If you are looking to trim and tone your physique without struggling with heavy weights, or &uot;sweatin’ to the oldies,&uot; a local woman may have the place for you.

Ann Bearden hopes to soon shape up and energize folks from across the area with her new business enterprise, to be called &uot;The Place.&uot;

In a building behind her Luverne Highway home, Bearden has installed six toning tables

– more specifically, passive isometric therapeutic exercise tables – which help tone and strengthen various parts of the body.

&uot; ‘Passive’ means the tables do the work for you, and ‘isometric’ means specific muscles are targeted on each table. It’s a therapeutic system, in the sense that people who have certain physical conditions that hinder them from other types of physical exercise, may find these tables their answer,&uot; Bearden said.

There’s the Body Bender Table, which tones the abdominal muscles and the waistline; the Side to Side Table, which strengthens and eases stiffness in lower back, works the waistline and the abdominal area, and the Sandbag Table, which strengthens muscles in the stomach, buttocks and thighs. The system also includes the Leg Table, which improves circulation and firms and tones entire leg area; the Waist, Tummy and Hip Table, which tones waist, hips, tummy and legs, and the Circulation Table, which completely tones the body, improving circulation and blood flow.

Clients spend a few minutes on each table, and it’s generally recommended they use the system two to three times a week, Bearden says.

&uot;I have found this system really helped me, health-wise, and I believe other people can also benefit from it,&uot; she said.

Bearden first encountered the toning table system several years ago, when a friend set up her own

toning table business in Elmore County.

When the friend moved away and closed up shop, Bearden found she really missed the type of workout the system gave her.

&uot;As someone who has Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS), I can’t do high-intensity workouts. But I do need to exercise to help keep up my energy levels, tone my muscles and keep me flexible,&uot; she said.

After looking in vain for affordable tables, Bearden was able to locate a set. Now she wants to offer others in the area the chance to reap the same benefits.

&uot;I want this to be ‘the place’ where people come to tone muscles, firm up their bodies, increase mobility, improve flexibility and lose inches,&uot; Bearden said.

She has transformed her grandchildren’s former bunkhouse in a salon with a distinct beach flavor.

Blue skies, sandy shores, and palm trees are painted on the walls. Air conditioning keeps things cool on this &uot;seashore.&uot;

Bearden is planning to open her exercise salon to the public after July 4. She will be offering a free demonstration of the toning table system to anyone interested in trying it out. The salon will be open to men and women 19 years of age and older.

Bearden’s salon is located at 7429 Luverne Hwy, a short distance past Poole’s Store. The contact number is 383-9063.