Stacey Downing, owner of and instructor at Barre Pose and mother of five, works diligently to fit motherhood and her business into her lifestyle.
Downing explains what barre is, exactly, and how it works to shape the body: “Barre has been around for a really long time. The idea is to do proper form and to maintain your muscles so that they’re connected and layered the right way,” she says.
“The whole idea of barre is to fatigue your big muscles to have to go in and work intrinsically on your small muscles to create that long and lean body, and as you’re doing it we’ll do a stretch in between. A lot of barre movements are isometric, so you’re in a holding pattern.”
Downing’s background has prepared her extensively for this kind of work. As an exercise physiologist with training in exercise science and cardiovascular fitness, she elaborates, “we want our clients to know what they’re working, how they’re working in space and proper form so we adjust as we walk around the room so it’s safe. It’s a fun workout with great music and the class goes by really fast.”
As a mom, Downing simply makes the time to balance her life between work and motherhood despite how busy or hectic that can be.
“I love what I do for work and I love being a mommy,” she says. “My kids are active and they’re involved. They do yoga with me and they do pilates with me and I think they get a kick out of it. They love the anti-gravity and it’s awesome for kids. There are a lot of things you can do on it for kids.
“They’re 13 and under and I have four girls and a boy, so I’m busy. I’m a busy mom, but I teach when I teach and I’m home when I’m home, which is really nice. I love being a mom and I wouldn’t change that for the world but I also have a great career.”
Barre Pose is an active member of the Fairlawn and Akron communities. Downing serves as an ambassador for the Lululemon showroom in Akron, which provides the sponsorship for Downing and Barre Pose to host events within and for the community.
“Say I wanted to do a barre class for underprivileged moms or moms who have lost their spouses,” Lululemon will help Downing sponsor such events. “It’s very community driven, which is great because I want to give back.”
Barre Pose studio is undergoing some changes and several new classes are being added to their repertoire for the summer and beyond. The studio is currently undergoing renovations in the space next door to incorporate room for anti-gravity fitness and other exciting options. The new space and class schedule are set to debut in July.
Barre Pose Studio is located at 77 N. Miller Road in Fairlawn. Visit Stacey Downing’s other studio, Pilates Fusion, at 2311 W. Market St.
