Alfred Ball is a Kinesiologist, a Fascial stretch therapist, a successful entrepreneur, presenter and an author. In addition, he is a fitness freak who takes pride in his athletic pursuits. After having worked for over 10 years as a Kinesiologist, Alfred set up his company Lifemoves, which has been recognised by North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.
DA: I welcome you to PhysioGuru Spotlight; I hope your experiences would motivate many youngsters to think differently.
Please tell us a little about yourself, Alfred.
AB: I grew up competing in cross-country skiing and Biathlon at the National level. After my second year at University I shifted to from Arts to Human Kinetics (HKin) because I knew I wanted to help people improve their own performance, move with greater ease and recover from their injuries. It has been 10 years in the fields of rehabilitation and I am still passionate about it.
The first major directional shift of my career as a Kinesiologist was in 2000 when I volunteered as a Personal Trainer for a client with a Spinal Cord Injury as part of a practicum at the University of British Columbia. I noticed how inadequate the facilities and equipment were for people with disabilities. Since then my goal as a human being and as a professional is to continually increase the opportunities to be physically active for everyone and show that there are many ways to remain active despite a disability, chronic medical condition or musculoskeletal injury.
The second was in 2007 when I attended a Partner Stretching Course with Ann and Chris Frederick of Stretch to Win in April. I founded Lifemoves®, which means movement is part of life, in July of the same year.
DA: Tell us about your early training and your experiences as a clinician.
AB: I have always tried to find different ways to look at how the body moves, reacts and recovers from injury. Reports from clients keep coming back saying that the therapists they see (Physiotherapists, Massage Therapists and Chiropractors) have limitations and mainly address the symptom or specific area of injury. Keep in mind, I strongly believe that all health and medical professionals have their place in the continuum of patient care and will frequently refer when appropriate.
The difference in my approach and the one I am teaching the four Kinesiologists on my team is one of structural integration, the body functions as a unit not as individual muscles or joints. A lifetime of movement includes occupational and sport strain as well as multiple injuries. All of this manifests in postural and movement compensations.
We seek to find the root cause of our clients’ myofascial or functional limitations and educate our clients so that they are aware of how their daily movements impact their recovery as well as what they can do between treatments to place their body an optimum state healing using sleep, nutrition, soft-tissue release and relaxation strategies. It is difficult to be a true innovator, most books on fitness are the same information just packaged a little differently. Others are great at explaining one concept but don’t give readers all the tools they need.
In 2009 my presentation at Can-Fit Pro in Whistler introduced the concept of incorporating the reciprocal inhibition and eccentric loading into training and rehabilitation sessions.
DA: So how does one’s approach change when we move from a clinician to a businessman?
AB: When I first started as a clinician (Personal Trainer) I had to think of it as running my own small business in order build and manage my client load. During that time I even developed my own database to keep track of my invoices because the way Fitness World managed the Personal Training was all paper based and I needed an easy way to quickly search for information when I needed it.
My focus has shifted more in relation to the educational opportunities I pursue. I have always listened to my clients and sought out solutions to their problems that also filled some my own knowledge gaps. Instead of mostly enrolling in courses to enhance practical clinical skills I now choose business management sessions.
Lifemoves® took the next big growth leap by hiring three Kinesiologists. I am now challenged with how to mentor and grow their practices and taking the emphasis off me. The next three to six months will provide me with the opportunity to expand my leadership and business skills.
DA: You were in the finals for the Business Excellence Awards in the Young Entrepreneur category. It must be quite exciting. How was the whole experience?
AB: Yes, it was an honour and very exciting. This type of recognition is important because it keeps me motivated and knowing that I am doing something well in the eyes of peers who have been successful in business for longer than I have. I wrote about the experience on my blog.
I enjoyed creating a short film Capilano University Film students that showcased Lifemoves® the video on YouTube . The selection jury came to the clinic for an interview and to review our financial statements. Before the awards’ ceremony we were all asked to write a brief thank you speech without knowing if we had won or not. It took quite a bit of focus to remain calm until my category was announced (they were awarded in alphabetical order).
I was initially disappointed and sad that I didn’t win, but I am resilient and persistent; these two traits are important in Entrepreneurship. I am proud being a finalist, especially in our first two years. We learn the most when we don’t succeed. The experience gave me a strategic focus for 2010 as I tried to figure out what distinguished the winner from me. Our local M.L.A. sent me a letter of congratulations which I have in my binder of accomplishments. The award finalist certificate is on my office wall to remind me of this accomplishment.
DA: I am sure it is a matter of pride. As you expressed above, you act as a mentor for the Kinesiologists on your team, but you do teach at other workshops and courses as well. Please tell us about your experience as a teacher and mentor for Kinesiologists.
AB: Continuous learning is a very important value to me. I have taught workshops, industry conferences and at public wellness tradeshows. As well I was the Co-Chair of Continuing Education for the BC Association of Kinesiologists for two years. There is much more to succeeding as a Kinesiologist than having the technical and theoretical knowledge we gain during our undergraduate degree. I find that people are drawn to me. They seek my advice, my expertise and experience. I also enjoy teaching and helping others succeed, therefore mentoring is part of how I give back to my profession
Part of teaching my first workshop was the opportunity to edit the course content as well as influence how it was taught; this was quite an honour. Each time I put a session together I am always trying to impart a new method or idea that builds on the current body of knowledge, rather than re-packaging old knowledge. Though sometimes it is nice to listen to someone who confirms what you already know.
My first national conference was Can-Fit Pro Whistler 2009; I was given the very last session time as a new presenter. The whole weekend it was difficult to go and enjoy the other presenters because I was so nervous and unsure what to expect. The key to presenting well is in how well you are prepared. As often as I can I will complete a rehearsal in the same venue with the same equipment. I also incorporate a lot of visualization, something I learned when I competed in Biathlon.
As I said before I would like to write a book for the public and both write and present my own courses, but until recently have had trouble picking something that is very unique. In the long-term I also want to present at international conference. In the meantime I need to get the team I exponentially grew this spring up, running and working as interdependently as possible. I have four Kinesiologists under my wing, three hires in May and one who just completed her Masters and is now full-time. The other three are two students (end 2nd year and 4th year) and one who recently graduated. As an entrepreneur I have a vested interest in seeing them succeed. A secondary motivator is that I remember how difficult it was to get my career started with very little guidance; I don’t want that to be the case for others I hire. I am now trying to tie the new Kinesiologists’ successes my company’s success.
DA: What kind of caseload do you encounter as a clinician and what forms of management strategies are a part of your team’s regimen?
For most of my career I worked in an environment in which the case load was not shared. It is typical for a Fitness Trainer to be considered full-time if they are training 20-25 client hours per week. Then there are additional administrative hours to make up the 35 hour work week. Kinesiology seems to be a hybrid model between Physiotherapy and Fitness Trainer. My current case load is 30-35 hours per week, which I am trying to partially transfer to my new staff so that I can focus on developing them and the business.
We see such a wide variety of conditions, though primarily neuromuscular, neurological and musculoskeletal. Clients either pay privately or have insurance pay for their sessions. They are seen through2-4 sessions to put together a program, help them gain enough fitness knowledge to return to work or play which is 6-12 sessions or we have clients who are more long-term, one to two sessions per week and on-going. I still have a few clients left from when I started at the North Vancouver Fitness World in North Vancouver in 2004.
Our regimen is still in development. My vision is to have Kinesiologists with different speciality areas such as metabolic disorders, cardiac rehabilitation, sports injury rehabilitation, etc. Currently, I either treat a client for the first few sessions then have them train with the other team members or they see myself and another Kinesiologist concurrently. We meet every couple of weeks to discuss their case and then determine further programming needs. My challenge is giving my staff enough autonomy to use their judgement, skills and knowledge to build confidence while still ensuring that the exercise prescriptions are appropriate by sharing my 10 years of experience.
I enjoy having our clinic in a gym environment because we are able to interact with clients who are also members in-between their sessions. This fosters deep relationships, referral and renewals even several years later.
DA: Apart from Kinesiology, what are your other passions and pursuits in life?
AB: I grew up cross-country skiing and hiking which I continue to enjoy. Last year I took up trail running which I find re-connects me with the earth while disconnecting me from the hectic pace of city life. On July 4th I completed the Seek the Peak Relay, solo. This race is 16 Km from Ambleside Park up to the peak of Grouse Mountain which includes an elevation change of 4,100m. My ambition is be in the elite group of Grouse Grinders. I participate in Hot Yoga and use the infrared sauna to recover from training and to help calm my mind.
Kayaking is something I want to get back to. I took it up one summer while training for Biathlon as a way to keep fit while recovering from knee injury. There is something very peaceful about being so close to the water. This winter I will take up snowshoeing and perhaps compete in a few snowshoe running races.
Volunteering as an Anti-Doping Chaperone for the 2010 Winter Olympics was an amazing experience, especially since my father volunteered at the same venue. Competing fairly and ethically in sport and business are very important to me. I want to volunteer at future events in Vancouver/Whistler as well as at upcoming Olympics for Paralympics.
DA: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
AB: I am a driven and ambitious person. I set high expectations which cause me more stress than I need. In five years I am solidly connected to who I am and know that I only commit to things that I am internally motivated to achieve, not because someone else expects me to (each day I am closer to this).
In 5 years, hopefully sooner, my business has at least one more location and is at a point where I am able to write and present internationally. With current technology we are no longer bound to paper-books or in-person presentations so this will involve webinars as well as e-books. I still want to have some clinic hours though to keep me connected to the clients I serve. It is my belief that limiting yourself to one-on-one sessions limits how we share our knowledge, our ability to leverage our value and caps our income.
I want to influence how fitness centres are designed, equipped and managed. My legacy is to have them be accessible to everyone regardless of their disability or their physical limitations. Hopefully I will be able to do this with Steve Nash Fitness World. Movement is an integral part of life hence my company’s name “Lifemoves” and our mantra “Get Moving for Life.”
DA: Many thanks to you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us. Best wishes for your future.
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