Got Curves?

The world of health and fitness is a vast market. There is always the next best thing. Plenty of close friends of mine go to the gym on a religiously regular basis. I even have a friend who is a marathon runner. But I am not. I ASSURE you, I am not a fitness nut.

It has come to the point where I now have to do exercise for my health, and not for aesthetic reasons. You don't understand, I HATE doing exercise. Yucccc! The only type of exercise I could see myself doing is maybe swimming every day, but for that you have to belong to a club or gym with an indoor pool.

Well, being the lazy ass that I am, I think I found something. Curves offers a quick, complete, efficient, no-frills, get-out-as-soon-as-you-can 30 minute workout. Prices can range from $29 to $59 a month. Since you guys already know me, I did a lot of research and checked reviews on Curves. The secret seems to be in the machines. There are anywhere from 8-12 machines normally at any Curves facility, although where I joined there were 16, a few were repeated. They are in a circle, and next to each machine is a rest platform. Each machine uses hydraulics to create resistance in both directions in which you move it. The faster you do arm curls, for example, the more resistant the machine becomes. It does not use weights. It uses resistance which a) makes it easy for someone to just use the machine right after you b)there's no weights to put on or take off c) it is difficult to injure yourself d) you control how hard you have to work at it.

So this is what you do. You go in, look for an open spot on the "circuit", and step in to the machine. There's music in the background, and every 30 seconds you are told to change stations. You go from machine to platform to machine. On the platform you march, or jog, or jump to keep your heart rate up. Each machine is designed to work at least 2 parts of your body. You do this for about 28 minutes, then stretch out for 2 minutes. And that's it. You can leave.

They swear that if you do this 3 times a week, you WILL lose inches. I've gone twice now and don't feel ANY soreness or tiredness.

Now obviously this isn't for everybody, there is a specific target audience. It is only for women. Women who don't work out very often or not at all would do well here. If you are older and extremely overweight, you would do well here, since there is nobody leering at you.

If you are young and in shape, you may not like it here. It may be too easy and too boring for you.

The fascinating thing is that there are Curves all over the world. Except in PR! If anyone is interested in opening a Curves franchise in PR, you can make a lot of money.