In the World of Wellness: Hurts So Good

Wellness is a term widely used that has multiple meanings around health and positive life style changes leading to well-being. Here we will use the term "wellness" as a means of defining a life free from disease as well as a way to explore alternative medicines, what they offer, and what this could mean for you.

Every month I'll do a post on a health and wellness related topic. This will give you a chance to explore other options, become informed, and make the best overall decision for your own well-being.

In the World of Wellness: ...sometimes your legs, don't feel like they should...

Have you ever gone from feeling full of life, energy, and enthusiasm to being certain you're going to die within a span of 5 minutes?

No?

Well, you've never been to a Barre class then.

I took my first Pure Barre class about three weeks ago as I'd heard about how amazing and body altering it is. Prior to class, I did a little research so I would be equipped. I found out that tight-ish type yoga pants are recommended over lose fitting pants, you need a pair of socks (I found this odd, but even Ryan Gosling knows they're important), and the instructors are really good at remembering everyones names. I felt very prepared.

All of the above were true to what I'd read and, I must make note of this, the instructors were beyond amazing. Each one as been super friendly and has never forgotten my name or said it wrong, which earns them mega bonus points. The one thing I didn't read anywhere was just how killer these classes would be.

To be totally honest, I was pretty lazy this summer. I just didn't think I'd been that lazy. Throughout the hour long class you hold poses for minutes at a time, hardly moving at all. Hardly. Moving. At. All. No jumping or leaping or HIIT or Crossfit-ing or anything. You hardly move! I kid you not when I say that after the first five minutes of the first class, I was 3000% certain my boyfriend was going to have to come pick me up and drive me home. I truly believed I wouldn't be able to operate a vehicle, let alone my own body.

The instructors cheer you along, motivating you to stay in the poses no matter how badly your legs are shaking. Leg shaking, by the way, is sometimes an understatement. Leg earthquaking at a magnitude of 9.9 is more accurate. I was afraid I was scaring away other people in the class until I realized everyone else (mostly) was suffering the same way.

After that first class, I went back for more. You know me- I like torture as long as it makes me a better person. Here's the kicker: Pure Barre guarantees that you'll see changes in your body after ten classes. That's no joke, friends. I've only been to seven classes (two classes a week) and saw changes after class number six. My abs and my booty looked visibly different. Honestly, where can you go after six classes in a three week time frame and say that? Pretty much nowhere. That's how hard core and effective these workouts are.

As with everything, however, there are upsides and downsides to keep in mind.

The Upsides: Incredibly effective workouts, very friendly instructors, visible results in no time at all, each class is different so you never get bored.

The Downsides: Very expensive, doesn't really get easier (based on what others told me that have been going there a while. This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your outlook), you can feel ridiculous with all the crazy leg shaking. Maybe that's just me.

All in all, I really like the classes. They are killer, but man, are they worth it! I highly suggest trying it if you never have, just to see what I mean. I've not tried the other Barre methods that exist (yet), but if they have these same basic concepts and they're more affordable (for example, DVD's at home), I think they'd be worth a shot.

Go try it out and find out just what magnitude you reach for your earthquakey legs.


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