An Alex approved workout

This post brought to you by the gluttonous week of Thanksgiving. Think of it as inspiration!

Anyone who knows me is aware of my disdain for exercise. 

A nice, five mile jog? Nope.
Long sessions at the gym? I'm lucky if I make it 20 minutes.

Dreams of running a half marathon or any comparable distance? Now that's funny.

I exercised, but only out of necessity [and many times, really half assed]. After all, I do live in one of the top culinary hot spots in the U.S.

BUT THEN. But then.

Along came Pure Barre.

Via

I'd heard whispers of this mystical barre workout, along with others such as The Barre Method, Cardio Barre, Define, etc., and it definitely caught my attention due to my childhood spent dancing [badly].

When I first heard about this holy grail of exercise I was several months deep into an outdoor boot camp that met three times a week. 

It was hot.

It was dusty.

There were too many repetitions.

Hatred filled my soul.

So when a Living Social deal came up for two weeks of unlimited Pure Barre, I snapped it up immediately and planned to transform my body before my big work trip to Singapore. 

Let's say I was taking preventative measures for the mass quantities of food I knew I'd be ingesting.

I was excited but nervous before my first class. Thoughts ran through my head.

"Shit. I need to buy some Lululemon pants ASAP."

"This workout is so expensive. I'm going to be the poorest person there."

"I wonder how bad my turnout sucks now?"

"There's no way it can be THAT hard."

My first class arrived.

I bought Lulu pants to make myself feel better.

And it really was that hard.

Like really hard.

My body hurt in places I didn't know could hurt.

BUT I LOVED IT!

What?!?! I loved a form of exercise?! The sky must be falling!!

I took advantage of my two weeks and attended eight classes. After only THREE of those eight classes I saw muscles starting to form on my arms [where previously none resided] and a bit of definition in my abs. 

Say what? 

To say I was impressed and mystified over my results, then depressed over the real cost of the classes once my deal ran out was an understatement. 

Then I went to Singapore, ate all the things, and wondered how much of my hard work I had ruined. 

I only had one choice: buckle down, stop being notoriously cheap, and buy a membership.

Lucky for me, the studio was running a back to school special and I was able to get a good deal on three months of unlimited classes, which is where I am now.

Since that first foray into Pure Barre back in July, I have taken almost 50 classes. 

I go 4-5 [sometimes 6...but my body kind of hates me after] times a week, which may seem like a lot, but GUYS. The results. 

The motto "Lift, tone, burn" is taken very seriously. 

I have definitely done all three of those things, though there is still much work to be done. 

Most importantly, though, I LOVE IT. I actually WANT to go to class! 

Yes, some days I'd rather go home and lay on my couch or have a margarita or three, but I've somehow managed to make this a very regular part of my daily routine while still having time for my usual social activities. 

It definitely never gets easier, but I recognize that my body is getting stronger and I feel good about myself after every class.

I've reclaimed a lot of the flexibility I lost when I quit dancing, which makes for great party tricks.

Kidding.

Maybe.

My three months are ending soon, so I'm hoping Santa Claus brings me another three month package to sustain me before I move.

Slash I'm going to need these classes even more after I eat everything in sight over the holidays.

Is anyone else out there a Pure Barre junkie?

Have any questions?

If anyone is interested I could do a run through of a typical class accompanied by my witty commentary. 

So after all this talk of exercise...Happy Thanksgiving! May you eat all things delicious in very large quantities! :)

This post was in no way sponsored by Pure Barre. These are my own opinions on a class that I just really happen to love!