Pure Barre.

Instead of buying a gym membership once I settled in Uptown, I decided to use the resources I had available in my "backyard" and jog the Katy Trail. I love the Katy Trail. It never fails to leave me wishing I had a golden retriever to pant along side me.

I would visit the Katy Trail at least every other day until mid June. Then the trail turned into a 100+ fire burning oven. The fact that people are still breathing on the Katy Trail in August is beyond me. I am hoping by the end of September I can visit my friend Katy again, but until then... sorry sista. You will not be hearing from me!

To beat the heat, I signed up for air conditioned Pure Barre classes. I didn't know what to expect, but because I used to dance and play competitive softball and volleyball, I anticipated the class to be fun and different.

If you are anything like me, if you aren't the best at something the first time you try it, you become incredibly frustrated. That is why Pure Barre has become a bit addicting for me. It is so challenging because I am not the best in the class by any means. Pure Barre has now become a game I can't quit until I "win." I was completely lost the first class. Women next to me would twist their face in pain while I felt nothing. After 55 minutes I was incredibly sore, but I did every exercise and thought "Okay, that's not so bad. I must be in better shape than I thought."

I kept going to classes and realized I was doing the "little" things all wrong. It took me about 5 classes  to really understand what the Pure Barre instructors were telling me,  and now my face is twisted in pain. I turn bright red and melt from sweat during the ten minute warm-up. I can't even complete a 55 minute class without taking a break or breaking out of a holding position. I think when you do every single itty bitty movement exactly the way the method is taught, the class is freaking impossible. And now I can't stop. I'm so mad I can't do something perfect for 55 minutes. I'm athletic. I'm coachable. I'm a perfectionist. Pure Barre is so frustrating because I know I will never be the best, and I still don't understand everything.

And again, if you are like me, you will not rest easy until you are one of the best in your class. I had to take the time (and still do) outside of class to watch these videos. The clips help immensely. I understand why some ladies prefer to take private lessons before joining a group session. I have to continually go back and remind myself what was said in the videos. If you did not know these videos were available to you, I hope I just changed your workout for the better x a billion.

Congrats Pure Barre. You can have all my money because I can't stop until I beat you!!!

Last thing, however much I love Pure Barre and think it's incredibly challenging and addicting, I think it is most beneficial to the women who are already fit. My muscles have become more toned and defined and the class is a huge calorie burner, but I don't believe you will go from a size 10 to a 2 with Pure Barre alone. I think healthy eating and cardio will get you where you want to be, and then you should think about joining Pure Barre to chisel those hard-to-reach places and define those muscles you already have. The scale has not budged for me since I started Pure Barre but my muscles have.

And disclaimer: I am a cookie/chocolate/ice cream professional. That could be another reason why the scale has not budged. Nothing against Pure Barre and weight loss.


That's all for now. No purpose for this blog post but to kill time. Thanks for reading (mom, dad, and Steph).