End of 2011 and Falling in love with Pure Barre

It is December 31st right now. As many people I ca not help but trip back through time to think what I was up to this time last year. How have I changed? How have I stayed the same? - Have I improved myself any? Have I dropped the ball?

I would have to say 2011 was an intensely life altering year for me HAHA> For one I got married! Talk about a major life event! Along with spending a month in the Philippines and moving into a new home - all while trying to jet boost my tiny small business forward.

Needless to say, my business took the back seat in everything. though I am still in love with it and want to propel forward, I really needed this time to just settle in.

I was not as trim as I had hoped to be for my wedding day but I tried to look as well as possible! - just one month before the wedding my good friend introduced me to Pure Barre. This is a low impact work out that uses a lot of muscle fatigue and small isometric movements to  "Lift Tone Burn". I've been attending classes religiously since October 25,2011.
And when I say religiously . . . I mean DAILY. MAYBE missing a day here or there due to things like "thanksgiving day" "christmas day" LOL and tomorrow "new years day".

I'm honestly sad when it is closed, Pure Barre has become such a point of happy focus for me each morning. What is it about this class that gets me so hooked?  I get up early each day to leave my house by 8am, to make a stop at black gold coffee roasters for my favorite americano - then hit the interstate to drive up a few exits and then travel allll the way back towards 41 to be infront of the PB building around 9am.
I sit there and play with apps on my phone while drinking coffee and enjoying life for a few mins then head in to put my keys phone etc into a cubby and put on my black grippy socks. This is a part of the pure barre (pb) work out attire. They ask you to wear yoga style clothing, no shorts,  and these little grippy socks.
I grab a resistance tube, a little playground style ball and a pair of 2 lb weights.Then look for an open spot on the floor. each class has a max capacity of 20 people. And each class is usually really full!!

We start with a warm up of knee ups, crunches, planks different hand positioned push ups and some body roll ups into a full sit up. Next come the arms with the weights, and those are really difficult! After several sets of many repetition arm movements we move into doing what is usually a very cruel thigh workout!! two sets for each side - then a seat work out. In PB there is no ass or butt - it is your SEAT!! or your PB Ledge! For a while i had no idea what the instructor was talking about when she was talking about the pure barre ledge. haha . I kept hearing PB LEG - what?

Anyway My favorite seat workout it the pretzel because it works all the way up the sides of your body into the muffin top area.
Two seat work outs both sides -- then we move into abs. The first set is really long and has us working from our lowest operating point. A lot of these movements are very small controlled movements where you are literally moving maybe only an inch. The idea is to be already at your limit and then push further from there. 
After several sets of different position abs we do what they call "back dancing" - ya right?!! I was like HUH too.
Anyway it is a nice extension for your back and also a chance to burn out your seat one more time while doing bridges.
I've always felt the stretching in the class was too short! maybe I'm just lazy? but I always thought you didn't really benefit from a stretch unless it is 30 seconds long!  The class stretches feel more like power stretch moves to release what you have just done.

Then class is over we wipe down equipment and all leave int his haze of fatigue. the first day of this class I had already signed up for the 99$ new client special where you can go to unlimited classes for a whole month. I thought WELL if I don't commit myself to it I won't go back!  I am glad I got the new client special because that first class was pure torture. I must have had my mouth open in a silent scream the entire time!

In fact the entire first week was massively painful and filled with uncomfortable sleepless nights from tossing and turning. I could barely even assume whatever position they were asking of me.  Soon though my body started to adjust, I could push myself deeper and stronger into the specific positions in class. It took me one entire month just to be able to hold the 90 second plank for the whole time.

This was a breakthrough moment for me because I could never hold my body - pull my body or just use my body at all in any type of manner. It was apparent I was building muscle in my body and it felt so good to move through space!!

After 2 months of pb I've lost several inches from bust waist and hips.  I've added in some light jogging to boost my weight loss and now I'm seeing even more results. .

Anyway - I will have to pick up more later on my pb journey. how exciting! Happy New Year all!