Asheville wellness business prepares to move to Black Mountain

For Mike Lewen, his business, StrengthX, is personal.

He said StrengthX focuses on “addressing bone density naturally through exercise therapy.” This is done through a process known as osteogenic loading using a biodensity machine. Lewen said this machine uses a biofeedback max isometric model meaning the machine gives real time data on how much a user is exerting while pushing as hard as they can. But, because it is isometric, there is no weight or movement.

Lewen said he found himself in the health and wellness industry because of his diagnoses of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affects connective tissues.

“My connective tissue is basically faulty, if you will,” Lewen said. “That kind of has always had me in the field of exercise and health, just trying to find solutions and remedies, and I lived most of my life without actually knowing that that’s what it was officially. I just kind of always knew something was off.”

With a background in chiropractic and strength conditioning, Lewen said he was in a position to help when his mother had a bone density report done that showed she had severe osteoporosis, a disease characterized by bone mass and density decreasing.

Lewen said his mother was never really known to exercise and she was averse to taking medications. The family turned to practice in Hickory doing what Lewen does now. He said his mother began seeing improvements after six months of the work.

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After seeing the effects, Lewen said he decided to open his own practice in West Asheville in April 2019.

Now, he’s moving the practice to Black Mountain to be closer to home. Having lived all over the country from Florida to California to Colorado, Lewen said Black Mountain is a “special area.”

“I love the quietness, I love the nature side of it,” Lewen said. “I just find Black Mountain hands down my favorite town I’ve ever lived in.”

At its new Black Mountain location, StrengthX will be located at 411 West State St. Lewen said his equipment is scheduled to be moved May 8, and he hopes to be up and running by the second week of May.

Lewen said his goal for his Black Mountain practice is to help the community and provide a more natural option for wellness.

“My goal is to try and just provide a natural and healthy alternative to people that is of a more vitality, anti-aging health and wellness kind of format, but through the lens of an active endeavor,” Lewen said. “Meaning you kind of have to pursue all of those aforementioned qualities yourself. It’s not a passive thing.”

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Lewen said he welcomes anyone who needs the help to come to StrengthX and he will do his best to work with them and find solutions.

“It’s definitely a place for everybody,” Lewen said. “Especially the broken people, if you will, or the people that have the glitches in their health and the things that just seem to never really improve or go away, but usually with enough digging and questioning and seeking, we can usually start to find the whats and the whys behind the struggles.”