BALANCE: Balance is starting to get the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately, I don’t think a plastic bracelet with a hologram on it is the best way to acquire this essential body function. Finding your core, strengthening your core, finding your center of gravity, strengthening your feet: some of the ways you can start to get better at riding a bike, surfing, playing soccer and basketball. It can also help you get get out of a chair when you’re 90. Start now and you won’t need help getting out of a chair when you’re 40.

STRENGTH: The importance of strengthening muscles is well understood. However, which muscles to strengthen and the appropriate way to do so is not such a huge part of the collective unconscious. Combining resistance, weight bearing, isometric, eccentric and concentric muscle contractions, as well as re-patterning muscle groups and balancing phasic and postural muscles is the key. Sound like a bunch of crap? Well, it’s not. I can show you how it’s done and how it creates functional, healthy strength that won’t pull your knee caps out of alignment and screw up your legs for all of eternity (just an example). Plus you’ll look hotter.

ALIGNMENT: Our skeleton is made of bones. Our bones are held together by joints, muscles and connective tissue. If we move our muscles, our muscles move our bones. Let’s all use our muscles to move our bones into nice comfortable places that make us feel good, stand taller, move easier and look better.

FLEXIBILITY: Incorporating stretching and wide rage of motion into a session increases flexibility little by little. Touching your toes is completely achievable. But that’s really not the best part of being flexible. The best part is easier movement, more relaxed muscles, less cramping and less uncomfortable shifting while sitting. Muscles that are moving through their full range of motion are letting joints move fully, and letting bones be where they are supposed to, rather than being cramped and slowly pulled out of alignment.