Dispatches: Sweet Moves At Curves

Linda Sweet had just started working at Curves in Wakefield in July as a part time manager when she heard the franchise was for sale.

The owner loved the business, and her clients, but she was moving out of state to take care of an elderly parent. Sweet tucked that info away, but never gave thought to buying the franchise - she was just happy to be back at work after being laid off from a previous job.

When her husband found out that the business was for sale and encouraged her to pursue the idea of becoming the owner. “He thought it would be a perfect fit for me” Sweet said.

Fast forward to this month. Doing business as Sweet Moves, Linda is now employer instead of employee.

“I love it, everyone is so supportive of each other here” she said. “I want to promote health and well being. It isn't about the number on the scale. It's how you feel. We have members who have been borderline diabetic, on high blood pressure medicine and have been able to reverse that.”

Not paying attention to the weight on the scale has been important to Sweet for some time. She has seen the battle of anorexia and other eating disorders up close. Her daughter has battled the disease for over a dozen years, and her struggle led Sweet to start a non-profit, Bloom-RI, Inc., dedicated to public education about eating disorders and support for sufferers and their family members. She has 13 years of experience speaking about eating disorder and has worked with patients and therapists in hospitals.

With Curves, she feels she can promote health through exercise and staying active. “If a member wants a weight management program, we can do that. If they don't wish to be weighed and measured, they don't have to be. Some like to gab while they are exercising, some like to zone out and be left alone. We accommodate how each member wants to be treated” she said. “I house it, I unlock the doors, I pay a staff but I want it to be the member's club. I want everyone to be comfortable here.”

What also sold Sweet, a member of the Lion's Club, on Curves is the company's commitment to involvement in the community.  “We host fundraisers for charities, we raise money for holiday baskets. On November 14^th we are sponsoring a blood drive with the RI Blood Center.”

The drive will be held from 3-6pm and you can visit the Rhode Island Blood Center website to make an appointment.

With convenient hours and circuit training that can be finished in 30 minutes, Sweet hopes that she can help other women make the time to take care of themselves. “It's fast, fun and gets results” she said. For a single monthly charge members can work out as often as they like. There is also a hi-tech tracking system that can keep track of your progress via electronic “keys” that, when placed in the machines, tell you whether you are working hard enough and let you know approximately how many calories you burned at the end of your workout. For additional workouts there are also Zumba classes on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings.

Sweet is holding an open house at Curves on Sunday October 23^rd from 1-3pm. “I invite everyone to see that this workout is beneficial for all ages and all shapes and sizes” she said. “And we have a lot of fun.”

Curves business hours are Mon, 6:30am-7:30pm. Tues and Thurs, 6:30am-7:30pm except closed 1-3pm, Wed, 6:30am-7:30pm, Fri, 6:30am-6:30pm and Sat, 8am-12pm. Call 401-783-5485 for more information.