Finding Balance and Strength in Vancouver

By Troy Tyrell | WBN News Vancouver | Sept 7, 2025
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I’ve spent most of my adult life teaching people how to move. Not just to lift heavier weights or to run faster, but to move through life with confidence to walk up a flight of stairs without bracing for pain, to carry groceries without grimacing, or to get out of bed and actually feel good about how their body responds.

What I didn’t expect was how much my own training philosophy would evolve with time.

When I started as a trainer more than twenty years ago, it was all about intensity. Push harder. Lift heavier. Sweat more. But as the years went by, I started working with more people who were 40, 50, 60 and older people who had lived active lives, but whose bodies didn’t recover like they used to. And somewhere along the way, I realized I was describing myself, too.

The Shift From Power to Control

There’s something humbling about watching a client struggle to balance on one foot. They might have spent decades working, raising families, maybe even playing rec league sports. Still, a single movement, such as a single-leg balance, a side step, or a reach-and-hold, suddenly reveals how fragile the connection between the brain and the body can be.

That’s when it clicked for me. Fitness wasn’t just about strength anymore. It was about stability, agility, and awareness. I started shifting focus away from brute power toward what I call “functional longevity” — training the body to move well, not just look good.

Vancouver, Gravity, and Growing Older

Personal Training in Vancouver offers a unique perspective. We’re surrounded by natural reminders of balance the mountains, the ocean, and the Seawall. You don’t have to look far to see people testing their stability every day, from cyclists navigating Stanley Park curves to retirees walking along False Creek in the rain.

But there’s also gravity, both literal and metaphorical. Gravity training, the method I use, lets you harness your body weight in a way that challenges balance without punishing your joints. It’s a lesson that mirrors life: when things pull you down, learn how to control the descent, then push yourself back up with purpose.

The Science of Staying Upright

You don’t have to take my word for it. Research from Harvard Health shows that strength training helps maintain bone density and balance as we age. The Cleveland Clinic emphasizes that resistance and flexibility work together to prevent falls and preserve independence. And the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology reminds us that functional movement training is essential for healthy aging.

But beyond the science, I’ve seen it firsthand. A client in her 60s recently told me she doesn’t care about her weight anymore. What matters is being able to walk her dog without tripping or reach the top shelf in her kitchen without feeling unstable. That’s progress you can’t measure in pounds.

A Lesson in Slowing Down

I’ve noticed something else too. As people learn to move better, they start to live differently. They slow down. They breathe more intentionally. They become aware of how they stand, how they sit, how they react to discomfort. It’s not just training it’s mindfulness in motion.

It’s ironic, really. We live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, yet many of us spend our days hunched over laptops, disconnected from our own posture. Restoring balance isn’t just physical it’s mental.

The Real Goal

These days, when I work with someone new, I don’t promise quick fixes or six-pack abs. I tell them that my job is to help them trust their body again. To rebuild that mind-body connection so that they can do the simple things climb, bend, reach, twist with ease.

Strength, agility, and balance aren’t just fitness buzzwords. They’re quality-of-life markers. And in a city that moves as fast as Vancouver, learning how to slow down, steady yourself, and stay upright might just be the most valuable skill of all.

By Troy Tyrell, Founder of Tsquared Personal Training
WBN Contributor | Community Builder | Mountain Biker | Advocate for Local Business & Fitness
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