Set the Table + Pure Barre Belmar
This post is the first in a series I'll be sharing in partnership with Pure Barre Belmar. All opinions are my own! Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be sharing my journey with Pure Barre Belmar and giving you updates on my stats. I hope you'll follow along!
Guys. I started taking barre classes and I have a couple of thoughts to share with you right from the get-go: First, I NEVER thought I'd be one of those people to even consider doing something like barre because only super serious, in-shape people do it, right? Turns out, the people who do barre look so in shape BECAUSE OF barre. You have to start where you're at to get where you want to be. Second, my core muscles, mushy from 2 c-sections and years of simply not using them, are actually starting to show some life! Trust me. I'm as surprised as you are.
Why I decided to give barre a try:
A few months ago, I was invited to an event for the new Pure Barre in Belmar. Since I had never tried barre, I decided to accept the invite, hoping to get our of my comfort zone a bit. After a brief class, I couldn't stop thinking about it! I was sore in places I didn't know I could be sore. Also, when I looked around the room, I saw a bunch of lean, strong women and I thought: YES. I want to be lean and strong too.
My workouts up to this point have been amazing. I have grown much stronger over the past year and I still love going to my classes each and every week. But variety is also important when you're trying to live a healthy lifestyle. And barre is just the variety I need physically and mentally.
What I love about barre after 2 weeks of classes:
It's already making me stronger! Two weeks doesn't seem like a long time, but in those two weeks and 4 classes, I can already feel my muscles changing, specifically in my core. Since having my first baby 6 years ago via emergency c-section, followed by another c-section 3 years ago, I had resigned myself to the fact that I would never have a toned midsection. But you know what? I truly believe barre is going to help me achieve what I thought was impossible.
I also love how barre focuses on the entire body and provides a challenging workout every time. I thrive on feeling challenged when it comes to exercise. If things start to get too easy, I lose interest. So far, barre has proven to be one of the most challenging things I've done and that makes me feel great.
Current STATS:
Remember how I said this whole barre thing was out of my comfort zone? While we are discussing being out of my comfort zone, might as well throw some measurements in there for you! These measurements were taking a few days ago and I'll do another update in 2 weeks, along with what I'm SURE will be stunning before and after photos.
- waist: 31 inches
- thighs: 22 inches
- hips: 39 inches
- biceps: 11 inches
- bust: 35 inches
My hope is that the inches around my waist and my thighs decrease. I'm not looking for anything super drastic at this point, but I'd like to see a shift there.
How you can follow along:
I'll be sharing more with you in my Instagram Stories and here on the blog over the next couple of months. I'm excited to share my progress with you and I hope this encourages some of you to get out of your comfort zone and try something new to improve your health! If you're local, head over to Pure Barre Belmar to give them a try!
If you want to start your own Pure Barre experience, local friends can use code SETTHETABLE at Pure Barre Belmar to get your first class free!
I have so much more to share with you, so if you'd like to keep up to date on these posts, sign up for email updates (if you're on a computer, head to the side bar to your right and enter your email address; if you're on a mobile device, scroll to the bottom of the page) so the posts go directly to your inbox. I promise I won't get all spammy!
Here's to being strong and healthy and willing to try something new!
-Rachael
