostly for people
rehabbing from injury, or is it accessible
for anybody looking to get in shape?
and courage throughout my athletic
career that I wanted to share with others.
I wanted mainly to express that failure is
not always harmful but instead necessary
to help push us to the next level and test
our determination to succeed and reach
our goals. I was fortunate to be surrounded
by Olympic coaches and mentors my entire
life, and as a result, I gained valuable life
lessons. My goal in my mentoring and
speaking is to pass those lessons onto the
people wanting to learn, grow or change
something in their lives and to help them
become the best version of themselves.
Who do you envision coming to your
mentorship program? What do you believe to
be the value of offering such a program?
Everyone from business CEO’s to children
struggling or wanting to improve their
Everyone! I have worked extensively
performance in school, sports or social
with the disabled population in helping
situations. The value is immense. It is
their body build strength and release
providing a support system outside of your
tension from being confined in a
circle that you can connect to for help. I
wheelchair; Traumatic Brain Injury patients believe everyone should have a mentor
from Jackson Memorial Hospital needing in their lives that can help guide them
help with coordination and balance;
when needed. In my program, we focus on
Olympic medalists recovering from
mindset because ultimately, your thoughts
injuries or to improve their performance control everything. Therefore, if we work on
in preparation for the next games.
developing a positive mindset, learn coping
tools for challenges, and develop a strong
Since I am certified in Personal Training,
work ethic-- we can drastically alter the
Olympic Weightlifting, Gymnastics
outcome of our future for the better.
training and have a 20-year extensive
background in fitness and strength Can you tell us anything fun or interesting
training, RP welcomes those
about yourself? Who is Melanie Rinaldi
who are looking to challenge
outside the gym?
themselves and get into the best
shape of their lives as well.
I love to have fun, take risks and spend time
with loved ones. I speak 5 languages and
Have you learned anything throughout this
grew up with a tough older brother that
process of being a trainer that you wish you
taught me how to play every sport and to
knew when you were an athlete?
be competitive. I danced all throughout
high school and was the MVP track athlete
Yes! To take better care of my body on a daily
2 years in a row all while competitively
basis and not just when I was injured. Also, that training in Diving. I love animals and being
everything matters- sleep, nutrition, stress
outside in nature. I’m a fan of classic muscle
levels, personal and professional life. Most
cars and have spent a lot of time observing
importantly, to maintain them in a state of
my brother and father rebuild them. I love
balance so that I may exude the best version of learning and invest a lot in my education and
myself every day.
constant emotional and intellectual growth.
I see you also offer motivational and
mentoring services, what led you to go down
that road as well?
I love public speaking and connecting
with people. I felt I had learned valuable
lessons about determination, resilience,
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RINALDI PERFORMANCE GYROTONIC®
Coconut Grove - 2753 SW 27th Ave Miami, FL 33133
Phone: 786-423-8314
www.rinaldiperformance.com
GYROTONIC and GYROKINESIS are registered trademarks of
Gyrotonic Sales Corp and are used with their permission.
By Andres Portillo