A new exercise studio in Aspen Place at the Sawmill is offering a kinder, gentler and more balanced workout for those seeking to increase their fitness. Barre 3 just opened its doors.

It’s called Barre 3 because the company has three main areas of fitness that it tries to bring a balance to its clients’ lives, said studio owner Rebekah Kaufman. The first area is bringing exercise into your life, the second is about eating properly and the third is creating a sense of community by making connections through class. It’s a focus on improving the whole individual.

The company was started by a Portland, Ore. couple, Sadie and Chris Lincoln, who quit their day jobs after more than 20 years in the corporate fitness industry to create a fitness routine that incorporated more balance. With the help of Mark Mastrov, the founder of 24-Hour Fitness Worldwide, they created Barre 3.

Barre 3 offers a workout that is gentle on the joints yet intense on the muscles, one that targets the deeper muscles, said Kaufman. The technique uses a combination of yoga, Pilates, core body weight exercises and stretching. It focuses on tiny movements, maybe an inch at the most up and down, she said. It also uses a ballet barre to help with balance and stretching during the workout.

For example, you might be directed to go into a squat and then move an inch up and then an inch down in the position and then hold the position for a set period of time before making a larger movement up and down to stretch out the muscles. Each set takes about three to four minutes and each muscle section gets about 10 minutes of focus out of an hour class.

The smaller movements target the deeper muscles in the body. The idea is to bring the muscles to the point of fatigue without having to use weights or large movements, Kaufman said. This allows people who don’t like using weights, don’t have experience with heavy weights or have a limited range of motion to build some muscle tone without bulking up.

It also makes it a fitness program that is accessible to everyone regardless of age, weight, physical needs or fitness level. No experience is needed to start taking Barre 3 classes and no special equipment is needed. Just come in comfortable yoga-like clothing and bring a water bottle.

“Everything we do in class can be adapted to the needs of any client,” Kaufman said. Can’t do a full squat or lunge? A class instructor can help you find an alternative movement that will have the same benefits.

By the end of class, you’re exhausted and your muscles are shaking, she said.

After class, there is an emphasis on eating right. There is usually a cookbook focusing on whole foods and good nutrition sitting on one of the benches in the lobby of the studio. More recipes are located online at the Barre 3 website. There's also a filtered water bottle filling station just outside the studio.

The lobby of studio is open, with two changing rooms and a couple of benches with cubbies to store your stuff. The idea is to encourage discussion and create a sense of community among members while they change in and out of their street shoes and jackets, Kaufman said.

In order to help out parents, the studio offers a supervised play lounge with a child care provider for children age 6 weeks and up. The child care is a separate cost from the Barre 3 classes, but having the play lounge right outside the studio makes it easy for moms to keep an eye on young ones and feel that they’re in safe hands. Child care costs $5 per child per class or $45 for a 10-class package.

Kaufman got into the program while she was working as an attorney in the Bay Area in California.

“It was a way for me to stay balanced in life,” she said. “It’s a hard workout combined with a sense of mindfulness. I would leave class feeling energized.”

She took the leap to becoming a full-time franchisee/owner for the company and moved to the Flagstaff area in June to open the studio. She’s visited friends in the Flagstaff area many times over the years and was familiar with the city, but said it was still scary and kind of relieving to quit her sometimes stressful job as a full-time attorney.

Barre 3 is flexible about its membership package. You can purchase a monthly membership for $99 and have unlimited access to classes and 10 percent off of merchandise. Or you can purchase a package of one to 20 classes to try things out. You can reserve your spot in class and purchase classes and memberships online at barre3.com/studio-locations/flagstaff or by stopping by the studio.

Currently, Kaufman is running 27 classes at a range of times in the morning and afternoon/evening. She plans to add classes to the schedule as demand grows and more instructors are hired.

She’s also partnering with local businesses to bring in giveaways and classes. For example, she’s working with Fizzybella to bring in soaps and other skincare items and a juice shop in Sedona.Read more at:short formal dresses australia | long evening dresses australia