Commendations

“I am a Masters athlete competing at an international level in the sprint hurdles. I currently hold the Australian record for Women’s 50, 55 and 60 year age groups. In my current age group I am second on the World all time list. Major competitions are the Australian, Oceania and World championships where at different championships I have won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.

Hurdling can put a lot of strain on your body and training in general can get more challenging as you get older. I have not had a good last 18 months and started to accept that old age was a factor I had to live with. Physio treatment was keeping me going but not delivering enhancement. An athlete friend told me about Vinya’s magic hands!! So confident of the change Vinya could deliver they made me an appointment. And I have not looked back.

What I love about Vinya is her broad ‘medical knowledge’ combined with her own reasoning, innovative techniques and overall holistic approach. This is combined with her experience with international athletes. It is refreshing to have someone take the care and attention to work through from the root cause to deliver change that I did not expect could occur.

Each week I attend my body is looser, more flexible and there is significantly less strain on my back. Vinya is committed to my well-being, very approachable with knowledge that is backed up by relevant and significant experience and has such a friendly, approachable manner.”

Sally Stagles (Masters World Athlete)

I have been training with Vinya from Hands on Fitness for nearly three years.

After years of abuse and neglect (mostly self-inflicted, and partly to do with a nasty autoimmune disease) I decided it was time to take charge of my health and fitness. I had tried gym work in the past with some moderate success, but always shied away from pushing myself too far to avoid aggravating my joints.

Vinya doesn't create a program for me but rather listens to my needs by using her incredible clinical observation skills honed from years of experience with athletes on the track combined with her immense knowledge of anatomy and physiology.

She pushes me to the limit in each session, I get sore and tired, but never more than 'DOMS' thanks to her ability to guide me rather than force me to complete a program that (on that particular day) might not work for my body.

Each session combines strength building, agility, resilience, power, cardiovascular fitness and most importantly guided hands on stretching. Without this vital part I know I would not be able to participate in this level of exercise.

I sometimes think Vinya likes to try out new things on me (I do have a fiercely competitive nature and thrive on praise!!!) and I don't want to let her down! We train nowadays (like so many others) in a park. Vinya uses weights, a Bosu, bars, mats and all the usual paraphernalia that you expect in a trainer - but the way she uses them... That is something to behold.

We can often be seen at the park, with me on all fours, hands out on a skateboard instead of an 'ab roller' to spread the load on my finger joints - (stupid arthritis!) or me on my back shoulders resting on the upturned Bosu hands gripping a weighted bar doing 'bench press', or push ups against the stairs with a weight shoved on my back for good measure!

Vinya has been my strength, my saviour and my inspiration..... Thanks to her I am stronger, leaner, fitter, healthier (normal range Blood sugars, cholesterol, kidney and liver function, Vitamin D all of that!!)

Thank you Vinya xx

"It's not about your NECK"

--
Matthew Ahern (National Training Product Expert)

I have been stabbed, poked, prodded and stretched (aka ‘treated’) by Vin for the past 7 years. I’m originally from Perth and have been a sprint athlete since I was 8 years old.

I first came to meet Vin following the recommendation of one of my track teammates. He said “she is the best there is.” Now being an athlete for so long, I’ve been to my fair share of Physio’s, Chiros, massage therapists and the likes, and given I wasn’t familiar with anyone in Sydney, I took his advice.

And boy am I glad that I did! From the first consultation with Vin I knew that she was very different to what I was used to. She doesn’t fit into any conventional Allied Health categories. She is something else, she is quirky, super unconventional but that doesn’t take away from the professional genuine care she has. Her respectable and knowledgeable approach to me as a human and my body is phenomenal. She treats me with love (albeit torturous) and it is second to none.

I’m an accredited Exercise Physiologist and the things that I’ve learnt from Vin that I didn’t learn in a classroom are invaluable. Now don’t be fooled by her quirky, unconventional ways because there is a method to her madness. Some days I would come to her with one problem and she wouldn’t even touch that area and I would think ‘well that’s not what I came here for’ but my trust in her undeniable talent and skills always gives me comfort and I walked out of there without the issue I walked in with.

Vin has a wealth of knowledge that is attributed to her breadth of experience. Her healing hands and worldly wisdom have kept me racing all these years and allowed me to have the least amount of time off whilst injured.

What I love about Vin is that she treats me like family and her passion for what she does radiates through her. Time is inconsequential to her and it makes me so happy to see her embrace her value and worth.

Vin utilises her PHD in unconventionalism to provide care and love through unique techniques - she’s even created her own ‘Vin’s technique’ to ensure that everyone she comes into contact with leaves a more happy and healthy person.

The love I have for Vin can’t be captured in words but I will be forever grateful and blessed that she is in my life!!!

‘Sharp pain, sharp pain, sharp pain!’

Geraldine Marie (Exercise Physiologist/Athlete)

 I have been a client of Vinya for over 18 years and I have to say that Vinya is the most reliable, experienced and personable therapist I have ever had. Using her elbows and dry needling, Vinya is able to go much deeper and stay on tight spots for much longer than in conventional deep tissue massages.

Before my retirement as a professional athlete, Vinya consistently helped me with a combination of both training and treatments allowing me to be able to focus on my tennis without any worries of injury. But, perhaps even more important, I have never left her treatments even as I transitioned from being an athlete to working at an office. Understanding that sitting behind a computer all day poses a set of different issues for my body, Vinya has adjusted her treatments to target what is necessary.

She is not only an excellent technician but also a warm and caring person. I plan to continue my biweekly treatments and it may sound strange but if you haven't had Vinya’s massages...I consider them one of life's necessities...much like food, shelter, and water.

Thank you, Vinya, for never becoming complacent, for always striving for better and more effective ways of treatment for myself, family and friends.
David Lau (Director)

I was recommended to see Vinya by my younger son David. David has used Vinya’s services since he was a teenager, an active tennis player and student for many years. 

I had retired from my IT professional job in my mid-50s. Since then, I had been active with helping my wife on her network marketing business, with frequent national and international travel. I was also involved in community work in my spare time. Besides being in the management committees of two associations – one is with a university alumni association and the other is a qigong association, for over 10 years, I have also been hosting a weekly radio program for a community radio station for about three years.  

I have the habit of sitting in front of my laptop browsing through the internet, writing articles and doing activities for my work for a long duration every day. As I did not take many exercises coupled with long hours of sitting, my body started to have tight muscle which affects my posture and even my health. I have already taken medications to reduce my high blood pressure and lower cholesterol for years. I have also been careful about eating. But that does not guarantee I am in good health especially when I am now into my mid-60s. 

Over the past two years or so, I have become one of Vinya’s regular clients, I find her professional and caring in her approach to massage therapy. I always feel welcome and comfortable, her artistic nature reflects in the ambiance she creates. It’s great for relaxing, and for my mindset too. Her work is done at my house, and she maintains a high level of cleanliness every time. 

I am now feeling better physically and mentally. I can sleep better at night and feel more relaxed when I need to. I will continue to use her service as a mean to maintain my optimum health. 

I should also mention that she always does extra things for her clients, like trimming my eyebrows and acting as a podiatrist on my feet occasionally. She always maintains a smiling face even when she feels a bit tired. 

I should highly recommend her services to anyone.

Bosco Lau (Retired IT Professional and Community Radio DJ in Sydney)