FIT, FABULOUS, AND FORTY: IT FIGURES OPENS 40TH FACILITY IN MINNESOTA

It Figures is a chain of women-only fitness centers offering a 30-minute circuit training workout.

MINNEAPOLIS - It Figures - Fast Fun Fitness for Women, announced today that it will open its 40th Minnesota fitness center in the Twin Cities suburb of Maplewood.

I am excited about being a part of one of the fastest-growing chains of fitness centers in Minnesota," said Abigail (Abby) Bour, owner of the newest facility from the Oklahoma-based chain.

It Figures first established a foothold in Minnesota in 2001, following the success of the popular chain Curves for Women.

I was a member of a Curves and enjoyed my workouts there," said Laura Segala, certified instructor at the Plymouth It Figures. But there were some aspects that I felt could be improved upon. It bothered me that the equipment was one-size-fits-all. You couldnt increase the resistance on the strength machines as you got stronger. And as a working woman, I felt that the hours of business needed to be longer to accommodate busy schedules." Segala opened the Plymouth It Figures in September of 2001 and recently sold it to Gail Jutila and Sunnie Carter. She now works as a consultant and trainer for It Figures.

All It Figures clubs feature adjustable strength training equipment, which means that the resistance settings on the hydraulic machines can be varied, providing more of a challenge to members as they get fitter over time. Most It Figures are open more than 70 hours per week, making it convenient for members to fit at least three 30-minute workouts into their weekly schedules.

Each It Figures fitness center is tailored to the needs of the community. The owner sets her own hours and pricing, and markets products and classes that are desired by her members. Some clubs offer free childcare, while others offer yoga or other instructor-led classes. Several of the clubs even include a separate mens side or special co-ed hours.

Youre going to see a lot more variety in an It Figures club than youll see at our competitors," said Marsha Hanson, owner of the Minnetonka It Figures.

A few of the clubs in the chain use names other than It Figures. At Lifestyle Dynamics in Mound, for example, the It Figures women-only circuit training room is one aspect of a fitness center which also includes a fully-equipped co-ed gym, martial arts training and other fitness classes. Fitness Haven in Little Canada is another It Figures-affiliated club owned by Missy Kreutter.

We are open seven days a week and we have a free supervised childrens playroom so that moms can work out," said Kreutter. I love it that I can run my business in the way that I think is best for my members. For example, we hold yoga classes on Saturday mornings. But my members also have the benefit of being able to use travel passes to work out at other It Figures clubs."

The key principle behind It Figures is variety.

We vary the length of the interval spent at each station in the circuit," Bour said. Some days its 30 seconds per station and the ladies go around the circle three times. Other days they spend 45 or 60 seconds at each station but they only go around twice. We believe that varying the interval length helps prevent plateaus in our members progress, because their muscles dont get so used to doing the exact same workout every time."

We change the resistance level on our equipment three times a week," said Gloria Danielson, owner of the It Figures in Eden Prairie. On light tension days, the members get an excellent aerobic workout while effectively toning their muscles and increasing their muscle endurance. Heavier tension days are best for building muscle strength." In addition to the women-only circuit, Danielsons fitness center features a separate co-ed Golf Conditioning Circuit".

Building muscle is the key to increasing metabolism, according to Bour.

When women go on a restricted calorie diet, up to 40% of the weight they lose is muscle," Bour said. Our goal is for our members to lose fat, not muscle, because each pound of muscle can burn up to 50 calories per day."

Bour believes that strength training with hydraulic resistance machines is the key to lasting results for women who want to lose weight.

The Maplewood It Figures is located at 1690 North McKnight Road, 651-777-LIVE (5483).
For more information and a list of other It Figures locations nationwide, visit www.itfigures.tv.

Contacts:    Laura Segala, 763-476-9643 (It Figures Consultant)
Abigail Bour, 651-777-LIVE (5483), Owner of Maplewood It Figures.