Fired up for hot yoga

How do you completely turn yourself around?

You turn 180 degrees in the right direction.

This is what fitness expert Misty Lamppa is hoping to help people do as they strive for better health and physical fitness.

Lamppa is set to open her new yoga studio in Detroit Lakes, aptly named 180 Balance.

She is currently signing people up for classes as construction nears completion on the newly renovated studio at 813 Washington Ave., where Ginny’s Boutique once was.

Lamppa, who grew up in Duluth, became more and more interested in the concept of physical fitness as a soccer player for the University of Minnesota Duluth. This is also where she began finding herself helping people, particularly women, get in shape.

 “For me, I get so much out of watching and helping people get healthy, especially women, I think because I can relate to them,” said Lamppa.

Armed with a degree in health and education and pumped full of drive, she took off for the East Coast. Spending several years in Boston, Connecticut and New Jersey, Lamppa helped run fitness sites for the National Department of Transportation, the Boston Herald, and the Tip O’Neill Federal Building.

Out there, she fell in love with a hot addiction. “Hot yoga…” she said, smiling. “That’s where you put the heat up to 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity and do a series of postures. You’re sweaty, you’re more flexible, you detox from the sweating…” 

The mental toughness of being in the heat and withstanding that while working out at the same time also appealed to Lamppa, who did not growing up appreciating yoga.

“I liked hot yoga, though, because I got all the benefits of yoga, but then I felt like I got a workout too,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I wasted my time stretching for an hour; I felt like that really kicked my butt, and I got the benefit of the stretching and mind piece too.”

But soon, the desire to raise a family closer to home prompted Lamppa to move back to Minnesota, where hot yoga gave way to cold winters. Instead of giving it up though, she went out and spent 200 hours getting certified to teach it.

So when her family moved to Detroit Lakes three and a half years ago to be closer to her husband’s job in the oil fields, Lamppa brought her talents for fitness instruction to the DLCCC and to some Fargo facilities.

There she worked teaching classes, including meal planning and the occasional hot yoga experience. Although Lamppa says she loved working at the DLCCC - still substitute teaches there - she had her own vision of what she would do if she owned her own fitness facility. It could be her favorite classes, her own style.

“And we kind of stumbled upon this place by a friend of ours that is a commercial realtor who said, ‘Hey, I know of a building that’s available,’” said Lamppa, referring to Brent Kuhne of DLM Properties, who helped build the Downtown Crossing in Detroit Lakes. Kuhne and the Lampas went together to buy the building at 813 Washington Avenue, and renovation began.

“We saved some of the flooring, but other than that, everything went,” said Lamppa, who also began assembling a team of fellow fitness instructors.

“There are five instructors,” she said, adding that some of those instructors will teach yoga, including prenatal yoga, kid’s yoga and fitness classes, while others will provide classes on cardio, sculpting and strength training. And yes, hot yoga.

But she isn’t stopping at the workout. Lamppa’s 180 Balance will also provide what she calls “Intelligent Fitness & Nutrition.”

“So there will be a bar set up here where we’ll have all-natural smoothies,” said Lamppa, who is very big into all-natural products. “No fake sugars or fake foods; we’ll do smoothies that are a good source of protein, fat and healthy carbohydrates… fruits, veggies.”

There will also be a variety of workout apparel - again, the kind that Lamppa has discovered are good quality items she would wear.

“I’m always looking where I can get a healthy snack, buy good fitness clothing and take awesome classes, so I wanted to incorporate those three things into this place,” said Lamppa, who has hand-picked everything that’s going in her studio based on years of experience as a fitness expert and also as a mom.

“I have three kids, so I don’t have a lot of time,” said Lamppa. “So I just know that if I’m ever going to spend an hour on a class somewhere, it had better be a good one and worth my time, so those are the kind of classes we’ll have – every single one of them.”

The classes will run six days a week beginning with a 5:30 a.m. class Monday through Thursday, as well as 8:30 a.m., noon, 5:30 p.m. and some 6:30 p.m. classes Monday through Saturday.

There will be several ways to take the classes, either by paying for one at a time, a 10-class punch card, a monthly membership or a yearly membership.

Crews are running full steam ahead to finish the space, and if all goes well, Lamppa expects to have it fully open for business by Jan. 3, right in time for all of those New Year’s resolutions. And according to Lamppa, she’s ready to help turn those resolutions into results.

“I just love when people leave my class and feel successful - you can just tell they’re happier,” said Lamppa. “It just makes my day. I feel successful when they feel successful.”

For more information, log on to 180balance.com or find them on Facebook.

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1/3: 180 Balance is located at 813 Washington Ave. in Detroit Lakes, and features both front and back entrances. DL NEWSPAPERS/Paula Quam

2/3: 180 Balance is located at 813 Washington Ave. in Detroit Lakes, and features both front and back entrances. DL NEWSPAPERS/Paula Quam

3/3: Misty Lamppa is a fitness expert who is not only trained to teach yoga and other fitness classes, but also nutrition and meal planning. DL NEWSPAPERS/Paula Quam