Not just any old ball

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Most of us have probably come up with at least one improvement to an existing product or even a brand new invention that would rock the world, if we actually followed through on it. Well, Sara Shears, Debra Karby and Melanie Finkleman have followed through and, last summer, they launched Ugi at a fitness convention in Los Angeles.

Ugi is as much a piece of exercise equipment as it is a philosophy. The website (ugifit.com) describes it as “a beautiful ball and 30-minute workout that can go anywhere, and that makes people feel good about their bodies, energy and health.” For anyone who watches late-night TV, it may sound too good to be true, but, Shears explained to the Independent, “one thing that makes this different than the fad routines is that it incorporates a piece of resistance. The weight of the ball helps to create the muscle tone and definition and increase the calorie burn that you won’t get from just watching a DVD and focusing on cardio.”

Shears has been a personal trainer for 15 years, and she and her husband, Tim, have owned Gracie Barra gym (now on Main Street) for eight years. The idea for Ugi came from working with clients. She explained, “In general, they have a personal trainer once or twice a week only, so, outside of that time, what are they doing? Usually it consists of maybe going for a run or a swim or a walk and it’s just not enough to support the strength and resistance training that most trainers are trying to focus on in the gym, and it’s just not enough to reach the goals that people have in mind.”

The aim, she said, was to create a program that was realistic in its time frames, and 30 minutes seemed appropriate. Sustainability was another concern, so the program allows for changes to avoid boredom: “There’s lots of room for increasing agility or speed or stepping up your ball weights. It’s not something that is just going to be a short-term fix for people.”

Shears has always been involved in sport and fitness, and has a degree in human kinetics. She was originally going to teach physical education, but fell for personal training. “I like the challenge of helping people break out of the ‘How do I lose that last 10 pounds?’ and figuring out what they’ve been doing and what they’re not doing and putting together a plan that reaches their needs,” she explained.

“I hired Sara to help me lose those last 10 pounds,” said Finkleman about how she met Shears almost three years ago. “She has a very fast flow to her workouts. That’s why you can get a good workout in 30 minutes, and that’s what she used when she developed it,” explained Finkleman. “It’s not a far departure from her workouts, it’s just that now we’re using the one tool.”

Karby and Finkleman have known each other for years and, when Finkleman started training with Shears, Karby said, “I think she wanted to get me in, in terms of ‘come and train with Sara,’ but also they were starting to talk. It was around the time when Sara ... had found this old medicine ball that was torn and was starting to use it as a training tool. It had a squish factor to it and I think she was talking to Melanie about trying to package it somehow and making it more friendly and more fun and more beautiful.”

“More beautiful,” Finkleman echoed, adding, “because my background is design and Sara is interested in design ... the idea of making a piece of equipment that’s kind of beautiful, that you don’t want to hide, was also how we started.”

Finkleman has spent the last 10 years doing a combination of interior, graphic and web design, she said. About using her talents to create a ball, she said, “In truth, I love the health and fitness industry. I contemplated doing nutrition when I was in university, before I went into interior design, so it’s definitely something I am passionate about as well. To be able to combine both is a win-win.”

Karby’s role in the team is the business side. “I’ve spent the last 10 years really in strategic planning and marketing and, in many ways, marketing things that I’m not really that passionate about,” she said, explaining that she and Finkleman “have always talked about new businesses and starting something together.” When Karby returned to Vancouver from living in England for a time, Karby said the three women sat down for coffee one day and came up with their idea, “which we thought would be this small, mom kind of venture and it’s grown rather quickly.” (Each of the women has two children, with Finkleman expecting her third.)

“We’ve been extremely fortunate to tap into an amazing network of people,” said Karby about their success to date. “We’ve definitely relied on people who have been there, done that.” For example, Finkleman is working with product designer Gina Gotch, who has a sports apparel background and works with a number of manufacturers.

And testing is ongoing, added Karby. “There are things that have evolved about the ball,” she explained. “We changed the materials inside so that it has longer sustainability, we’ve added a wax coating because we were originally having slippage, and I think the ball will continue to evolve.... I think research and development in any product is critical and, for us, it will be an ongoing process.”

Karby continued, “So, we’re committed to constantly improving that piece of equipment, but, having said that, the ball isn’t the product itself. The ball is the tool that facilitates the product, and the product really is Sara’s workout and the evolution of what that workout becomes. She is already working with a yoga instructor on creating a 30-minute strength and stretch, yoga-inspired workout. She’s talking with someone who’s a semi-pro athlete in volleyball, someone who’s worked with some NHL players in hockey, to talk about different workouts using the tool that might be more sports-specific. That’s where we really see a lot of growth.”

There is a DVD that goes with the Ugi, even though Shears said she was reluctant to make one: “I don’t really particularly like the fact that people are plunking themselves in front of the TV every day and following.... I think that it takes away from a big, important piece of what exercise is about, having that time to yourself in the day to either reflect on your day or reflect on your goals or get in tune with your body and see how it feels and what you need to modify.”

Shears said that, while it would be nice for users to get to a gym, because it would add some variety to their exercise routine, people can get a full-body workout with Ugi by itself and meet their weight, strength and fitness goals with the program. “The reason why we did the five days [in the workbook] is because I feel like if fitness is a priority for you and you have a fitness goal, you need to be committed to at least four, I would say, five days a week of at least 30 minutes of a good, solid program,” she said.

The Ugi ball can be purchased by itself, but the women only recommend that for personal trainers or people educated in what to do with it; they encourage regular home users to buy the ball, which comes in four weights (six, eight, 10 or 12 pounds) as part of a $189 package that includes the workouts, the DVD and a food guide.

Karby said she’s been doing the exercises for more than two years and is still happy with her eight-pound ball, even though, if she comes to a session at the gym with Shears and there’s only a 10-pound ball available, she can manage the extra weight. At home, she said, “If I have a lot more energy on a certain day, I just pick up the pace, so I’m getting more repetitions out of my minute and I’m pushing it harder and then I’m getting a better cardio workout.”

That type of personal responsibility is a vital aspect of Ugi, explained Shears. People often will put the onus for their becoming fit on a trainer, the group-class instructor or whatever program they’re following, rather than on themselves to put the necessary time and energy into their fitness, she said, but part of it is the “you,” and “Ugi stands for ‘You [U] got it,’ so you’ve got the ball, you’ve got your program, you’ve got your food guide, no excuses, you’ve got it.”

There will be a free Ugi class at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver on Wednesday, April 13, 9:15-10 a.m. There are limited spaces available. To register, sign up at the JCCGV Fitness Centre or call 604-257-5111, ext. 218.

^TOP