That’s My Kind of Barre

(My friend Lindsay and her adorable son Rise modeling his Pure Barre t-shirt)

If you know me well, then you know I have no interest in the bar scene. This is fairly shocking considering my upbringing. As the daughter of a nightclub owner, I spent a lot of Saturday morning’s, during my early childhood, at my dad’s night club (The Texas Star) playing dress up and singing on the stage. I loved making him turn on the smoke machine for a more dramatic effect, and I loved mixing the one drink I was allowed to drink—a Shirley Temple. I even had my 6^th grade birthday party at The Texas Star, which some kid’s parents wouldn’t let them attend, understandably. I, nonetheless, thought it was pretty cool. I guess I got it all out of my system really early on because now going to a bar is the last place I want to be on any given night (no offense if that’s your thing).

I did however find a bar, or should I say “barre” that I enjoy. It’s called Pure Barre. After Andrew passed away, my dear friend Lindsay (that is her in the picture with her adorable son wearing a pure barre shirt—obviously she’s been drinking the Kool Aid, too) introduced me to this new workout class called Pure Barre. It took me awhile to grasp the techniques, but once I caught on, I was hooked. Thank you to some special people (you know who you are) for blessing me with free and discounted classes since then.

I’ve always been extremely active, I was a competitive gymnast, competitive cheerleader, college cheerleader and distance runner growing up. But after I got married, I gave myself a break. And boy did I feel the repercussions of that decision. My energy plummeted, I gained the freshman-15 that I never gained in college, all of which probably didn’t help the depression I was experiencing at the time. Really, not until Andrew got sick did I start getting serious again about exercise. I would do my Tracy Anderson DVD’s (Hollywood trainer) at the house, and I started watching what I was putting in my mouth. It was extremely hard work, day in and day out (mostly because I was so out of shape), but slowly it began to pay off. When Andrew got sick, I was just so grateful for the opportunity to exercise because I knew that’s what Andrew wished he could be doing; that perspective completely changed my attitude about eating healthy and exercising.

The home DVD’s got me on the right track, so when I was introduced to Pure Barre, I was in a good mental place to keep the exercise going. I loved that after working out I wasn’t so hungry like I would have been after a boot camp or after running. Because of that, I was able to make healthier eating choices. I started eating My Fit Foods meals (a store that makes ready-to-eat, high-protein, healthy meals) to help teach me about portion control. Quickly, I started seeing positive results. I heard Pure Barre was supposed to help create more of a dancer’s body (long and lean), but I wasn’t sure if that was a possibility at first because I am short and because of the muscle structure I developed as a gymnast. But, contrary to my predisposition, I was able to create more of the long and lean look than I ever imagined possible.

Pure Barre has also been a way for me to have me time, to focus on my health, and to build my confidence—resulting in more confidence. That confidence has had a domino effect that has truly affected other areas of my life. I feel blessed to have found an exercise routine that I truly enjoy going to and that yields a great return, especially because I remember the dread of going to the gym to lift and run on the treadmill and the eventual boredom I experienced from years of pounding the pavement.

If you are wanting to shake things up a bit and try something new, I highly recommend giving Pure Barre a try. It might not be everyone’s thing, but I can say that my experience has been transformative. I would love to hear from you about what workouts you are loving and that are working for you! If you’re ever in the area, you should join me for a Purre Barre class! Love and Blessings.