Barre Life Challenge

So I did a thing this week. Well, I did many things this week, but one of them is a pretty big THING! And that thing is commit myself to taking at least 45 classes at Barre District in Bay View over the next two months. That’s right folks, I joined the #BarreLifeChallenge.

4-5. 45. FORTY FIVE.

Correction, 43. I checked off my first class early Friday morning and my second class earlier today. Woohoo! Day one and two and done.

In the next 59 days, I have to complete 45 classes at Barre District. It doesn’t count two-a-days either, so I will need to get my booty up out of bed or off of the couch, into some cute workout gear, and putter my way down the block to the Barre 43 more of the next 59 days. I’ll be spending approximately 2 full days in the Barre District studio over the next 2 months. When you look at it that way, it doesn’t sound too intimidating, right?

But anyways, you and me both are wondering what I was thinking. For a person who’s done Barre a handful of times and a LONG time ago, it seems like a pretty daunting undertaking. Also, besides taking tap dance lessons for two years when I was a small child, I have zero dance background, and what I do on the dance floor at weddings does not count. Thankfully, they say you don’t need to have prior dance experience to enjoy or be successful in a barre workout. Also, it’s a combination of ballet conditioning (have you seen most ballet dancers bodies?), yoga (I LOVE YOGA), and pilates which I’ve enjoyed in the past.

So, why Barre?

Besides the fact that the Barre District location in Bay View is an easy 3-minute walk from my apartment, I’ve been yearning to try something new. For each of the past two years, I’ve trained (tried) for and run a half marathon or other small races, with my third half coming up next month, I find myself getting a little bored with the long runs, especially in the winter when I’m confined to treadmill-life indoors. I do love running (though slowly), and I always have a blast on race day! I love getting in the corrals with the other runners, who’ve also sacrificed their time and bodies to prepare for this day. And I love the support that you receive before, during, and after the race from other runners, spectators, and close friends/family.

With that in mind, I realized one thing I was missing from my current exercise and training plans. Other people. Cue the light, because I had an aha moment. I’ve attended a few other group exercise classes recently and I realized I enjoy my exercise more and push myself a little farther when I’m doing it WITH other people. It’s the community, comradery, and feeling like you’re not the only one experiencing the burn in your calves or quads when you’re doing a plie with a resistance band fitted above your knees.

Plus, why I’ve continued to register and train for half marathons is being able to use my Nike Running Club app to plan out my workouts and have it tell me what to do each week. Seriously though, it’s only in my personal fitness life where I want to be told what to do. Cue Barre, where I’m working on my fitness with a group, being told exactly what to do by an instructor, and leaving feeling amazing that I finished the workout!

So, for the next 2 months, I am committed to waking up before the sun does some days, improving my balance, flexibility, and sculpting my body in a way I’ve never done before.

So why the #BarreLifeChallenge?

It seems like there’s another way I could go about this and get some amazing results. Hire a personal trainer. Just attend fitness classes like a normal person 3-4 times a week. Get a standing desk and treadmill so I spend 8 hours a day working and walking. All great ideas, some a little more doable than others. But I need the challenge. I need the crazy goal. I need a big change. I can see the finish line already (very small, of course), and I can’t wait to reach it.

I need the change, because what I’ve been doing and semi-committing-to and not-always-following-through-with in the past hasn’t been working. I’m physically carrying extra weight on my body that then feels like extra weight baring down on my mind. I need to break the cycle. I need to lose the weight. I need to transform my body, my habits, and my self-confidence. I need to take the #BarreLifeChallenge.

So, I have to say thank you for being here and following along on this journey with me. I’ll be posting status updates along the way to track my progress and also doing the dreaded before and after photos…but it’s going to be worth it! I’m calm, I’m confident, and I’m committed to making a big change!