About Lifemoves
Our Story and What Makes Us Different
Our goal is to offer a safe, welcoming, non-judgemental, supportive and encouraging environment for clients with medical conditions, disabilities and or injuries so that they are able to improve their health, fitness and quality of life.
Why Choose Lifemoves for Kinesiolgy Treatment?
We offer clients an inclusive and accepting environment so they can focus on:
Why Alfred Became a Kinesiologist
Clients often ask me why I became a Kinesiologist. Firstly, because of a curiosity about exercise physiology and injury management that was piqued by an active childhood cross-country skiing, playing soccer, hiking, and fooling around outside. The way I practice and my choice to specialize in chronic disease and disability management dates back to 1988.
Like many kids in this situation, it was a challenge to figure out where I fit in and how to be part of my new community. Those years in elementary and high school taught me the importance of being inclusive and accepting people for what they can do rather than what they cannot do.
My enthusiasm and interest in exercise physiology and injury management led me to pursue a degree in kinesiology. The summer after graduating from the University of Guelph, I worked at a group home for people with mental disabilities. This opportunity really showed me how difficult it was for the public to accept the residents as people who are part of the community, just like you and me.
That year, with great protest from myself, my family moved from Regina, Saskatchewan to Vancouver, British Columbia. I was twelve years old and moving to a new city and having to make new friends was overwhelming.
In January 2000, I had the opportunity to volunteer as a personal trainer for a client with a cervical spine injury. During this time I discovered that the opportunities and facilities for people with disabilities to fully participate in physical activity were seriously lacking.
Fortunately, this is changing in many communities and I am very happy to be able to assist people with both physical and mental limitations lead a healthy and productive life.
Lifemoves' Origin
In 1999, I had the vision of owning and operating a company dedicated to helping these groups that were notably under-serviced. For nearly eight years, I had the good fortune of learning and working at Fitness World, developing into one of their top Personal Trainers and Practicing Kinesiologists.
My first client, John is the inspiration for Lifemoves. He is a quadriplegic who is dedicated to maintaining as much of his fitness as he can. We met in 1999 when I volunteered to be his Personal Trainer as part of a work experience for an Adapted Physical Activity course at UBC.
During this time, I noticed that there was a distinct lack of accessible facilities and equipment for people with disabilities and chronic diseases.
For nearly eight years, I had the good fortune of learning and working at Fitness World, developing into one of their top Personal Trainers and Practicing Kinesiologists.
In April 2007, Ann and Chris Frederick of Stretch to Win® gave me the final inspiration and confidence I needed to push my dreams forward and make the leap to my current role as CEO and founder of Life Moves Health and Fitness.
Life Moves Health and Fitness Inc. was founded in July 2007 as a strategic partnership with Fitness World (FW). In 2009, Lifemoves® and I were finalists for the Young Entrepreneur Award for North Shore Business Awards.
How A Dream Became Reality. Then Life Changed.
After FW was sold, the business moved was located in a few personal training studios around North Vancouver, until settling on Pemberton Avenue in 2014.
In March 2015, I was able to secure the funding to fulfill my dream of owning my own fully independent rehabilitation and personal training studio. Two years later I bought an existing kinesiology clinic in Vancouver and moved Lifemoves to larger space with a patio and view of the downtown on West Broadway.
In 2019, I decide that it was time simplify my life and work within a multi-disciplinary clinic so that I can have more time with my family. I was fortunate enough to be able bring my kinesiology, Fascial Stretch Therapy skills and some of my equipment to Catalyst Kinetics in Burnaby, BC.
2021 to Present
In the spring of 2021 I decided that it was time to restart teaching Clinical Pilates. I am now available in East Vancouver and Burnaby for Exercise Rehabilitation, Fascial Stretch Therapy and Clinical Pilates treatments.