The Body Barre Method

One of my charge nurses recently turned me on to a new form of exercise: The Body Barre Method. (There's supposed to be a little accent over the "e" in barre, but I am computer-illiterate and don't know how to do that.)

The class is an hour long, and combines elements of ballet, pilates, and yoga for a complete total-body strength workout. This works muscles I didn't even know I had! I swear, the tiny muscles between my ribs were sore! The ballet bar is a fun addition, because it makes you feel really graceful while doing the leg lifts and squats.

The teacher is incredible. She's a bit intimidating (she got mad at me for wearing a baggy shirt and not engaging my core muscles as often as I should have) but she's really good. Her philosophy is that if your muscles aren't burning and shaking, they aren't changing. When I think about it, (not while I'm in the class-where I am fantasizing about being anywhere but there) she has a point. Exercise is hard! Weight loss is hard! If it were easy, everyone would be doing it successfully...

It is obviously easier to eat a cheeseburger than to run a mile, but it's also pretty easy to just go through the motions while you're at the gym. Cruising on the treadmill or the stationary bike at a snail's pace while you read a magazine. Half-heartedly lifting weights you know you could be lifting heavier or slower or more effectively. Doing girly push-ups because you never thought to challenge yourself by doing regular ones. I'm guilty of all of the above (AND eating too many cheeseburgers!)

The Body Barre classes ain't cheap (about $15/class or an unlimited month for around $99), but it's a different and fun way to push your body and challenge yourself!

http://www.bodylanguageabq.com/