I want to establish my credentials before proceeding, because I think they are relevant…read more I am not a gym person. I want to be precise about this. I am not a lapsed gym person, or a former gym person who fell off the wagon, or a gym-curious person who simply never committed. I am a person for whom the gym existed entirely outside the boundaries of my daily life for the entirety of my adult existence. I work in information technology. I sit. I have sat with great consistency and no complaints for approximately three decades. My body and I had an understanding, and that understanding did not involve barbells...until now. I walked into Proximal 50 with the energy of a man who has made a decision and is now in the parking lot reconsidering it. I had no vocabulary. I had no frame of reference. I had a vague awareness that gyms contained equipment and that equipment had purposes, but the specifics were genuinely unavailable to me. And then I met Lexi Bata. I had expectations about what a personal trainer would be. Those expectations were formed entirely by cultural osmosis and were wrong in nearly every particular. I was expecting someone loud. I was expecting someone who would regard my current physical condition the way a contractor regards a badly neglected house. I was expecting to be pushed in ways that suggested the pusher had forgotten I was a person and not a goal. Lexi is soft-spoken. I want you to sit with that for a moment. Soft-spoken. Calm. Genuinely happy to be there, which I found disorienting at first because I was not sure I happy to be there and assumed that sentiment was shared by all parties. It was not. She was delighted. She remains delighted. Forty-five minutes twice a week with a person who is visibly pleased to be doing what they do is a remarkably pleasant way to spend time. I did not dread it coming in. I do not dread it now. Several people told me I would dread it. Those people were wrong and I intend to tell them so (I'm looking at you, Carl). She explained things. She explained why we were doing things, not just what, which matters to a person who works in IT because we are suspicious of processes we do not understand. When she demonstrated an exercise she made it look easy. It was not easy. This is not a criticism. This is an observation about the gap between watching a thing and doing a thing, which turned out to be considerable. I have been introduced to the Elevated Heel Goblet Squat and the Russian Twist. I want to address these directly. When Lexi first mentioned them I assumed they were beverages. They are not beverages. They are exercises with names chosen, I believe, to keep non-gym people slightly off-balance. I do them now. Without falling over, mostly. This is progress. The warehouse training space deserves mention. Being in a dedicated area separate from the main gym floor made the experience of being a complete beginner significantly less fraught. I was not performing my ignorance in front of an audience. I was simply learning, in a space designed for learning, with an instructor who treated every question as entirely reasonable. I also need to address the music. I do not know who controls the playlist at Proximal 50 but I would like to ask them several questions. In a single session I have heard Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a techno arrangement of a Metallica composition I did not know could exist in that form, and Fishin' in the Dark by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Back to back. Without explanation. I find this tremendously amusing and ask that no one change it. Lexi knows when to push. She pushes in the way a person pushes when they know what you have in reserve and want you to find it, not in the way a person pushes when they have forgotten your name. There is a difference. I notice it every session. I came in knowing nothing. Fifteen sessions later I am writing this in genuine surprise at how much I enjoy something I was prepared to merely endure. Go to Proximal 50. Ask for Lexi Bata. Bring your ignorance. Bring your skepticism about the playlist. Be prepared to hear Black Sabbath done by a marching band. She will know what to do with all of it.

This is a really nice hybrid gym concept in downtown Bismarck. They have "crossfit" style classes…read moreas well as a normal gym setup, split into two rooms. One room (the one that usually has the classes) has full squat racks, lifting platforms, and barbells with bumper plates, which is awesome. The other room has more machines and some free weights like dumbells. There is also a squat rack in that room, but I was perplexed as to why the rubber mat that's under it ends so close to it; it makes it hard to squat if you don't like squatting on bare concrete (which has less traction). I got a free day pass from the Radisson, and the checkin process was easy and painless. Bathrooms are large and clean, and there's showers too. One sort of weird thing about this gym were all the signs they had posted around with rules...I'm not sure how strict they are about enforcing them, but I feel like all the rules posted everywhere was maybe a bit much. All in all, a nice option for dropping in if you are in Bismarck and want to get a workout in.

Active Life Chiropractic takes such great care of my family! My daughter goes monthly to maintain…read morehealthy and active lifestyle. She does ballet three to four times a week and keeping up with her Active Life appointments helps her with fewer injuries.

Oh, how I love Active Life Chiropractic. I have a newborn son who was two weeks old at his first…read morevisit. I was very nervous about the whole thing but they whole staff put me at ease. The reception area is always clean and the front desk staff is super friendly. We see Dr. Ness and he was so gentle and talked me through everything that he did during our consultation and adjustment. On our second visit, I was walked through the adjustment process in further detail and we went over the billing and insurance portion. It felt so good that they are so thorough with their patients. I will recommend them to anyone and everyone especially those with kids!

Stopped by for the Saturday morning barbell class. It was great. We got a nice 10 min self warmup…read moreand stretched. They have foam rollers, bands, dowels and lighter weights. We worked on snatches and cleans. I'm not good at either lifts so it was great to work on these two specifically. Katie was a great coach!

Best gym around, maybe anywhere. The group is always very inviting and friendly while also being…read morehelpful in learning new movements or surpassing old milestones. The coaches are very knowledgeable and pass this knowledge on through very thorough demos. The warmups are always really fun too, which adds to the fun group atmosphere. I highly recommend this gym.

Hands down the best massage experience you will find in the area. I have had all types of massages…read morein my life, and am always stressed going to a place for the first time, however I can truly say that this was an euphorically awesome massage! Best part of all is that she takes a very holistic approach and actually takes the time to talk with you before and after to understand what is bothering you and how best to address the issues. Whether your looking to relieve stress or have some sort of injury that you want addressed, this is the perfect place. Worth every penny, I will be back!

This place was amazing! So calming and welcoming! I have had fibromyalgia for 5 years now and I…read morehave never had a massage this good and with NO PAIN!!! Ian was so knowledgeable and I would highly recommend him to anyone! I will be coming back for sure!!!!

I went there knee pain and after my first two visit felt much better. The staff were very…read morecourteous, helpful, knowledgeable. I highly recommend the knee on trac therapy for knee pain.

Took my 86 year old mother in there for back/shoulder pain and Eric and Martina took wonderful care…read moreof her.

Always excellent care at this office. The office is very comfortable and easy to access.read more

I had been doctoring for plantars faciatus on my left foot for eight months. After 3 weeks of…read morechiropractic care and acupuncture, I was pain free and on the road to a full recovery. Never dreamed that I could have relief so quickly! I'm a believer!

This was one of the best places I've had a chiro visit. Dr. Parchen listened to my concerns and…read morereally made sure to address the key places I was feeling discomfort. My neck and shoulders feel so much better. Also make sure to get there 10 min and use the hydro massage.

Amazing. Absolutely amazing!!! Dr. Aaron and his team deserve a five star rating all across the…read moreboard. I have been going to this location for over a year and I couldn't be more satisfied. Lovely, friendly, attentive staff and a spotless and spacious office in a convenient location are just some of the perks. Not to mention the EXTREMELY. FLEXIBLE WALK IN SCHEDULE - YES, OPEN SATURDAYS TOO!!!! Make sure that you relax in the mind-blowing heated hydro massage chair. Trust me, you will need to take the time to do this because 99.9% of the time you will be seen in minutes with no wait time. This is a real treat I promise!!! I can't say enough good things about Dr. Aaron. He is an absolute joy to work with and I will recommend Blue Apple Chiropractic to anyone looking for a top notch chiropractic experience.

Between massage and MYK , Brandalen can seem to find and fix what ails me! I'd recommend her highly!read more