Bring Balance to Your Life
By Liza Long Photos Kimberlee Miller
What if one hour could change your life? That’s what happened to Jen Bobodzhanov, the owner of Eagle’s new Barre3 studio, when she tried a Barre3 class for the first time. While living in Seattle, Bobodzhanov was diagnosed with a condition called body dysmorphia, meaning that when she looks in the mirror, she does not see herself as other people see her. After a lifetime of obsessively counting calories and weighing herself before and after gym workouts, she was looking for something different, a fitness routine that could support both her physical and her mental health.
“I went to Barre3 on a dare,” Bobodzhanov told me. “I wasn’t a group fitness person, and it was a fancy studio in a fancy location. I wore Old Navy leggings and a Costco tank top, and I was afraid people would judge me.”
What she found was the complete opposite. “Everyone was welcome, just as they were,” she said. “My weight was not an issue. Even though there was a mirror, the focus wasn’t on the outer body—it was on building strength and balance.”
Instead of obsessing about calories burned, the focus at Barre3 was on being present, having fun and feeling free. Bobodzhanov soon learned that every class and instructor was unique. “Instead of judging myself, I was encouraged to notice the positive feelings,” she said. “The workout was challenging, but it was everything I loved about moving my body.”
Barre3 is a full body workout designed to achieve balance and promote wellness. Though professional athletes have described the workout as “very rigorous,” all postures and exercises can be modified to fit any level of fitness. Based in the art of ballet, Barre3 classes focus on holds, small moves, and big moves to build lean muscle strength and to increase energy levels. The workouts are also designed to complement other athletic activities, from yoga to running to cycling. The goal is simple: to help you feel good. 
Barre3 CEO and cofounder, Sadie Lincoln, began the unique workouts focused on wellness and a balanced life at her Portland, Oregon studio. With more than 20 years’ experience in exercise and group fitness, her wellness movement now has more than 100 studios worldwide and engages an active online community. Barre3 has been featured in Vogue, People Magazine, Real Simple, and Entrepreneur.
When Bobodzhanov moved to the Boise area a few years ago, she quickly realized that there was nothing quite like Barre3 in Idaho. “That’s when my journey to open my own Barre3 studio began,” she said. Bobodzhanov traveled to Portland to interview with the Barre3 team, then went through master instructor and mentor training. On November 30, 2017, she opened the first Barre3 studio in Idaho. The light-filled, welcoming studio is located near T-Sheets off Eagle Road.
Class schedules are posted on the studio’s website and run consistently throughout the day from 5:45 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The studio has onsite childcare and a retail fitness store featuring items that Barre3 instructors and clients love.
“I am so excited about the people who are coming to our classes,” she told me. “There’s so much diversity in our fitness community—older, younger, fit, or returning to fitness. Our workout is adaptable, so no matter where you are in your fitness journey, you can make the class as accessible as you want it to be. Best of all, it’s not about burning calories—it’s about building strength and balance in your body and in your life.”
“It’s about building strength and balance in your body and in your life.”—Jen Bobodzhanov, owner, Barre3 in Eagle
