Welcome!
I hope this page will help you better understand why Align exists and how we can help you!

My name is Julie McLean, B.PHE, R.KIN. (owner of Align).  
Growing up, I was highly competitive, pushing my body past it's limits and always trying my best to keep up with my 2 older siblings, both in sports and school.
 
I had many opportunities to play high school sports and be apart of successful teams in the Niagara Region, including volleyball, soccer, basketball, track and field.  In Grade 12, I was playing in the Ontario Premier Women's Soccer League and met with University Soccer Coaches who would come out and scout our games.  It was always my goal to play soccer at the University level, so when I tore my ACL months before University Soccer Tryouts I was devastated.

This was a major set back for me.  The timing of this injury couldn't have come at a worse time.
(Thinking back there is never a good time for an injury)

Here were the Steps to my Recovery
(If you have ever had an injury, you may be able to relate)
 
1.
I was scheduled for surgery.
2. 
I did my physiotherapy rehabilitation exercises after surgery.
3. 
I returned to my sport, but had fear of reinjury that held me back mentally.
4. 
I felt frustrate with my body for not responding the same way it did prior to my injury.
5. 
I tried out for the Queen's University Soccer Team 5 months after surgery.
6. 
I was told to try again next year since it was too soon after my surgery.

Why do I share this?
My personal experience and feelings towards my injury, steps to recovery, combined with the my education (Bachelor of Physical Health and Education) was the starting point of
Align Family Health & Fitness - A Treatment & Training Studio

I found there was a huge gap and lack of support between doing my initial physiotherapy rehabilitation exercises and my return to activity.

I found this gap didn't only apply to my return to sport as a young athlete, but also into adulthood.  After having 3 children, I faced similar feelings of frustration with my body and not reaching my performance goals - I wanted to run and sprint again, but I wanted to do it without pain or reinjury.  It was during this time that I created a Movement Studio in my formal living and dining room to not only support my personal health, but to start seeing clients out of my home in London, Ontario as a Registered Kinesiologist.

Working out my home had it's advantages, but it also had many disadvantages.  I began to outgrow my home studio space and desired to connect with other health care providers who shared my vision of helping people move and exercise more without pain and frustration.  

Connecting with other practitioners from different disciplines helped me gain a broad knowledge of what each discipline had to offer in the various Steps to Recovery. 
 
It has been my goal to not only help people recover from an injury, but to help them reach their full potential with minimal risk of reinjury, so they can live their best life.  Through my past experience and education, I see a multi-disciplinary approach to be the most helpful.

It is our goal at Align to help educate and support our clients
every step of their health & fitness journey.