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A First-hand Account of Women, Body Image & "Perfection"
by Laura Walker
I have never been perfect. In fact, far from it. My whole life I have had to battle genetics, fatigue, anxiety and the constant taunting of cravings. I've always been yo-yo with my weight and even gained 60 pounds during both of my pregnancies, making it extremely difficult to get "back on the wagon." That was, until I found barre. Barre changed my life. I was able to find strength, beauty and, most importantly, a desire to return to the next class because I could feel how good it was for me. Barre is so much more than a way for me to "get skinny."

Oddly enough, this is where the fallacy lies. I own a fitness studio, so I'm "supposed" to look a certain way. Has it been difficult? Have I been told I'm not skinny enough to own this studio? Yes to both.

Thankfully, I didn't open this place to get "skinny." I opened Bella Barre because I wanted to serve women with all their beautiful imperfections. I wanted to cultivate a safe place where women can come as they are, be who they are, celebrate who they are. Being a woman is a struggle and we shouldn't make life more difficult by placing these unrealistic expectations on each other, or ourselves.

I will never be a size two; that's not how I am built and I don't care. I don't care that I don't have a thigh gap. I care if I have the strength to take my children hiking, the endurance to spend a day riding bikes, the posture to help me stand just a bit taller and relief from my chronic knee pain caused by my scoliosis. As a look at my two young daughters, I can only hope that they are confident with themselves, regardless of what they look like. Bella Barre is my gift to this, and the next, generation because it's a place that's filled with people who recognize that the best measurement of a woman isn't her dress size, but the size of her heart.
Bella Barre 299-7767

A Note from the Publishers About The Paseo Club
Hi readers! It's us - the publishers of Inside SCV Magazine! Consistent readers already know that we're busy people (Understatement alert!). Young kids, small business, big dreams and all that jazz! You also already know that if there's an easier, better way to do something - we have, by necessity, found it. That's why we felt compelled to write to you today about The Paseo Club. (Random, right? But flatter us, please, and read on!).

Because we pull long hours, it's easy for stuff to slide. There have been weeks (Months!) where we did nothing for our physical or emotional health. It was (And sometimes still is.) just go, go, go! But along with that perceived lack of time went joy, too. And when joy goes, the incentive to accomplish a giant to-do list just isn't there. We've all learned that by making joy a priority, we get more done in the long run.

This is the bottom-line reason why we joined The Paseo Club; because we needed to invest in our joy - and, to us, "joy" is spending time with our kids and spouses; having something that resembles a social life; making a semi-consistent attempt to attend fitness classes we love; and eating delicious food while sipping a glass of wine. For us, being a member of Paseo is the easiest, most fun and affordable way to consistently plan for joy in our lives. It makes us happy to see our calendars not just filled with "to do's," but Paseo "want to do's," like live music events, poker nights, family themed-food parties, dive-in movies, sport-viewing parties, fitness challenges and so much more.

We've been sensing that the SCV, and the world in general, could use a big ol' dose of joy - and we wanted to share ours with you. We hope to see you at Paseo!
The Paseo Club 257-0044

The Sweat Shack Detox is what Every Body Needs
Do you feel sluggish? Is it hard to "go?" Do you have extra weight to lose? Are you struggling with a health condition? Hoping to kick start your health and wellness goals before summer?

If so, then you're why Organic Sweat Shack created the Sweat Shack Detox - a custom-designed nutritional meal and supplement plan that will stimulate your body to maximize detoxification, increasing the elimination of harmful toxins and heavy metals that torment your body. You'll release significant stores of environmental toxins while burning calories, reducing stress tension, healing autoimmune disorders, calming symptoms of illness, building collagen, toning your skin, soothing acne breakouts and so much more.

Your Sweat Shack Detox includes two canisters of Bone Broth, a seven-day meal plan, a 30-day supply of Fit Thermo Fat Burn Capsules, whole-food detox recipes, membership to a private Sweat Shack Detox Facebook Community Page and unlimited sweats for an entire week.

This Detox has clients raving! "I just finished the seven-day detox and I feel amazing! And I lost five pounds! I love it. I feel super healthy and my skin feels great!," says Deborah Dellosso. Ready to get started? Call or drop into Organic Sweat Shack.
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You'll be Amazed by How your Body can Change in Only 45 Minutes
Time is precious and you want to keep as much of it as possible. The team at Motivate believes you don't need more time to get in shape - just more intensity! Every class is a full-body, 45-minute workout that incorporates your strength training, cardio, endurance, flexibility and core - not just in one workout but in each and every move!

Classes are delivered on the cutting-edge M3 Megaformer. Their equipment is designed to allow you to transition seamlessly and safely from one exercise to the next, helping you make the most of your 45 minutes. Motivate uses the Lagree Method, which focuses on slow, controlled movements. It's not about how many reps you do, it's about completely taking out all possible momentum in order to activate the longer, leaner, fat-burning muscles. At Motivate, the slower you go, the better results you will achieve!

Here's a Motivate trainer tip: Focus on your movement and listen to your instructor. They have crazy names for moves: Catfish, Spoon, Wheelbarrow, Cobra... the list goes on! Once you learn the names, you'll fly through class. Listening to the cues will keep you engaged and help you transition to the next exercise, keep you in correct form, and get you burning and shaking!
Motivate 713-8099