woman sitting on a yoga mat with ocean background

Empower Your Wellness is written by Maura Blackstone, PT, DPT, RYT 500.

If you’re thinking: there are thousands of health and fitness websites out there, how is this one any different? Great question! (Because you shouldn’t just blindly trust anyone making noise on the internet…)

Education, Credentials & Experience

  • Doctor of Physical Therapy | Simmons University 2007
  • Certified 500-hr level Yoga Teacher (RYT 500)
  • Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner (CKTP)
  • Certified Pilates Matwork Instructor
  • Certified Barre Fitness Instructor
  • Certified Step Aerobics Instructor
  • Certified Group Fitness Instructor
  • Certified Prenatal Yoga Instructor
  • APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor

Advanced education/experience in:

  • Functional movement assessment
  • Lifestyle medicine & pain science
  • Vestibular and concussion rehabilitation
  • Telemedicine & digital physical therapy
  • Outpatient orthopedic physical therapy
  • Virtual & in-person fitness

My story

I graduated with my Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2007 and started my career in outpatient orthopedics. I’ve always enjoyed fitness and found it highly rewarding to help people get back to the activities they love, with a newfound understanding of how to listen to their bodies and *hopefully* prevent future injuries. (Or at least know to get symptoms addressed early.)

Our medical system tends to be very symptom-based, offering band-aids in the form of pills, surgery, and stopping activities altogether instead of looking upstream and addressing the underlying causes. 

Medication and surgery absolutely have their place, but getting a cortisone injection without addressing underlying mechanical issues doesn’t fully resolve the problem. You might be pain-free for a while, but your faulty movement patterns will be right there waiting for you – and movement really is medicine.

Then, there’s the fitness industry, which tends to fail regular people by glamorizing flashy extreme workouts and spreading misinformation.

It can be tough to figure out which key pieces are vital to you and how all those pieces fit together, especially when there are people waiting to prey on you at every turn with the latest and greatest “science-based” (insert workout, subscription, membership, or spammy MLM product here).

In 2019, I launched Empower Your Wellness to take my show on the road and reach a larger audience. I simplify how the body works to help you stay active and prevent injuries during yoga, fitness, and everyday life. I’m bringing you accessible health and fitness content in a welcoming space.  

The inspiration for this website stems from fusing my knowledge of physical therapy, biomechanics, movement, and injury prevention with my experience in yoga and fitness to bridge a much-needed gap. Plus, a little fun along the way.

I love anatomy, physiology, and movement mechanics. Often with small tweaks, we can change how the body moves to decrease pain and improve our overall function.

One of the things I love about fitness is that it’s extremely adaptable to fit everybody. There’s no one right answer to what healthy fitness looks like. But there are building blocks that you can use to paint your own picture.

But it’s important to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing – not just go through the motions. Once you get the basics on your radar, you can start to ask the right questions to navigate your way. 

This website will give you valuable tips and tools to educate, navigate, and improve your awareness of what your body needs to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

Media Features

I’ve contributed as an expert for health and fitness articles for publications, including My Fitness Pal, TheHealthy.com, and Popsugar.

I’m currently part of the expert panel at Garage Gym Reviews and the medical review team at Total Shape.

How I stay active

As a former competitive swimmer and diver, I needed fun and exciting ways to keep my fitness going.

Now, I’m a lover of fitness classes, keeping active with spinning, Bar Method, Yoga, Pilates, and other cardio-based and weight lifting classes. If I’m on the go, I’m armed with plenty of virtual options.

Hit up my Resource page to see my favorites.

When I’m not exercising, I enjoy cooking, summer, bread baskets, and traveling with my husband.

Action shots in the wild

Paddleboarding!

woman sitting on a paddleboard on a lake
Copyright Maura Blackstone

Hanging out at aerial yoga

Copyright Maura Blackstone

Lake Ohrid, North Macedonia

woman standing by lake ohrid
Copyright Maura Blackstone

Skansen Museum and Zoo Stockholm, Sweden

Copyright Maura Blackstone

Beep Beep! Thessaloniki, Greece

woman in a two person pedal cart
Copyright Maura Blackstone

Yoga on the go in Eastern Europe

woman on a yoga mat doing chair pose outdoors with view of the mountains and lake
Copyright Maura Blackstone




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