Take it to the Barre

A few weeks ago JWow and I decided it was time to try "barre" class.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with barre, the class is rooted in ballet exercises at the barre.  It has a reputation as a tough workout and seems to be all the rage right now.  So, when an intro class became available at Core Essentials in Dartmouth, we thought we'd give it a whirl.

To be honest, when I thought of barre class I was pretty much channeling Centre Stage, Step Up and even Black Swan (just the dancing).  I felt like I was about to uncover my destiny as a tutu-adorned dancer, certain of being partnered with ripped men who were Channing Tatum look-alikes. JWow was a bit skeptical about this destiny.

As I arrived before class our instructor was finishing up a personal training class with all of Eminem's best songs as the soundtrack.  Little did I know that 'Till I Collapse would take on a new meaning in less than an hour.

Our instructor, Laurissa, made sure to give us a quick run through of the relevés, battements and other postures that we would need to know.  She also let us in on the secret to barre - that we would be working each side of our body to the point of exhaustion. I can assure you that she was not kidding.  We proceeded to do a series of exercises while using the barre for balance.  We started on the right side and then just when we thought we might truly collapse, we switched sides and did it all over again.

While the workout was quite effective, I had pictured something similar to that scene in Centre Stage where she attends a "fun" dance class whilst dancing to Billy Jean.  Unfortunately, the workout felt like just that - work.  I was searching for something that would not feel like something I had to push through.

Overall, I would try another barre class, but would try to find one that was a little more "dancey".  I did like the Core Essentials space and am headed there this weekend for my first kettlebell workout along with my workout partner JWow.

Also, in other news, I am participating in Spin4Kids with Goodlife Fitness on March 1st in Halifax. I am a strong believer in maintaining an active lifestyle and establishing healthy habits when young. In support of fighting childhood obesity my team, the Pedal Sweats, will be spinning for eight hours to help raise money for this cause.  I would be most grateful for your support.

Morning glory

I am not sure how others feel about this, but whenever I hear the term run (or workout) and morning in the same sentence I think - wow - committed!  I am a middle of the day kind of gal and fail to comprehend how people can be motivated enough to torture themselves so early on. Well, I became that person last Friday and will do so again tomorrow - certainly not by choice, but by circumstance.  When faced with being an extra hour early at the office (because of my husband's work schedule) I decided to get my butt to the gym to complete a run.  Last week my feet hit the treadmill at 6:30 am and to my utter shock, plenty of other people were already there.  The gym was certainly not as busy as it would be at lunch, but there was a decent sized crowd.  This was both comforting and horrifying - how can one willingly move at a faster-than-shuffle pace at such an early hour?  Looks like I was just as sadistic as the others - the difference being that my enjoyment level was zero.

One would think that 45 minutes would be sufficient time to complete a 2k walk/run.  Well, not if you have IBS!  This is when the gym membership becomes really worth it.  The bathrooms are in close proximity, your husband does not have to be on stand-by should you come close to losing your ... and you do not have to do the strip and dash as you waddle through the door on your way to the toilet.  The only thing you really have to plan is a treadmill with an easy exit, preferably with no one on either side should indications of your issues escape your control.  Also, you must leave the treadmill quickly enough that it looks like you are a puker (to my thinking this is the only acceptable excuse for not having time to wipe down your machine and is more socially acceptable than the truth).  You must also move with efficiency, but not enough that you pass wind in your heightened state of emergency.  Keeping this in mind, I endeavoured to complete my run.  I lasted 12 minutes - eight of those being my walking warm-up and four minutes of running.  At the 12 minute mark I ran like any good puker straight for the toilets.  Afterwards I decided to give it another go, of course, my treadmill strategy went completely out the door as more people had arrived and I lost the treadmill I had so carefully chosen.  I hopped on for the second time, feeling confident when the rumbles began to start - I pushed myself as long as I could (eight minutes of running) hoping it would go away if I just ignored it, however, that was not to be.  Off I ran for the second time to the ladies room, by the time I made my way out again it was 7:15 and time to go to work.  All of that effort for a total of 12 minutes running and 8 minutes of walking and two measly sprints to my porcelain home.  

Tomorrow I will try this again, but, I was reminded last week of one of the reasons why I hate the morning.  My IBS is at its very worst and is extremely unpredictable.  The only part that is predictable is that it will happen despite my best efforts.  So, if you are at the gym tomorrow morning and see a red-head launching herself off the treadmill and barreling toward the ladies room, please clear a path for all of our sakes!