Meet Ruth Meyer
Say hi to Ruth Meyer, swim instructor and water exercise instructor. Ruth is also a recent inductee in the International Swimming Hall of Fame after receiving the 2019 John K. Williams, Jr. International Adapted Aquatics Award. While she has been at her current center for less than a year, she spent a decade (until 2018) as a kinesiotherapist at McGuire VAMC in Richmond, VA as Director of Employee Wellness/MOVE! Weight Management for Veterans.
Ruth has a BA from Bucknell University; a MEd in Kinesiotherapy from the University of Toledo and graduate credits in gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Ruth has also served on the MFA Conference Committee and has been a speaker at MFA Conferences.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
I love helping people become more aware of their bodies: their posture, muscle balance, how food and sleep influence, putting sensations such as pain and tightness into perspective and developing personal owner’s manual to self care.
What led you to choose this field?
I had participated in a lot of sports in high school and swam competitively. I saw the benefit of daily exercise through college, when I then realized that I enjoyed working with people and could apply my knowledge of aquatics to therapy this motivated me to continue.
What one piece of advice would you give to those just coming into this field of medical fitness?
Be willing to make bridges and truly help people with all levels of fitness and body awareness develop an activity plan to move forward and deal with all the changes we endure during our lifetime. Demonstrate posture and healthy behaviors. Share from your heart
What do you like to do outside of work?
Walk and hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains, downhill ski, sing, west coast swing dance, iyengar yoga…
Are you involved in any charity/community work?
I volunteer for Habitat for Humanity building projects; Rivanna Trail Foundation trail maintenance; Wintergreen Adaptive Sports (PSIA level 1 adapted), Planned Parenthood
Thank you, Ruth and congratulations on your recent award!