Louis Stack: Leading the World to Better Balance
Feb 18, 2022
Leaning aggressively forward downhill into an airstream, Louis Stack became a bullet in the wind. He was in Les Arcs, France in 1991 on the Canadian National Speed Skiing Team training for the upcoming World Cup Race. The violent, high-speed vibrations ceased when he reached 110 miles per hour and his skis hovered above the ground. Like a rock skipping along a lake, he only occasionally made contact with the racecourse. This lack of friction allowed him to achieve his personal best when he crossed the finish line at 127.33 miles per hour.
Louis Stack had already been practicing this pattern off the racecourse as the Founder and President of Fitterfirst. He aggressively leaned into the pressure of problems, withstanding the uncomfortable vibrations of fear and opposition. This type of drive, or “making his own luck” as Stack describes it, helped him build a multimillion-dollar company. His brand, Fitterfirst, is renowned for products that help people recover from and prevent injury, maintain balance and fitness, and keep moving at work.
In fact, Louis Stack’s company began in 1985 with personal injuries and the desire to relieve his own pain. Extensive knee and foot injuries not only kept him from the ski slopes but also resulted in an overall loss of balance. Motivated by the goal of restoring his balance, he developed a ski-training device called the Pro Fitter 3D Cross Trainer with the help of his brother and a small loan from his single mother. He then used this Pro Fitter 3D Cross Trainer to rehabilitate himself after knee and foot surgeries. It worked and in 1989 he was invited to join the Canadian Nation Speed Skiing Team! He has since continued to develop products that improve his own health. These products now reach a worldwide audience of individuals and families young and old, high-performance athletes, rehabilitation patients, and even the everyday office worker.
Some of Louis Stack’s most compelling work involves the concept of the “Active Office.” When Stack retired from skiing in 1995 and settled into a full-time role at the office, he quickly realized how much he missed his active lifestyle. Working eight hours each day, with most of that time hunching over a laptop, began to take a toll. He recognized that the majority of people were compromising their health and balance with sedentary office work. The desire to introduce movement to this environment was the inspiration behind an innovative line of products, such as the standing desks and balance boards.
Stack explains, ”Everyday office workers are renting their communication skills, fingers, eyeballs, and brains to their employers. If they also donate their spine, core, and health to their employer, it’s not the employer’s fault. You have to take responsibility for your own body and health. If you don’t take care of your body, where will you live?” For those sitting in an office all day, he suggests standing every thirty minutes with good posture and breathing deeply for one minute. This allows the body to recalibrate.
The motto of Fitterfirst has always been “leading the world to better balance!” Why is balance so important? Louis Stack says, “Balance is the essence of movement. Movement is the essence of life.”
Doctor Hoy's® is a natural fit with Louis Stack’s endeavors to lead the world to better balance. It is difficult to maintain movement, balance, and overall health when pain is in the way. Topical Doctor Hoy's provides natural pain relief options to get people moving again. Stack first discovered Doctor Hoy's when presenting his products while wearing a knee brace.
“The first day I applied three coats of Doctor Hoy's Natural Pain Relief Gel then a layer of Arnica Boost on my left knee. Eventually, when I was demonstrating the Pro Fitter 3D Cross Trainer long enough, I could take my brace off and it didn’t hurt. The second day I found that I didn’t bother putting my brace on. I had applied Doctor Hoy's the same way and it worked,” reports Stack.
He then took Doctor Hoy's home to his wife and they have been using the product in everyday topical applications for chronic hip pain, dysphasia, and even in daily skin care routines for dry skin. They have also used the product for pain management during recovery from hip replacements and jaw and facial surgery.
“I’ve used and carried three or four different pain management creams for years. I’ve tried many other creams and always eventually walked away. But there is no walking away from Doctor Hoy's. This really is an amazing product and it works well,” says Louis Stack.
