Skip to main content

Blog

Mary Teunis & Her Story of Human Performance Refined®

For many people, breaking their back would be the end of a lifelong athletic saga.

But not for Mary Teunis.

When you meet Mary, you intuitively sense this tenacity. Standing at around five-feet, one would never mistake Mary’s stature for the size of her wholehearted commitment to life.

Mary started gymnastics at age two and practiced consistently for years until breaking her back. She went to traditional physical therapy to reduce the suffering from her injuries, but nothing was fully helping her return to her competitive state. She experienced chronic back pain and believed she wouldn’t be able to return to the sport again.

Then she experienced Structural Elements®.

Structural Elements® is not traditional physical therapy or bodywork. It is a fusion of biomechanical methods, a proprietary approach utilizing the benefits of acupuncture, physical therapy and manual therapy. The treatment model is a highly effective for balancing the structures of the body resulting in improved performance in everyday activities and sports.

Meaning, Mary not only finally fully recovered from her injury, but she was also able to pursue a new passion: CrossFit.

The competitive atmosphere of CrossFit had always called to Mary. "I always wanted to go in there,” she said. She continues to go because “it pushes me to be better.”

But Mary is not all about the push. Although she works and plays hard, she also takes the time for consistent recovery. You can find Mary in Structural Elements® every week for a treatment.

“I will do whatever I can to feel better so I can perform better,” she says. “Whenever I hurt myself, I always come right in because just trying to recover by myself at home would take a lot longer. Structural Elements® speeds up my recovery time.”

Mary knows that to really achieve Human Performance Refined®, it’s just as much about the quality of the recovery as it is about the quantity of the training. That’s why she’s an (se)® Performance Member.

She also says, “It’s not about your past or athletic performance. It’s how committed you are. It’s all in the heart.”

Her dedication for the sport coupled with her care for herself has led Mary to be an inspiration for others, especially in promoting healthy body image.

“I love CrossFit because I can embrace my body for what it can do. I am officially a little over a year in CrossFit. My outlook on life has changed so much since I started training. Before CrossFit I was trapped in 8 years of eating disorder behaviors and distorted thoughts about myself. Between under eating and overexercising I was destroying my body. Mentally this year has not been easy but I have found my passion, I have regained life, and I have learned to trust my body’s process.”

Structural Elements® is not just a treatment approach. It’s a movement dedicated to helping people do what they love and share their passion with the world, so we can all achieve our Personal Best.

Mary defines what it means to live Human Performance Refined®.

 

 

Sign Up For Our E-Newsletter