Back to the Barre

Today I completed a big milestone...30 barre classes in 35 days (that's barre, a workout not a watering hole...don’t look so shocked!).

My completed chart

I set this goal for myself back in August when the “Back to the Barre” sign-ups came out. This was a “set your own goal” competition with suggestions of 10, 20 or 30 classes. I had previously competed in 20 in 30 challenges and fared pretty well, so I decided to go for a real stretch goal of 30 this time. I had been feeling a little like a slacker in my workouts as is and I needed something to motivate me. (Anything where I can check boxes next to my name does the trick.)

Now to be fair to myself, I am typically up at 5 am every weekday to make it to barre by 5:30, but that’s where I stop. I wasn’t going on weekends and if I happened to miss a morning, I didn’t bother to make it up that night. I had hit a lull. So I made this commitment to go 30 times in 35 days and I was going to stick to my guns on this one (and it damn near killed me).

I started going to Pure Barre in January as part of a New Year’s resolution. My resolution was to get back to my better self. This wasn’t just about my physical health, I needed to FEEL better, so I signed up for a month membership. I went 26 times in January. I was hooked after class 2. By the middle of January I had signed up for a yearlong membership. I was in. A member of the cult.

Going to Pure Barre is NOT like going to a gym. First of all, it doesn’t smell, is really pretty and the people there are not competing with you. The instructors become your friends, you start to recognize the same people and those are huge motivators to get your butt to class. I’m also obsessed with all their tanks (they are usually my reward for hitting a milestone).

Each workout is a challenge whether you’ve been there 5 times or 500. Everyday you can push yourself harder, do a move a little better, squat a little lower, tuck a little harder. It. Does. Not. Get. Easier. (And for all you boys who think it is easy, please come join us, we will prove you wrong during the warmup.)

By the end of May I had hit my 100th class! A big milestone at Pure Barre - you get to sign the 100 Club barre, get a tank and some sticky socks in a special bag signed by all the instructors. Bonus, it was 2 days before I went on a weeklong beach vacation for my best friend’s wedding. I was looking and feeling really good. Then I sorta fell off the bandwagon a bit. (Not too bad, I was still averaging 20 classes a month, but still.) I slacked a bit during the summer, skipping mornings and never going on weekends. Hence my resolve to “get back to the barre.” Despite never leaving, the name of the challenge suited me perfectly. Like I said, I needed it. Now I’ve hit my 30 class mark and couldn’t feel better! I went when I didn’t want to, when I didn’t feel good, when my body said no, when my boyfriend said don’t go home early. I went for me!

My next goal is to hit my 250th class by the end of the year! I’m well on my way and feeling really good about it. If you’ve never tried a barre class I HIGHLY recommend Pure Barre Near West End.

#Richmond #RVA #PureBarre #Workout