BONNERS FERRY —On Dec. 30, 2011, Lynda Ekstrom, 58, took on the challenge of buying Curves.

Ekstrom, a member of Curves for more than five years, was working part time for the business when the previous owner made an offer the former 9-1-1 dispatcher of 15 years could not refuse.

With the exchange, Curves didn’t have to shut down.

“We both felt it was such a benefit for the girls and women of Boundary County to keep it open,” Ekstrom said.

With health issues of her own, Ekstrom proved to herself that the program works.

After 30 days on the program, she lowered her cholesterol and blood pressure. “Every one of my numbers lowered, my sugars, everything.”

Ekstrom said Curves’ program is scientifically proven to work, with multiple university studies backing it.

“They also work side by side with the Cleveland Clinic,” she said.

Curves uses a circuit training program designed specifically for women. The program combines cardiovascular and strength training in 30 minutes.

“The idea was, because woman are so busy, and their time is so precious, Curves developed a program so that women can get all the cardiovascular and strength training they need in 30 minutes and in only three days a week,” Ekstrom said.

The circuit is made up of resistance machines that work every major muscle group, two muscles at a time. With a circuit coach to teach and motivate, fitness goals are met, according to the Curves official website.

“There are over 10,000 Curves world wide,” Ekstrom said. “Where ever you’re a member you can get a guest pass and go to any curves any where.”

In October, Curves will be re-inventing the program and adding Curves Complete which involves behavior modification in efforts to improve diet and exercise.

“They are guaranteeing 20 pounds in 90 days with the Curves Complete Program,” she said.

“What people need to realize is that when people think Curves Complete, they think about it just being about weight loss. It isn’t necessarily about weight loss, there are those people that need to gain weight, there are those people that just want to maintain and we all just want to eat better.

This program is great because it’s not like one of the manufactured programs where you have to buy their food.”

Curves provides women with the tools they need to make the best choices while buying food at the grocery store. Just diet and exercise isn’t always enough, with behavior modification Curves plans to re-invent the dieting attitude.

“Just like anything else, you have to do the program,” she said. “This is not a starvation diet, this is not a fad diet, this is going to be a diet that you live with everyday along with behavior modification.”

For more information on Curves and the new Curves Complete program, call 208-267-1520.