Before Align
When I would wake up in the mornings, my lower back would be sore, and I'd be tired because of it. To get out of bed, I'd have to tighten my whole core just to get up. I'd try to work things out, but it never went away.
Then it started lasting longer throughout the day, until pretty soon it was there all day long. My back had also gone out on me several times. I'd be working on something, go to twist or move the wrong way, and that was it. It made me nervous to do day-to-day things.
I got to a point where I realized I needed to do something about this. I talked to my son about maybe starting to lift weights again, and he said, “Go to Align. Have them look at you first.”
Coming to Align
I was actually really excited to think there was a chance all of this could go away. I asked Coach Jamie if that was possible, and she said yes.
My next question was how long it would take. A couple of months? Jamie said probably about six months to get me going. I thought, okay, that's fair.
From the first time I came in, the staff was phenomenal. They were so helpful. The approach was: let's get you loosened up, figure out what's going on, and then build up one week at a time.
The Journey
It didn't take me very long to figure out that it was working. It was probably two weeks, maybe three. I was like, no way. This is crazy. I can't believe this.
In those first couple of weeks, I noticed two things. The first was getting out of bed. I didn't have to completely tighten my whole core anymore; I could just roll out.
The second was at work. I'm a teacher, so I pick things up off the floor often. I never used to bend over and hinge at my hips. I would always squat instead. Then I started being able to bend over and pick things up, and it was so freeing. I wasn't nervous about my back going out or straining it anymore.
Life Now
The most freeing piece of all of this is that I don't worry about hurting myself or tweaking my back anymore. I don't think about my physical body like I did before, because I don't have to.
Align has shown me that I absolutely don't have to live with the pain and discomfort I was having, and that I can do more because of it. I don't avoid doing things. It's a life changer.
Pass It On: What would you say to someone who is considering starting their Align journey?
Whenever my friends say they're hurting or their back is sore or tight, I tell them, “You've got to go to Align. This is what happened to me. You've got to check it out.”
People might be tired of hearing me say how great it is, but it really is.
To read Jim’s full Case Study, click here.