Although she admits she doesn’t really like to exercise, Dee Barnes decided she’d give Curves a try.

Three years later, Barnes credits CurvesSmart — her new personal trainer of sorts — for continued motivation.

CurvesSmart is billed as an electronic personal coaching monitor that gives users a more accurate reading of their workout. The system was introduced last year at the Curves workout center in San Jacinto Plaza in Denton.

DRC/Al Key

Christy Blankenau, owner of Curves at 2324 San Jacinto Blvd., stands by one of her fitness center's machinees equipped with CurvesSmart, a system that monitors how users perform during each workout. "Since the CurvesSmart computer knows your fitness level on each machine, it will keep you focused and push you through your workout for maximum results," Blankenau said. "The computer doesn't lie."

Barnes, 62, a wedding coordinator who also works with her husband at The Pho­to­graphers studio, said a friend referred her to Curves and the fitness chain’s 30-minute, women-only circuit workout. Barnes enjoyed the atmosphere and the three-day-a-week sessions, which she said were more interesting than other weight-loss methods she tried in the past.

“When they started the CurvesSmart, it increased my workout,” Barnes said. “It helps me work a little bit harder — I can tell that I have increased the number of calories that I have burned.”

Barnes’ goal is to lose 10 pounds by May 1. She said she’s close to reaching the goal thanks in part to the help of the new monitor, which provides her with the results of 10 previous workouts for a comparison.

Designed with radio frequency technology, the new monitor gives minute-by-minute feedback.

As women begin their workout at one of the eight strength-training stations, they swipe an ID tag on the CurvesSmart monitor. As they work out, the monitor keeps track of their workout. Afterwards, when they swipe their ID tag again at a kiosk, they can review how well they have exercised.

“Since the CurvesSmart computer knows your fitness level on each machine, it will keep you focused and push you through your workout for maximum results. The computer doesn’t lie,” said Christy Blankenau, owner of the Curves location.

On each monitor, a set of green lights tells the user if she’s exercising correctly. The monitor tracks each woman’s heart rate, target range, level of intensity, range of motion and number of repetitions.

“Think of it as a personal trainer that doesn’t yell at you, but keeps you on track with a set of blinking lights that you try to keep green,” Blankenau said.

The workout is personalized because everyone’s workout is different.

“We want to make your Curves experience a fun one,” said Rhonda Huber, 55, a trainer at the Denton location. “We truly get close here.” 

A trainer for two years, Huber says she knows a bit about working out without injury. She’s been around gyms since she was 21.

Huber has applied her knowledge and the monitor to patients in rehabilitation programs, including athletes.

“It [CurvesSmart] has given them a knowledge of their range of motion, which they cannot really see without a trainer watching them,” Huber said. “They know when they need to work harder or if they are working too hard.”

At age 76, Curves member Helen Marshall relies heavily on her exercise routine because she suffers from osteoporosis.

“I don’t think a lot of people who come here know how important it is to keep in shape,” Mar­shall said. “You need to keep building muscle to keep the muscles strong.”

Because of her workout regiment, she says, she has regrown bone tissue and feels healthier.

“I was one of the first members seven years ago when it first opened,” Marshall said. “I came to work out five days a week at most to keep my heart strong, to build up my legs and my heart. It works.”

Blankenau learned about Curves when she started working out at the location  at Dallas Drive and Teasley Lane in 2005. She joined after her son Will was born, and with exercise and a change in diet, she lost 40 pounds.

“I loved the program so much that when I heard that the business was for sale, [my husband] Eric and I thought, ‘What a great opportunity to invest in lives of women,’” she said.

Blankenau moved Curves to its current location at 2324 San Jacinto Plaza Blvd. about a year and a half ago.

“Members have commented on how much better they feel and how much more energy and stamina they have after just three weeks,” Blankenau said. “We find that until a woman is sick and tired of being sick and tired, only then do they make the commitment to better health.”