(me between Amanda on the left, the Pure Barre Allen studio owner, and Valentina, my torturer for the day!)
I did it. I completed my 500th Pure Barre class today. About a half hour ago, actually, and my legs are STILL shaking when I stand up. It just goes to show you that it never gets easier…which I guess is the most important thing I’ve learned after 500 Pure Barre classes. As you get stronger, and better, if you’re doing it right, and you’re committed, the practice doesn’t get easier, it just gets “better.” Sort of like life, I’ve discovered. Life is really hard sometimes, and it doesn’t really get easier, but you can deal with it in a way that makes it feel “better” I think. It’s all in your perspective…
I’m stronger than I think
Now that I know my body can do just about anything a Pure Barre teacher can throw at me, I realize how strong I really am, both physically and mentally. Each class reminds me of that and sets me off on the right path for the day.
Be open to change
I actually went into Pure Barre 2.5 years ago with a completely open mind (which is rare for me, I am usually pretty anxious about starting new things), and was committed to doing it for a month to see what would happen. This is what I’m most thankful for; that I opened myself up to something new & scary (believe me, my first class was not pretty…) and because of that changed my life. More than I ever could have expected.
Shaking means changing
you know that point in your life when there’s so much chaos, confusion, and pain, and you just want to say “enough”? It happens every Pure Barre class; your legs are shaking so much you think you just can’t stay up, you have to stop. That’s exactly the point at which you change. But…you have to…
Stay in it
if you drop out, it’s so much harder to get back in. I feel it every time I let my discipline slide; it takes me weeks to get back to healthier eating, or back into my productive work routine. I’ve learned to think about things in 20 second increments – like when the Pure Barre instructor says “stay in it! You can do anything for 20 seconds!” This used to be the only thing keeping me going in the beginning, when I literally thought I was going to die. But obviously, I didn’t die…I just became stronger. I had to get past my brain telling me that I couldn’t do it anymore. My body was ready…I just had to let it take over.
Sink deeper
try harder, go deeper, commit. I have done a lot of different exercise classes & routines in my 42 years, and I’ve never stuck with anything as long as Pure Barre. That’s a testament to the routine, I think, but also to my decision to just do it as often as possible, and commit to making a significant change in my life. It’s not really about “going big or going home” – it’s more about making the commitment to go a certain number of days a week, participate in all the challenges, and do your best every class. Anything you do is worth doing right (my mother always said…), and all the way, and I have seen that really play out in my life with Pure Barre, and leak into other parts too…
Finally (I’ve learned so many important things from Pure Barre…), at the end of every class, the teacher encourages us to “give ourselves a hand” and we do. It’s more of a half-hearted “yay! we’re finished” than a thunderous round of applause, because we’re too tired to move, but still, it’s a reminder to celebrate what we just accomplished. I talked about this recently, and hope to put it into practice more often, but I’ve seen how important and life-changing it is to appreciate the little things, the everyday achievements, in addition to the big things.
It’s really easy to forget to celebrate ourselves, and appreciate our accomplishments, when the day gets busy and things aren’t going the way we planned (it’s much easier to beat ourselves up, no?), but taking the time to do that is perhaps the most important thing you can do. I know it, and I need to do it more often, outside of Pure Barre 😉
Thanks so much to all the teachers and studio owners at Pure Barre Austin, Plano, and Allen for getting me this far; each one of you has made a difference in my life. Here’s to 500 more!!
More of my Pure Barre articles:
What I wear for Pure Barre
Pure Barre Clothing
My Pure Barre story
Congratulations , Grechen! 500!!! Do you know what kind of commitment that takes to achieve that in a little over 2 yrs?!? (yes, you do! Rhetorical question.) if you can do that, you can do anything!
Oh, and I think we have the same mom 😉
haha! yes, i do think i can do anything if i can do that…just let me keep that mentality 🙂
that was one of my mom’s favorite things to say, and it totally grated on my nerves – in fact, i still don’t set the table correctly because i rebelled against that growing up…but now, i see the wisdom. of course.
Congratulations!! That’s a lot of plies! 🙂
I didn’t take my first barre class until last year and I really like it. I’m sure if I went with the same kind of consistency as you, my legs would be all muscle lol. Working out/physical activity is so much more doable when it’s something you love so I’m glad you found barre. It’s how I feel about zumba.
ha! i can’t imagine my life without it now. i know i talk about it a lot, but it’s such a huge part of my life now – it’s really shaped me in my 40’s.
i couldn’t do zumba – i did aerobics in the 80’s because that’s what you “did” then (even jane fonda’s workouts! to a record!!), but i was terrible at it. i have NO coordination at all.
I hope to try out a class soon . .. . maybe early Feb, just wrapping up some work commitments first.
Monica.
Haha!!! You, too?!? For some reason, that first song on the workout album, by the Jacksons, kept going through my mind the other day. And I HATED it!!!
Congratulations! And once again, your hair looks really cute after Pure Barre.
Your hair is looking really great. I might have to copy you soon!
Haha! I had that on cassette. ‘Can you feel it, can you feel it, can you feel it?”
Well done Grechen! Running is my Pure Barre 🙂
So happy for you! After reading your blog for a few months, I’m pretty much convinced to try this. I’m woefully bad at aerobic exercise, but strength training, reps and stretches are right up my alley. I’ve always been a little afraid of “classroom” settings (even yoga) but I think in my thirties I’m ready to just not care so much what other people might think of me (or my body). I told my husband last night I’m signing up for an intro Pure Barre class this month!
oh yay!!! i’m SO excited for you 🙂
you live in austin, don’t you? which location are you going to? i went to the arboretum location for 1.5 years – say hi for me if you’re there.
i’m TERRIBLE at aerobic exercise – so clumsy – but pure barre, i can do. it’s teeny tiny movements (after you get past the warm up), and no coordination required.
anyway, let me know how it goes. keep an open mind 🙂
and i love reading your blog; i appreciate your honesty, and how open you are about your journey, and troubles TTC. i actually had the opposite problem from you in my 30’s – didn’t have a problem conceiving, but couldn’t stay pregnant. anyway, hang in there!!!
ha! honestly, i don’t remember all the music on that record – i wish i still had it. we had the record and a book i think. and you better believe i tried to look JUST like jane fonda with her leotard, belt and leg warmers. and headband. man…the 80’s….
oh, thank you! i’m soooo happy with it now. i wish i could stop it growing and keep it right here. my favorite thing is that the bits in the front are just a little longer, and blonde, so there’s some contrast. and it’s a bob, but not very high in the back – i don’t like the really graduated bobs on me.
haha!! thank you so much 🙂
Oh this is great — I saw there were three locations here but wasn’t sure which one to pick — I will try the arboretum one! And I will tell them you say hi!
Thanks for your kind words about my blog/TTC — I’m so happy you like reading it! I try to stay positive but it can be hard, as I’m sure you know. I did have a miscarriage and then three weeks later a chemical pregnancy early this fall — no fun. But we’re committed to trying naturally (well, with Clomid too) until the summer, when we’ll take more invasive measures if we have to. Hopefully it won’t come to that!
you should do a post about it! i’d love to see it from the back and side angles. is it a blunt cut or are there layers that make it fall so nicely?
there are layers, and she spends a LONG time cutting/razoring it. i like that it’s not a traditional bob and layered so much in the back , i don’t like that look necessarily. it’s just a bit shorter in the back and longer in the front, and then the two pieces directly in front are WAY longer. my stylist is absolutely brilliant, i think. worth her crazy high price 😉
Resurrecting a dead post, but I had to! I thought the girl on the left looked super familiar, then I read the caption and was like DUH. I recently started at the Allen location and I’m there like 6 days a week! Amanda is so sweet!