Like many parents, Lindsay Barney has struggled to find the right time and place to work out while raising her kids. “Being a mom of three girls, I’m constantly going in every direction,” says Barney. “There’s a lot of ‘mom guilt.’ Finding time for myself was important, but the opportunities were minimal.” 

Her answer to this problem is Level Workout, a new family-centered interval training studio in Lake Oswego, opening in late October 2018. Level combines a balanced, full-body workout with in-studio childcare and a community feel. Located downtown in the newly-developed Windward building, Level will offer morning and evening group classes that get your heart pumping and send you home feeling relaxed.

The idea for Level came to Barney when she moved back to the Portland area after moving around and traveling for several years while her husband played professional baseball. During this time, Barney tried out gyms and workouts in several cities all over the map. In Chicago, she found her favorite -- an interval training workout with awesome childcare. There, she could guiltlessly enjoy her workout, knowing that her girls were safe in the room next door.

When she returned to Oregon and made Lake Oswego her home, she was disappointed when she couldn’t find the same thing in her new community. But with her love of fitness and certification as a group trainer, she thought, “I could do this in my own neighborhood.” She immediately began searching for the perfect place to open Level.

Level’s group classes focus on interval training, a style of workout that combines a variety of heart-pumping strength and cardio movements offset by short periods of rest. With constantly changing movements, it keeps you motivated and focused on the moment. “The combination of strength and cardio is the best and fastest way to get toned,” Barney said. Plus, group classes create a fun environment and hold you accountable, with options to modify movements and make them work for you as an individual.

Starting in late October, Level will host four classes each day: three in morning and one in the evening. Each day of classes will have a different focus: upper body, lower body, full body, or whatever other fun theme Barney comes up with that week. During all morning classes, child care will be provided for children three months and older in the room right next to the studio, “close enough to check in on them during class if you need,” says Barney.

Level is a boutique gym with a community feel, supporting families and people of all ages and fitness levels. Barney knows firsthand how hard it can be to find time to take care of yourself, and how having a safe, comfortable community space can help.

“I want people to feel good about taking time for themselves,” she says. “Everyone’s healthy when Mom and Dad are healthy.”

Learn more at level-pdx.com.