With the closing of Curves last year, many women in Edwardsburg were in search of a new place to exercise.

Along came Lady Fitness.

Lady Fitness opened last October and is managed by Andrea Nedderman, who formerly worked at Curves.

According to Nedderman, Lady Fitness is totally designed for the female only members.

“We have resistance machines, which is different from a weight machine,” she said. “It allows easy access for any type of woman, old or young. There is no adjusting anything. Whatever effort they put into the machine, the machine is going to give them back.

“So if you have an older woman or a younger woman who has a goal in mind, they can reach their goals without having to switch the machine like you do with a weight machine where you have to know what weight to use and what’s a safe adjustment. There is a lot less chance of hurting yourself. That’s because they were made for a woman.”

The facility also has elliptical machines and treadmills for cardio workouts.

Lady Fitness is open from 7 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m until noon on Saturdays. The hours allow people to choose if they want to work out before work or wait until after they get home from work.

Nedderman said the response to the opening to Lady Fitness has been good.

“When Curves in Edwardsburg closed there were a lot of very sad ladies,” she said. “And so, that’s why we did this, to give them somewhere to go. Unfortunately Curves everywhere are closing. It’s a franchise, this is not.

“We are able to do a lot more because we are not a franchise. We can offer classes. We can do whatever. If there are suggestions from the members, something they would like, we have the ability to do that. Whereas with a franchise it is what it is and there really isn’t anything you can do.”

Another benefit to not being a franchise is there are no contracts to sign when you join. Lady Fitness gives you the ability to pay a monthly fee of $29.99. They also had a free day pass so potential customers may come in and try out the facility with no strings attached.

“There is no pressure when you come here to join or to try us out,” Nedderman said. “We want you to come here because you want to come here.”

By paying month-to-month, the “snowbirds” (couples who spend the winters in the south) can pay up until they leave and then for a $20 reinstatement fee, they can pick up their membership when they return.

Customers may also pay for more than just a month at a time.