Friday, March 28, 2014

Fit Mama Friday: I Went to a Barre Class...

I decided to do a barre class. And I didn't die! Yay me!
What is barre class? Oh, I'm so glad you asked :) Barre has principles of ballet, yoga, and Pilates. It's a 55-minute, non-stop, core workout. It was SO challenging, but SO fun! It was honestly the hardest workout I've ever attempted.
Now, I did some research on barre before I decided to take the leap and go. Everything I read said it would be hard, but fun. And to be honest, it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. I am just SO out of shape.
When I walked into the studio, I was greeted by the instructor. She was very polite and personable. She signed me in and had me sign a waiver. I told her how nervous I was, and she was very reassuring. She did warn me that everyone (no matter how many classes they've done) gets "the shakes" (which I had read about in my research) and to not be alarmed. It just means that your muscles are really getting a workout. She pointed me to the cubbies where I could stow my stuff. She got me a mat, a small ball, a set of hand weights, and two resistance bands.
The workout itself is insanely intense and I had to modify a lot of the exercises and rest quite a bit. And let me tell you, those shakes are no joke! I got them in spades, and by the end of the session, my muscles felt like jello.
Before this barre session, I had never done a class-style workout. I had always just worked out with DVD's. Mostly, I had avoided classes because of intimidation and fear. I've always been afraid of being "the big girl" in the class (which I definitely was in this case!). But eventually, we all have to face our fears if we want to get anywhere. Today, I did just that. All the girls in the class (probably none larger than a size 10) were very nice and encouraging. And the instructor was very helpful, correcting my form and giving me pointers on how to modify. She knew I was struggling, but still wanted me to enjoy the session and get a lot out of it. She was so great!
So what's the verdict? I absolutely LOVED it. I will definitely go back. I just wish the studio was closer to home. It's about an hour away from the house. But, it's only about 15 minutes away from school, so I could definitely see me going on the days that I have class. I don't think I'd make it my only workout, but I would put it with running and pilates for a well-rounded workout routine.
But I will say this: Boy am I going to be sore tomorrow! Where's my Aleve?

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