Balancing Fitness and Lifestyle: Fitterfirst Discusses Movement and Moving Forward According to Louis Stack, founder of Fitter International Inc., balance and stability are essential to staying active through all stages of life. Stack asserts that balance has a multitude of benefits on physical and mental health, work/life productivity and overall wellbeing. To encourage this, Fitterfirst offers a variety of products that, used daily, can improve one’s quality of life. Recently Louis and Inside Outdoor chatted on how Fitter is leading the world to better balance. Inside Outdoor: How did you get started with Fitterfirst? Louis Stack: At 19, I was training for the UWO [University of Wisconsin–Oshkos] ski team. A knee injury resulted in the partial removal of my meniscus. Then, at 23 I had double foot surgery to remove four huge foot spurs that came from poorly fitting ski boots and shoes. At 14 years old, I had size-14 feet and horrible foot spurs that kept getting worse. I could not do much about them. At 22, the pain was so intense I could not ski anymore and had another major double foot operation. I had no awareness of my feet and had lost my proprioceptive awareness and balance. Skiing was out and I was desperate for a solution. I borrowed $3,000 from my mom, and in 1985 I came up with a design, making our first two Pro Fitters in my rental house basement. At Lake Louise, I volunteered at the Ken Read Invitational and sold three Pro Fitters to World Cup ski racers in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel. Everyone loved it; I quit my job and went for it. It started as a tool for rehabilitation and prevention, and then it earned a reputation as an outstanding tool for athletics and training. Next was family fitness, as it is great for all ages. By 1995, Fitterfirst had grown to offer 50-plus products. Fitter started the functional fitness revolution 10 years before it became mainstream. Active office was next, in 1999, but did not become mainstream until 2012. IO: You foresaw a future need. Did you realize how the demand would take off? LS: It made sense. Help injured people get healthy and healthy people get stronger. For any sport, if you depend on your vision, strength, timing and balance then training on Fitterfirst products really helps. Use them when you’re healthy to prevent injury, or use them later to rehab your injuries. IO: Are there any specific products you want to highlight? LS: Our most popular products are the Wobble and Rocker Boards. An Active Office Board (AOB) is great for sit/ stand desk. It is a floating board that is totally adjustable. Have your staff use these in-store every day. Slant Boards are awesome for lower limb mobility. Foam Rollers and DuraBall’s keep muscles moving and improve flexibility. All of the above have informative four-color boxes. For advanced training products, try our Pro Fitter 3D cross-trainer, Bongo and Extreme Balance Boards. IO: Looking forward into 2022, what is in store for Fitterfirst and its partners? LS: Time and gravity have not changed in 10,000 years. Caesar, Edmund Hillary and Steve Jobs all had the same time and gravity that we do today. The rules haven’t changed, nor will they. Gravity always wins in the end. It is a fact that clients that understand this stay healthier and buy more gear to spend more time in the great outdoors. We are focused on growing our relationship with wholesale partners across the USA. We want to earn your business. For more information visit www. fitter1.com or call (800) 348-8371. Fitterfirst Extreme Balance Board Pro Fitterfirst Active Office Board By Brady Hicks InsideOutdoor | 19
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