Carla Mock, owner of FIMB Yoga & Wellness Center will be the first to admit it – it’s all about having fun. </p><p>“Who wants to run endless miles on a treadmill or spend a half hour on an elliptical machine?” she asked. “I’d rather have fun with my workouts.”</p><p>FIMB, which stands for fitness in mind and body, is the only fitness studio in the country that teaches Polga, or pole yoga. </p><p>Getting the inevitable questions out of the way, Mock explained that yes, the poles used in her studio are dance poles traditionally used in exotic nightclubs and yes, students have fun swinging on them. But Polga is first and foremost, a fitness-based workout routine. </p><p>“I think there are quite a few misconceptions about Polga,” she said. “We’re not doing flips on the poles and sliding down like dancers. My students get the entire workout of stretching, strength training and cardio. We use the pole for balance and to help our stretches.” </p><p>The idea of Polga came from a combination of a student’s request and Mock’s own love of “wall yoga,” during which a person uses a wall to help balance and stretch during yoga. </p><p>“In 2006 I had a yoga studio over at Lee’s Landing,” Mock said. “We were just doing yoga and Zumba (a fitness program that uses Latin music to motivate students) and a student of mine said they’d recently started going cardio strip-tease.” </p><p>Cardio strip-tease workouts have been growing in popularity for women who want their workouts to be a little different from the average cardio routine. Mock said she was intrigued by the idea and took a pole fitness class, which combines a cardio workout, while using a pole for balance. </p><p>“What I really liked is that everything was based on fitness, it wasn’t about dancing around a pole,” Mock said. “I had always enjoyed wall yoga and I wondered if anyone had put the two together yet.” </p><p>Mock approached her students and after receiving overwhelming support for the idea, decided to install four poles in her studio.</p><p>“To be honest, I was very worried about what the students would think,” she said. “I was afraid they would say, ‘You’re trying to get us to act like strippers.’ But everyone was very excited about the opportunity to learn something new.”</p><p>These days, Mock teaches Polga and a variety of other fitness classes at her new studio in Southwest Plaza. Her studio is decidedly “un-fitness” with purple walls, chandeliers and black curtains with feather boas decorating the space. </p><p>“We’re here to get fit, sure, but I wanted to keep it a little girly too,” Mock said. “After all, it’s all about having fun and laughing with your friends.” </p><p>Students won’t find any traditional workout equipment either, just 12 poles evenly spaced in the studio, a few chairs and yoga mats. Mock provides all the equipment, including very tall stiletto high heels, which her students can wear while working out. </p><p>“It helps to work your abdominal muscles, believe it or not,” she said with a laugh.</p><p>Another misconception people have about Polga? The age demographic. </p><p>“The people in my Polga classes are between 35 and 55,” Mock said. “Sure, there are some 20 year olds too, but for the most part these are older women.</p><p>“I actually had a student, when I was first starting Polga, ask if the other students were all going to be ‘skinny 22-year-olds.’ That couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are a wide variety of sizes, shapes and ages in my classes.”</p><p>Mock said she’s even had a few grandmothers in for Polga class, as it’s a great benefit for stretching muscles and staying flexible. </p><p>“There’s a lot of research that shows yoga is very beneficial for older adults, particularly senior citizens,” she said. “I notice a lot of my students using the pole for balance anyway. So for them, Polga is a natural step forward.” </p><p>Mock said she has seven instructors at FIMB, ranging in ages from 26 to 58. </p><p>“Everyone can do Polga,” she said. “You don’t have to be graceful or even have rhythm. You just have to want to learn something new and fun.”</p><p>For more information about Polga and for class times, call 816-260-6993 or go to www.fimbwellness.com</p><p><i>To reach Journal reporter Emily Jarrett, call 816-282-7018 or e-mail ejarrett@lsjournal.com.</i>