Curves ahead: No-fuss exercise studio helps women achieve goals

There's a reason Curves fitness studios have their name: They're for women only.

"Women are social. Women like doing things together, bonding with each other," said Shawn Burtch, owner of the two Grosse Pointe Curves. "Also–let's face it–when men exercise, they sweat and stink. And men are still men: they have wandering eyes. Many women feel uncomfortable in such a situation."

Curves was designed to reach a segment of the population the exercise world has, up until now, ignored–"middle-aged women," Burtch said. Kathie von Schwarz of Grosse Pointe Farms is the prototypical customer. She's been working out at Curves for nearly 10 years, and looks forward to her next decade–her sixties. "I feel healthier than I have in my entire life," she said. She gives the Curves program credit for much of her feeling of well-being. "It's the only exercise I can trick myself into doing," she said. "After all, it only takes a half hour."

Von Schwarz likes the friends she's made at Curves and the idea of exercising with women only. The atmosphere is more sociable. While you're exercising, she said, "You can almost always get a tip about something you need to know if you just open your mouth and ask."

"Most exercise programs focus on the fit and the young," Burtch said. "But we know that if middle-aged women feel welcome and comfortable at an exercise location, theyíll stick with an exercise program."

Burtch's two Curves locations–20927 Mack in the Woods and 18150 Mack in the City–attract women of all ages, but most members are between 30 and 70.

"If you can walk in the door," she said, "you can do the work."

The Curves workout is a 30-minute circuit training done on simple hydraulic exercise machines–13 of them. "Hydraulic means there is air in a cylinder," Burtch explained. "When you use the machine, you push the air. The faster you push, the more resistance you get. Between each machine is a cushioned board. Women are encouraged to work as hard as they can on the machines and to recover by jogging lightly on the boards between the machines."

The workout is the same for everyone: twice around the circuit, which takes 30 minutes. Thirty seconds is spent on each machine and each pad. Then everyone moves to the next station in the circuit. Each woman's workout is different, however, because each decides how hard and how fast she will work at each station.

Renee Thoma, 24, of St. Clair Shores, is one of the younger members. She joined at the Woods location in the summer between her junior and senior year of high school. "I joined Curves and started doing Weight Watchers at the same time and the results happened gradually and steadily," she said. In less than a year, she had lost 30 pounds.

When she graduated from high school and began her freshman year at Western Michigan University, she thought her Curves workouts were finished. Midway through her first year on campus, she found a nearby Curves and continued to work out an average three times a week until the end of her senior year.

"One of the best things about Curves is that they always allowed me to transfer back to Grosse Pointe when I came home for the summer, then transfer back to Kalamazoo again when I went back to school."

Burtch opened both Grosse Pointe facilities in 2002. The St. Clair Shores resident has a background in exercise and dance. She also worked 17 years for State Farm Insurance and was a sales director for Mary Kay Cosmetics.

"I've always been active physically," she said. "I like to exercise. That was one of the reasons for my career change in 2002 when I opened Curves. I look forward to exercise."

Burtch is a National Exercise Trainers Association (NETA) certified personal trainer and a YogaFit certified instructor.

"The Curves workout is therapeutic," she said. "Members who have disabilities and limitations can participate. Some of our members have multiple sclerosis, others have fibromyalgia, arthritis, even prosthetic limbs. Some members are obese. Some are blind. One member is blind and deaf and comes to her workout with her leader dog." The dog waits in a corner, Burtch said.

"Young, old, middle-aged, all shapes, sizes and body types," Burtch said. "We promote mother-daughter workouts. We even have some grandmother-mother-daughter teams. It's good to get young girls started on an exercise program and it's a good way to spend time together."

E-mail Margie Reins Smith: ms0006@comcast.net

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