Barre none

Executive: Roxanne Joffe, president and co-founder, CAP Brand Marketing, Sarasota; founder, Magnify Good, Sarasota.

Diversion: Pure Barre. It's a total body workout in a group setting that uses a ballet barre to perform small isometric movements through dance and Pilates. Classes, which target a participant's hips, abs, thighs and arms, among other parts, usually last 50-55 minutes. Pure Barre is a Spartanburg, S.C.-based chain with more than 150 studios nationwide, including locations in east Manatee County, Naples, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and three in the Tampa area.

Runner's high: A Johannesburg, South Africa, native, Joffe didn't grow up especially fit or athletic. “I was a little pudgy klutz growing up,” she says. But she got inspired watching runners in the New York City marathon when she lived there in the 1970s. So she trained for the marathon, and she ultimately completed it five times.

Got it done: Joffe got into fitness through marathons, and has been active ever since. Her routine, though, was zapped in January 2012, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Joffe chose to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery — a decision she says she made rather quickly. “If I was going to do it,” she says, “I was going to really do it.”

Play it again: Recovery was a physical and mental struggle. Her friends and family, including her husband, CAP Brand Marketing partner Sam Stern, formed a big support group. Past that, music was an invaluable recovery ally. Her playlist is eclectic, from jazz (Nina Simone) to rock (Concrete Blond and the Pretenders) to hip-hop (Rihanna and Jay-Z). Her cancer-fighting anthem is “Nothing Else Matters,” by hard-rock band Metallica.

Fight back: Joffe has spoken and blogged about her cancer experience because she wants to help other women going through something similar. “I'm a controlling person, but I made a decision that I couldn't control the fact that I had breast cancer,” says Joffe. “What I could control is that I wasn't going to be a victim.”

Surprise time: Stern introduced Joffe to Pure Barre. It was a birthday gift in June 2012, when she was in her late 50s and six months removed from breast cancer surgery. It was an unexpected gift that, at first, threw Joffe off. “I thought it was going to be some jewelry or a handbag,” Joffe says. “Instead it was a pair of socks and a gift card to Pure Barre.”

Multiple options: The Pure Barre Sarasota studio where Joffe attends classes offers sessions in the mornings and evenings, seven days a week. The base price of a class is $20, but the more someone buys, the deeper the discount. Five classes cost $95, for example, while 10 classes are $180. The Sarasota location, moreover, offers a new client special: $99 for unlimited use for a month. A year of unlimited classes is $1,500.

New addiction: Joffe was intimidated and inhibited about Pure Barre. But she was also curious. “I thought there was no way I can do it,” says Joffe. “I couldn't even touch my toes.” A year and a half later, however, Joffe is hooked on Pure Barre. “You workout until you leave trembling,” she says. “I try to go every day. The only days I don't go are when I'm out of town.”

Six-pack: The results and sense of accomplishment Joffe has with Pure Barre, further, are a motivating force. “If I wanted to,” says Joffe, “I could go to Lido and show off my six-pack abs.”