Fitness that fits.

Byline: Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

Jana Nelson doesn't look like the typical health club addict, but then again, she doesn't belong to the typical health club.

Four times a week the lightly tattooed retiree goes to BodyNow! a women-only gym near Belt Line and River roads.

From the outside, it looks like a nondescript warehouse. But pass through the door of this 3-year-old health and fitness center and you'll find Afghan rugs and wicker furniture. The atmosphere feels more like a day spa than a sweaty gym - which is not to say that they don't sweat here.

``I like that there's no guys,'' says Nelson, 65. ``We can just be ourselves. ... I feel much healthier. I feel stronger. I have more joy. I found a group of women that I really love.''

Nelson is among a growing number of people who are discovering a different way of working out. It's been called "functional fitness." That can mean everything from circuit workouts that take only 30 minutes to following computerized coaching systems on state-of-the-art workout machines.

The target audience is people who aren't being served by conventional gyms - people who are looking for simplicity, convenience and a lack of pretension.

Some such centers are in strip malls. Some allow only women members. Many promote empowerment through fitness and promise results without the "scene" found at many many conventional gyms.

Based on the number of such centers cropping up in the Eugene-Springfield area, there are a lot of people looking for fitness alternatives.

"These are average people who want to get more fit for daily life," says Daron Parmenter, general manager of My Life!, a specialized fitness center in north Eugene. "We don't get 20-year-olds who are looking to bulk up. The intimidation that a lot of people feel when they go into a large gym is not there."

Across the whole industry, Parmenter says, only about 10 percent of any health club's members use their club daily. Only 30 percent use it regularly. He attributes the low numbers to a lack of commitment and to the sense of alienation that many experience at bigger health clubs. He puts the the numbers for his fitness center closer to 30 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

While conventional gyms offer hourlong classes and total body workouts that can be a drain on busy people's lives, My Life! bills itself as providing a workout in 30 minutes on a circuit of high-tech machines.

The equipment, which offers resistance from magnets, recognizes users and records their range of motion, energy output, heart rate and other numbers. All the information is stored on a computer that serves as a virtual personal trainer.

"I think it's a progressive concept," says Trevor Anderson, 36, of Eugene, who recently tried out the club. "I think it has a lot of potential."

Initially, My Life! was targeted toward baby boomers, but the concept has been widened. Parmenter says the club's members range in age from 22 to 88. The Eugene My Life! is the first of what the club's owners hope will be many franchises across the country.

Like BodyNow, the club feels more like a spa than a conventional gym. The floor is bamboo and the lighting is subdued. There are small touches such as fresh fruit and inspiring quotations: ``Live your life, forget your age,'' reads one, attributed to Norman Vincent Peale, author of ``The Power of Positive Thinking.''

You'll find similar mantras and not a single full-length gym mirror at Curves. The franchise is the clear industry leader in "functional fitness," boasting more than 10,000 locations worldwide and six different facilities in Eugene-Springfield.

There's even a Curves magazine with a circulation of 1.3 million. General Mills plans a Curves breakfast cereal.

``There are a lot of women that would never darken the door of a conventional gym,'' says Becky Frusher, a spokeswoman for the company. ``They might be intimidated by the `aerobics bunnies' they see there, or maybe they've never exercised and they're embarrassed to ask (for help).''

Curves doesn't allow men and shields its windows with curtains, offering a degree of privacy not found in conventional gyms. Curves promises a 30-minute workout on a circuit of hydraulic machines that provide resistance training.

A series of ``recovery boards'' offer a cardiovascular workout in between sets and a soundtrack of fast-paced music keeps the women in the room moving.

``I probably have not lost much weight, but I feel so much better. I have much more energy,'' says Debbie Demuth, 46, of Jasper, a regular at the Thurston area Curves in Springfield.

Demuth used to be a member of a conventional gym, but she says she got tired of being unable to find a staff member to help her operate the machines. Plus, she feels more comfortable working out with a group of women.

``There's no inhibitions when it's just women,'' she says. ``We don't need a bunch of men seeing our big old sweaty butts.''

While it's easy to be drawn in by the promise of a 30-minute workout or by a computer that tracks your personal training, Shawn Healey, owner of Carpe Diem Pilates and Personal Training Center, says people still must be ready mentally if exercise is going to become a lasting part of their lives.

"Exercise is a psychological venture," he says. "If somebody is not ready for the challenge, psychologically, that they're going to put their body (through), it's probably not going to last. It's not going to work."

While Carpe Diem doesn't offer quick, simplified, strip mall workouts, the center is challenging some of the stereotypes of more conventional gyms.

Instead of paying a membership fee, clients pay for classes or personal training sessions. One of the center's specialties is helping people who have suffered an injury.

After rehabilitation, Healey says, many people have still not regained full functionality. Using a combination of pilates and workout equipment, Carpe Diem helps clients through this "transition training." It's a field that will only grow as modern medicine helps people live longer, Healey says.

``Fitness trends have come and gone, but one thing that doesn't come and go is the fact that people age and our bodies start to break down,'' he says.

``We're getting past the fitness craze and getting into a wellness craze. I don't even want to call it a craze. It's about becoming more conscious of our day to day reality.''

SPECIALTY FITNESS

Here are a few specialized gyms in the area

My Life! Men and women; 2866 Crescent Ave., Suite 103; 359-4580; www.mylifefitness.net

BodyNow: Women only; 453 River Ave.; 729-5079; www.bodynow.us

Curves: Women only; six area locations; [phone]; www.curves.com

Carpe Diem: Personal training and pilates for men and woman; 436 Charnelton St.; 684-0577; www.carpediemfit.com

Oakway Fitness Center: Separate women's area; 170 Oakway Road; 343-4068