Oh Pure Barre, how I love you!

In all honestly, Pure Barre really has been the thing that has kept my sane throughout the last few months. I had heard about this Pure Barre thing here and there for a littlewhile and even have good friends who had urged me to try a class out. Of course I hadn’t listened and was content running on a treadmill in my basement and hating life (it was winter in Ohio, there were few options). I was intrigued with the idea of Pure Barre and its low impact class style with ballet, pilates & whatever other influences that I had been told went into the class, but the cost at $20 a class roughly and the 35 minute drive to the closest studio weren’t really up my alley. I can also note that running has been the only consistent exercise that I have ever stuck with, so I didn’t have high hopes for adding Pure Barre into my life.

I was laying in bed one morning, debating on whether it was time to finally get up and start my day (it wasn’t), but I had gone through my normal procrastination routine of Email, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TimeHop, CNN, Pinterest and back to Facebook to see if anything new had happened in the last 20 minutes (nope) and resorted to opening my Groupon App. Basically this would be one of the best decisions I ever made. See, procrastination IS key. The first thing Groupon recommend for me was a package at Pure Barre. It offerend 10 classes for $69 dollars. SCORE. I could absolutely handle committing to driving to 10 classes if they were only $7 a class! I signed up for my first class about 2 weeks later as it took me 2 solid week to muster up the courage to actually try this unknown.

I was addicted about 3 classes in.

The first few classes I felt like a fish out of water. I felt like I was flailing around and not doing any of it right. How can lifting my leg only 1 inch, or standing on my tip toes and squatting my legs only 1 inch or doing a crunch where I only move 1 inch or using a 1 lb weight really do anything? But lo and behold my seat (Pure Barre’s word for butt) was shaaaking after about 8 leg lifts, my thighs were shaaaking after a few squats and my abs were shaaaking after one set of crunches and my arms? My arms felt like jello after using 1 lb weights. The next day I felt it even more.

It took me about 20 days to use my 10 free classes and I immediately took advantage of their “Bride to Be” package which gave me 3 months unlimited classes! I have been consistently going to classes ever since then. The first class I took was 12/20/2013 and as of 5/23/2014 I have completed 84 classes. My original goal was to hit 100 classes because YOU GET TO WEAR A TUTU AND TIARA DURING CLASS and I really want to do that, before the wedding, but that didn’t happen. This was an unrealistic goal anyway because on the day I made it my “goal,” I would have had to go to a class every single day from then until the wedding. Now my goal is to hit 100 classes before we leave for our RV Honeymoon Adventure (read more about that here) and I’m 100% confident I will be wearing that tutu and tiara in no time!

When people ask my why I’m obsessed with Pure Barre, I always hesitate before I answer. Not because I don’t love it, but because the answer is so much more complex than “because I got skinny” or “because I got abs” or “because I love the people there.” All of which is true, but it is so much more than that. On the (sad) days that I don’t get to go to a class, I feel very off  that day. The physical changes are second (although greatly appreciated) to the happiness, inner strength & confidence I feel when I leave class. It is the only 55 minutes that I dedicate to myself ever. I refuse to let my mind wander away from the instructors cues and I only focus or perfecting my form or getting a little lower. I don’t think about reception seating plans, or wedding flowers or anything wedding; I don’t think about work; I don’t think about anything other than what position my body is supposed to be in or what muscle I’m supposed to be working. It is the perfect escape from the craziness that is wedding planning (or life in general).

Here are the things I love most about Pure Barre:

1. It doesn’t get easier, it just gets better. Once you learn exactly what muscles you are supposed to be using – did you know you can move your legs by contracting your abs?!? neither did I! – the movements get better because you’re using your muscles better and deeper.

2. The classes are never the same. Although there will always be a warm up, thigh work, seat work, floor work, 7 minutes of abs and then a final stretch, you never know what specific series you’re going to do that class. It is great! Some series you will learn you like more than others, but you always have to give it 110%.

3. I got to vamp up my legging collection (& grippy sock collection).  It is the perfect excuse to buy all the leggings and tank tops and jackets your little heart can desire (okay, maybe not all that you can desire) but you do need to have the appropriate clothes for class. As I had mentioned, I used to run. I do not run in leggings so I went on a little shopping spree to update my wardrobe for all the classes I was going to be taking. Also, the perfect time to buy grippy socks. I have a whole drawer dedicated to grippy socks.

I will keep my “tuck on” and “lift.tone.burn” my way through life, knowing that I have 55 minutes to myself at Pure Barre to center and ground me for whatever life throws at me that day! Thank You Pure Barre for rocking!

xoxo,
Rachel