I know I am a little late to the Pure Barre game, but my friend Clare and I just claimed a free week of classes at our local studio. I have plenty of friends that love it, but barre has just never been my favorite. I have liked the classes that I have gone to at our gym just fine, but I tend to gravitate towards harder, more “ass-kicking” workouts where I leave shaking and dripping sweat. I have just got the impression from barre that it doesn’t do too much for me.
But like I’ve talked about a little bit lately on the blog, I’ve been in somewhat of an exercise rut. I have been looking for a routine and for workouts that make me feel confident and ready for our upcoming wedding in October. So when the free week of classes came up, I thought it was a great opportunity to try something new.
When we showed up to the studio (about 15 minutes early per their instruction to sign waivers and get a brief introduction to what the class would be like), all the girls at the front desk were so friendly and the teacher immediately got us acclimated to where to put our things and what equipment to grab (a small ball, a resistance band, a set of 2# weights, and a set of 3# weights). All of the girls in the classroom were also so nice to us when they heard we were new – typically when I go to group fitness classes no one even talks to anybody they don’t know. So I was very impressed with all of that.
The actual class was really fun, and it totally flew by. It started out with a warm-up (which felt like a workout in itself and already had me sweating), moved onto legs, then to glutes, and ended with some upper body/abs/stretching. None of the moves are particularly hard, but when you repeat something over and over and then pulse and repeat some more, it really starts to burn. It also worked muscles (especially in my legs) that I find very difficult to exercise on my own. Some of them had me shaking to the point where I literally thought I was going to fall over. I was so impressed with some of the girls in there who have obviously been doing it for a while and make it look so effortless. It really was quite challenging.
After class, we spent too much time looking at all the cute shirts, sports bras, candles, bracelets, and other little trinkets they had tempting us in the lobby. I love the community they have built around a workout – it is a totally female-centered atmosphere, with a lot of excitement around brides-to-be and new moms. Being engaged and getting married in about two months, I love that so much.
I can absolutely see how taking this class on a persistent, weekly basis can change your body. Most of the girls in that room had a very similar body type, which I have to admit that I envied a little bit! One of my biggest gripes with my own body is my inner thighs. I feel like I can never get them toned like I want them. I think that Pure Barre 3-4 times per week could really help me out with this, but I’m just not sure I would want to make that kind of commitment to it. Especially because the closest studio is about 25 minutes (without traffic) from my house. I definitely think the class is fun to do on a random basis, but in order to see actual results I really think it has to be close to a full-time thing. Maybe that’s my two-month to wedding commitment? Hmmmmm…
So I will definitely continue to go to a few more classes over the next week and check out some different teachers, but I’m not sure if I’ll buy a package once the free week is up. If there was a studio within 5 minutes of my house (like it is for Clare!), I would certainly be buying more classes and definitely going more often. But for now, I think I’ll just have to stick to trying out more classes at my gym and hopefully finding a couple others that I love (other than my barre class there and my hot yoga with my favorite teacher).
When I got home and was grumpy because I was so hungry, my wonderful fiancè had dinner all ready for me – lemon/dill/butter Costco pre-marinated salmon, green beans from the farmers market, and orzo with pesto and marinara sauce. He also had a glass of rosé waiting for me. He knows me so well. 😉 It was absolutely delicious and just what I needed! He is a good man.
I ate really clean all day yesterday and tried to stay pretty active throughout the day and felt way better going to bed last night after having some ginger tea than I did going to sleep on Sunday night after a weekend full of vacation food and drinks. It’s amazing how just one day can really turn it around entirely. In both good and bad directions….. 😉
After our healthy dinner last night, we did not much else except pack lunches for work today and lay on the couch watching our shows while we each did some work on our laptops. It was rough going back to work yesterday, and I really just needed an easy night in. We were able to take care of a few other little wedding-related details, too. I am sure ready for the night to come when we can talk about something else just for fun that doesn’t have to do with the wedding – it will be so weird to wake up the day after and just be done with it!
Have you ever tried Pure Barre? If so, what do you think about it? Is there any sort of workout class that you love and do on a regular basis?
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