What I Learned from Pure Barre's 40 in 60

Now that I’ve completed the Pure Barre’s 40 in 60 Challenge is ending I thought I would share some things I’ve learned while trying to fit 40 classes into 60 days.

1. You do have time.

One of the biggest reasons I hear from people (and one of the reasons I sometimes say myself) is that I don’t have time to go work out. Well that’s wrong. You do have time, you’re just deciding to do something else. If you want to work out, you may have to quit doing something else, but that’s okay! Maybe it’s giving up that extra tv show or waking up a little earlier, but once I realized how often I had to take class to make my goal of 40 classes, I started looking for the times in my day when I could shift things to make time to work out. (Note: I have never had children, so I can’t say this applies to mothers.) Just remember, sometimes you need to give up some things to get what you really want.

2. Positive reinforcement works much better than being yelled at.

One of my favorite things about Pure Barre classes is how nice the teachers are. I’ve been in classes and on sports teams where you’re being constantly yelled at and I can tell you, it’s not that much fun. In PB, you have teachers walking around, helping you adjust your position and giving you shout outs when you’re doing something well. Is there anything more motivating then getting a shout out from a teacher during class that you’re doing great?

3. You appreciate your off days much more when you feel like you deserve it.

After seven days in a row of class, you won’t feel bad about taking a rest day. In fact, you deserve it.

4. Showing up is actually the hardest part.

Pure Barre can be hard, don’t get me wrong, but actually getting myself to the studio is really the hardest part. Once I’m there, it’s easy to get in the mindset and start the workout.

5. Breathing is important.

I’ve been practing yoga since about 2008 and one of the things always emphasized is that breathing throughout yoga was the most important part. In PB, completely true too. Whenever I had a difficult time with a new exercise, I would focus on my breathing and matching my breathing with my movements. Whenever I focused on that, each move was much easier. It’s also a great reminder for my daily life. When things get hard, just keep breathing.

6. Shaking never felt so good.

If you haven’t heard, PB is all about the shake (about that shake, no treble-sorry couldn’t help it). While shaking comes when your muscles are fatigued, it’s also a reminder that you’re doing the pose well. And really, it’s that much easier to let your legs keep shaking when it means that you’ve got it right.