Remember how your mother said to stand up straight and watch your posture? Well, you should have listened! Unfortunately, most of us didn’t.  

As personal trainers, we see well-meaning individuals working out at the gym using improper form every day. We notice some sort of an imbalance in almost everyone everywhere. Minor misalignments can become major imbalances as we age, unless they’re corrected.

     Think of your grandmother’s widow’s hump and how she was permanently stooped over with limited mobility. Her neck and shoulders had remodeled. Poor grandmother’s spine was  rigidly fused together.  In contrast, your golden years should and can be pain free!

    Everybody has unique posture. Not everyone can stand up tall. Most of us stand stooped with our shoulders rounded forward. Some of our heads are in front of our bodies instead of over our center of mass. Have you ever noticed how each individual has a unique gait?  Some people are bow-legged while others might be knock-kneed. We all stand just a little crooked. We might prefer to cross our right leg instead of our left. We are all a little, or maybe a lot, imbalanced.

     In Being Balanced Method, we reveal  strength training exercises that are designed to correct your imbalances. These  fundamental movements build the foundation of the Being Balanced Method program. You hold in your hands the formula for the proper power pose. As a result of these critical, though straightforward modifications of your form and workout, you will avoid potential injuries by eliminating many of your postural issues, including rounded shoulders, sore necks and aching knees. As you train your body to stand tall, you will also strengthen and transform your interpersonal presence, leading to confidence, grace and a sense of ease as you move through your life.

     We will teach you to recognize your body’s imbalances and how to build better balance through this basic, simple-to-follow workout regime. We will introduce you to our “Ready Set Position,” which is easy to understand and can apply to all ages and abilities. You’ll find yourself applying it not only while you’re exercising, but also to your daily acts of living. We anticipate that you too can experience the life-changing and confidence-building results reported by our Being Balanced Method clients.

     Strength training information about proper technique is available primarily to fitness professionals or in complicated, difficult to understand strength training books. Being Balanced Method is easy to understand for all ages and fitness levels; we’ve created an easy-to-view, user friendly and portable manual that can accompany you wherever you opt to work out.

     Short and simple, we designed this book to eliminate the complicated, technical science and physiology.  Instead, we’ve translated these steps into simple explanations anyone can apply. Coach Bev and Coach Al  guide you every step of the way, offering individualized cues while establishing a personal dialogue with you. Our primary goal is to keep you safe, yet still challenge you to expand your goals.  We include scientific illustrations and diagrams that show proper technique.

    We teach strength balance to improve your body-awareness.  Are you out of strength balance? In other words, is one side stronger than the other? Shockingly, most of us are out of balance without even noticing it! Once you learn to identify your weaknesses, you can start to correct  the balance by adding an extra strength on your weaker side. In most cases, an imbalance will correct itself in a few sessions or in a few weeks. The key is to work one side at a time, and to measure for the imbalance. When you work both sides at the same time, or bilaterally, the stronger side gets stronger, while the weak side becomes weaker and weaker.  

     Injuries occur at our weakest link. Learn to strengthen and eliminate your weaker side.

It’s amazing how quickly you can  achieve strength balance. Both sides will become equally strong. You’ll increase your joint range of motion and build body balance. This will make you stronger while minimizing injury risks. Always check for imbalances. Corrections happen quickly with consistent training. Once you find your strength balance, it’s important to maintain it. Your body will quickly return to its out-of-balance condition if you don’t make this strength training workout part of your weekly routine.

    If only our grandmothers had known about Ready Set Position! Our grandmothers would have awesome posture, fewer aches and pains, and increased longevity and quality of life. In a recent Mayo Clinic article, “Posture: Align Yourself For Good Health,” Jane T. Hein reports: “Proper body alignment not only helps prevent pain and injury, but also can boost your confidence and mood. Improving your posture will likely take some time and conscious effort, but the feel-good benefits are worth it.”