Shakopee resident Alyssa Diioia always lived an active lifestyle before suffering a bulging disc in her back years ago.
Diioia, a former college soccer player and CrossFit competitor and coach, said she’d tried everything in the fitness recovery market before finding assisted stretching; a stretching technique shown to improve mobility, increase endorphins and aid in healing.
This month, Diioia and her husband, Matt, opened Stretchly — a boutique fitness studio offering assisted stretching in Savage.
“What we love and pride ourselves on is that we are here for you every step of the way to make a new routine for your body,” she said, adding assisted stretching benefits people of all ages and physical activity levels.
Diioia and the other “FLEXperts” at Stretchly are all certified in neuromuscular stretching through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. At the studio, they work one-to-one with clients for 30 minute half-body stretches, 60-minute full-body stretches or a free, 15-minute demo.
Matt Diioia, a United States Marine Corps veteran, mostly handles the business side of things at Stretchly while the couple balances opening a new business with a busy family life as parents of 7-year-old twin boys.
In her own life, Alyssa Diioia said stretching helps her keep up with her young boys and stay strong through aging. Through Stretchly, she hopes to share the benefits of stretching with others.
“What a lot people don’t realize is that they are actually overworking muscles and have no idea,” Alyssa Diioia said, adding adults in particular suffer from upper body tightness related to working at a desk.
Assisted stretching also brings mental health benefits, she said. Sessions at Stretchly include exercises in breathing and relaxation, and the stretches are always designed to put clients in control of the intensity of the stretch.
“Everyone can find something they can improve on and it gives people confidence to take ownership in your body,” she said.
Stretchly is at 7709 Egan Drive in Savage. The studio can be reached at 952-440-5050 or online at stretchly.com.
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