It’s been a few years now since I made great changes to prioritize my own health. After years of inconsistency; some seasons of running and half marathon training, lunch hour power walks, little weight training outside of lifting babies and toddlers, and allowing my health to take a back seat,  it became time, time to remember how to focus on me. I began working out consistently, then built upon that very slowly and began eating better and making mostly healthy choices for myself, which also includes an alcohol free lifestyle. This is what is healthy and best for me personally. At age 40, I have honestly never felt better in my life.

My very first step was finding the right exercise for me. The second step was making the time. You have to make the time and protect that. (Thank you, Josh, for always giving me the time I need to workout.) I write this blog to help share info about barre and what it is but also to share my story. As a Mom, its never too late to prioritize you, find fitness after having babies and the mental health benefits that come along with it.

Barre- (pronounced simply as bar) is a form of physical exercise, usually conducted in group classes in gyms or specialty studios. It is distinguished from other group fitness activities by its use of the ballet barre and its incorporation of movements derived from ballet. These classical dance movements and positions are combined with those drawn from yoga and pilates.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barre_(exercise)

It took me some time, but I saw many ads around town for the local Barre studio. I finally decided to take my first class for free, as advertised, and I was hooked. Barre is an excellent 50-minute full body workout to great music, guided by an instructor. The challenging classes remind me of techniques and positions I learned in my many years of ballet as well as my high school years of cheerleading with a focus on balance, stability, strengthening targeted muscle groups, and core exercise all while moving to a beat with a group. We use weights, resistance bands or tubes, a mat, a ball and sliders as equipment. But there is no ballet, dance, cheerleading, yoga or pilates experience required at all! I joined and got my monthly membership right then in the spring of 2021 and never looked back.

While these classes are never easy, you quickly build strength, and you can tolerate it a little more every time. You notice a difference in just weeks! Muscles shake, thighs burn, and sometimes it’s a little bit hard to walk the next day,  Barre workouts are low impact yet effective! It really has changed the composition of my entire body. I would have never believed I could build this much strength through group classes.

It took me a couple of years to make it to 100 classes. After that, my motivation (and obsession) for Barre piqued and it got me to 250 (150 classes in 10 months).

Last September, as a group of us were waiting for class to begin, an instructor didn’t show, and class was canceled. This has never happened, and there was a misunderstanding, and the studio owner texted me to apologize for the innocent error. To which I replied what was on my heart as I sat and waited in the studio, “Sometimes I dream about being an instructor and then I could have filled in!”.

When something becomes a passion, you want to work hard at it and it doesn’t feel like work. It is always possible to find health and fitness, whether at 20 or 40 (like me!) or 60 years old! Us moms deserve time to invest in ourselves, just like anyone else. We can’t pour from an empty cup. I know I am at my best all around when I have my workout in. We teach our 3 boys, with hard work and consistency, anything is possible.

I wish I knew more about barre earlier! So, here I am sharing my barre journey, 175 classes, in just over the past year:

(September 2023 to September 2024)

Oddly enough, it took 1 whole year almost to the day from putting my dream of barre instructing out there into the world to being asked and beginning my training.

I am so grateful for Pure Barre in Bloomington and Jamie, the owner, for introducing me to Barre, teaching me good form, making it fun, motivating and offer a wide variety of classes, all of which I love. 250 felt like a big accomplishment for me personally, and I would not have been able to do it if it weren’t for Jamie’s well run studio and community at Pure Barre. (Friends in B-town- take the free class!!) I am grateful for Meredith, who taught most of my classes over my lunch hour and motivated me to work on my form and become better. As challenging as it was at first, I never gave up. I miss my friends and studio in Bloomington and look forward to visiting and taking a class when we are back in town. PB Bloomington will always have a very special place in my heart. ❤️💪 https://www.purebarre.com/location/bloomington-in

I am also grateful for Brenna, the owner at Neighborhood Barre for seeing some potential in me and asking me if I would be interested in becoming an instructor, shortly after moving and joining this new (to me) studio. Thank you for believing in me and inviting me to audition and also investing in my formal training to become certified.  And Erin, my new friend and instructor who inspires me to not just learn the techniques but also to make it fun and to be great at what I set my heart out to do. I have a lot to learn about instructing and can’t wait! Free first class here too! https://neighborhoodbarre.com/location/nb-gulf-shores/

I’ll begin online classes for training next week and a full weekend in studio in October to work towards my certification. My goal is to teach just a couple early morning classes before work or a weekend here and there. I can’t wait to teach you in one of my future classes!

My mental health has benefitted since prioritizing my fitness and physical health. They go hand in hand. I am inspired to move and to be better in all aspects of life every day. I am the type of person who falls hard. When I love something, I really love it. The type of person who listens to their favorite song over and over, on repeat – just ask my college friends or kids about this. As annoying as it may be sometimes, I am so grateful for my family who supports me in my love for barre. I “taught” my first class (audition prep) to my 3 boys! And they always know when I have a big milestone (like hitting 250!) coming up. They point out new muscles (and even how weird my arm veins look now after a workout). Thanks, guys. ❤️

When I came home from Neighborhood Barre after just a few weeks of classes and told Josh they asked me if I wanted to become an instructor, his response was, supportive, of course and also “Well, I’m not surprised in the least.” Me neither, it was a matter of time. It was a dream of mine, just a year ago after all.

If you want to learn more about Barre and all it entails, I would be happy to tell and show you. Please ask me. ❤️

As always, thank you for reading.

Xoxo

– Kim