WEST MILFORD Changing people’s lives through exercise is what the owners and employees of Shape Express are all about. They just completed their first year in operation and have labeled it a success. Shape Express is celebrating its one-year anniversary as a women only work-out club on Rt. 23N in Newfoundland. The club tries to bring a personal touch to the grueling task of exercise. If someone stops coming in on a regular basis, a club employee will notice and make a call to encourage that member to return to their exercise goal, said Lori Holden, club manager. She said everyone knows each other on a personal basis, and the focus of the club is to make women comfortable with working out. “Any time you have a question,” she said about members’ needs, “whether personal or fitness, it doesn’t matter it’s an experience like no other club.” One of the biggest attractions is an infrared sauna, she said. It is a sauna that works with invisible light spectrum that touches the earth without the UV rays. The staff also provides a complete body workout for members within a half hour. She said this is designed to work on every muscle group in the body, and get a maximum work-out with a minimum amount of time. This is also available during the club’s “Power Hour,” where members are taken through the circuit of equipment. Susan Dulles, of Oak Ridge brought her daughter to work out together. She said she enjoys the companionship and encourages her daughter to enjoy exercise. “I want abs,” said Katie Dulles, age 12. The club also has a massage room where members can get pampered, Holden said. There are individual showers that contain all of the items necessary for an after-workout cool down. “What we try to include is everything a woman would want under one roof,” she said. “We have all of the amenities. All you have to do is bring yourself and sneakers.” Owner Audrey Kroll said she left her position in the medical profession to start the club with her husband Michael. She said they built the club to help people, and the staff reflects the attitude that is needed to encourage women to do and feel their best. “It’s a big family,” said Michael Kroll, “It’s not impersonal; they (members) develop friendships.” FAR Infrared Sauna A FAR Infrared Sauna is an infrared system that penetrates the body deeper than saunas that use air currents and hot air. The benefits range from burning calories to improving vascular flow and providing therapy for diabetes. In a study performed by members of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology the sauna can burn in excess of 600 calories within a 30 minute session, which is more calories than can be burned by a 150 lb. person running. “Many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna may impart a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective, as a means of cardiovascular conditions and burning of calories, as regular exercise,” the study said. The Journal of American Medical Association reports that similar cardiovascular effects are achieved through infrared saunas for those who can’t or won’t exercise. Another study, performed for the effects of infrared on diabetic patients suggests that the increased blood flow is a potentially effective therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes peripheral neuropathy is a progressive disease where impaired sensation in the feet becomes evident several years after the onset of diabetes. Along with the medical benefits of Infrared Saunas, it is touted to improve skin tone, reduce cellulite, remove toxins, and reduce stress and fatigue.