Fitness Testimonials

I booked a fitness training because I was living with chronic pain and was looking for simple daily movement to increase flexibility and strength and reduce pain and rigidity in my body. Basically, how to get the most benefit in the shortest amount of time, in a routine that could easily be implemented and maintained. The session was very beneficial and informative, as well as specifically tailored to my particular needs. Stephen is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom and finds the right balance between giving you a lot without overwhelming with too much information.

An all body and core workout as a fun time? I had to see it and after that had to try it.  Crawling around the floor in various animals poses is as much fun as it was in my youth, but now it's good for me, too!
My goal is to build strength and body awareness so I can run farther and longer with less risk of injury.  Stephen's method intrigued me. It's tough physically and mental as I'm not uber coordinated. The workouts go fast and my focus is deep, leading to just the kind of awareness I wanted.
Serious and goofy rolled together with deep core and breathing makes it something I look forward to.
Always more likely to do the fun than the dull!  I see this developing into a good habit.

I found that the focus on creating correct form, and slow and steady progress very important.

I found that your enthusiasm combined with clear knowledge was captivating and I get drawn in to want to find out more.

These particular movements were challenging and informative in the sense that my body and mind are not in synch with each other.

Some of the movements were easy, and some were challenging. I found it to be fun.

I really appreciated the time that you took to reinforce the importance of listening to the body and it’s ability to do the movements. And that this was not a competition of any type.

I liked that you emphasized taking care, and not hurting yourself.

I was glad that you helped men to understand the importance of mindful movement and that during a practice like this, it is helpful to know the edge and listening tho the body.

Stephen, first and foremost I want to thank you for your time and energy. Your balance of information , demonstration, and practice kept me excited and engaged.

I had some training sessions with Dr. Stern, and he is so enthusiastic about this type of training that his mood is contagious. It is fun and educational working with him as he is able to give new and different insights than I was ever able to get from other routine forms of exercise that I had learned in the past.  It is a pleasure working with him; I only wish that I could do it every week!

15 years ago as a healthy 40 year old with an active lifestyle and a strong workout discipline I abruptly ruptured my L4-L5 disc, extruding the nuclear material 3.5" down my spinal column. This was a debilitating injury, making sitting nearly impossible for months and forcing me to stop any impact-based activity. After going to an orthopedic back surgery specialist at NE Baptist who recommended I avoid surgery if at all possible, I started to see Dr. Stephen. He worked through multiple aspects of the injury - disc damage, spinal misalignment, inability to follow my previous sports and workout routines. His unique sensitivity and his gift to establish a profound awareness of my back's state - its energy - and my own overall state enabled him to innately make adjustments as needed and guide me to heal and rebuild myself.

After reaching the point where his work brought me to where I could resume some sports and workouts, he helped me with opening my horizons to activities that helped me heal, build my core to compensate for my injury and help prevent future injury. While returning to a steady routine of running and indoor soccer were not sustainable, I was able to go back to more sustainable activities like swimming, and elliptical training. Through Dr. Stephen's treatments and workout guidance I was able to heal and build back to where I could return to weight lifting and volleyball, and with Dr. Stephen's guidance incorporate Animal Flow movements into my strengthening routine. In 2014 I trained for and ran a Spartan Race. While I still have to be disciplined in approach and posture when I challenge my back, I consider myself nearly fully healed, and in many ways through Stephen's guidance I am stronger, more flexible and more capable than I was before my injury.

Through this process I have also seen other chiropractors and although they were competent and capable professionals, none had the sense, touch and ability to connect with my body in the way that Dr. Stephen has. None were on a path to get me past my injury and become whole again.

I just started working with Dr. Stern on his Movement Exercises and I just love them. They are challenging, but engaging and fun. You can play with the different positions, and I have really felt my body becoming stronger and more fluid.

My primary goal in training with Dr. Stern was to loosen up my joints after a hip surgery and chemotherapy which really stiffened me and made me feel disconnected from my body. His exercises have helped me reconnect with my body, and better integrate the mind body connection.

Dr. Stern is inspiring with his examples as he moves so easily and naturally. It makes one want to aspire to that level of connectivity.

I highly recommend this type of exercise to the entire human race. We could all use more flexibility and body awareness. These exercises have helped my control, my strength, and my flexibility, and they are really fun. You can do them in a very small space and they are still effective.  I have not ached the way I used to with extreme cardio and repetitions, and these exercises really keep you mindful and focused.  

Thank you Dr. Stern for re-defining the way I view fitness, and for helping me reclaim my body.