Jazzercise studio opens in Lakewood Ranch

When Amy McPherson walks into Shari Nastri’s Jazzercise studio, an hour flies by. 

“I don’t realize I’m exercising,” she said. “And you can come in at any fitness level and be accepted. There’s nobody judging.” 

That’s exactly the atmosphere Nastri set out to create when opening a Jazzercise franchise two years ago. The goal is to make people feel welcome and good about themselves, no matter what age or shape.

“Life is hard,” Nastri said. “Whatever you have to give today is enough.”

Nastri opened a Jazzercise franchise shortly after moving to the River Club from Connecticut. She gave classes around the area and operated out of an office on Town Center Parkway. 

Since the business has grown, Nastri opened a studio in the Lake Osprey Plaza Jan. 2. 

The studio is hosting a grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 1. The Manatee County Chamber of Commerce will cut a ribbon at 9 a.m. to kick off the festivities, which include fruit and juice vendors and a free one-hour class for those who want to give Jazzercise a try. 

McPherson loves the workout because she loves to dance, but Nastri described herself as a “gym rat” with no dance background.

As a former in-house litigator for an insurance company, Nastri liked pushing as hard at the gym as she did in the office. She admits to “having a chip on her shoulder” when walking into her first Jazzercise class 19 years ago because it was something her mom used to do. 

However, the class introduced her to the idea that cardio could be fun. It was a new experience to leave a workout feeling energized as opposed to depleted.

The results are hard to argue when looking at Nastri, who is now 55 years old, in peak physical condition. 

“I like telling people my age because I feel stronger at this age than 10 years ago,” she said. “You should feel good when you’re working out. You shouldn’t feel like you’re pushing your body to do something it’s not meant to do.”

That doesn’t mean the workout isn’t a challenge. At its core, Jazzercise is a dance cardio program, but the workouts include stretching and strength training, too. Nastri said the moves strengthen bones and muscles without resulting in a bulky look.

Photo by Lesley Dwyer

Exercise physiologists create the choreographed routines with purpose. Each move is chosen for its efficiency, effectiveness and safety. 

Even the floors of the studio take into account joint health. Extra foam padding underneath the planks acts as a shock absorber. 

And for anyone who is shocked that Jazzercise is making a comeback, Nastri will tell you that in over 55 years, Jazzercise never went away. Judi Sheppard Missett started the exercise craze in 1969. 

“That was before Jane Fonda and all that stuff,” Nastri said. “It grew over the next decade, and then the 1980s was like their heyday. Everybody knew what Jazzercise was.” 

Missett began franchising the business in 1982. There are still over 8,500 franchises across all 50 states and 20 countries. 

The brand has maintained its roots in dance cardio, but has also modernized over time, incorporating current music and equipment like resistance bands and free weights.

Since leaving law behind after eight years and raising three children, who are now all in their 20s, Nastri has been waiting to transfer those business skills into the fitness sector to fulfill her passion for exercise. 

Nastri is a certified Barre trainer, too, so she considered other options before launching the franchise. But no matter what she looked at, she kept going back to Jazzercise. 

It's plain to see, the program is a good fit for Nastri. She exudes confidence and enthusiasm when talking about the studio and classes. 

She can instruct, smile and crack jokes, all while wearing a resistance band around her legs and lifting weights over her head. 

She also knows a great market when she sees one. As soon as Nastri landed from Connecticut, she knew Lakewood Ranch was the place to make her vision come to life. 

She said the corporate office loved the demographics of the area, too, but was slightly concerned about how many competing fitness brands were already in Lakewood Ranch. 

Again, Nastri was confident. 

She believes in the product because the brand has managed to “stay true to itself” over the course of five decades.

“This is what I eat, breathe and live every day,” she said. “In order to do that, you have to really love it, and it has to work.”