Pure Elements Barre Classes

Happy Wednesday!  I am so happy to say that.  Not because it’s “hump day” but because for the first time in a long time it actually feels like a Wednesday.

Things are starting to settle in and a normal day-to-day schedule is beginning to surface.  I could not be happier about it!

As some of you might have seen on my Twitter or Facebook feeds, I have really been enjoying my recent gym Life Time Fitness membership.  They have a large variety of group fitness classes, and I am determined to try as many as I can.  As much as I love the environment and energy of a gym facility, I do, however, miss my frequent trips to the barre studio in Orlando.

When we moved up here, I had no idea if there would be any type of barre classes accessible in my area.  I wrote about my disappointment to find out the nearest studio was an hour away, and I have Housewife Glamour reader Amanda to thank for introducing me to two studios within the thirty mile radius.  Thank you, Amanda!

Both are actually Pilates studios that offer a variety of mix intensity classes.  For those of you who are still wondering, barre is about an hour workout stemmed from Pilates, yoga and ballet.  I fell in love with the concept when I tried it out back in May of 2011 and later taught classes at two studios, five days a week in Florida.  To say I enjoyed the toning and stretching crammed into the hour would be an understatement. 😉

I am eager to try out any barre class near me, and first up on the list was at Pure Elements Pilates.

You can tell by the background that my first trip was back when we were living in a hotel.  I have to say, after a full three weeks of living there I do not miss those days.  Nothing compares to a feeling of home!  We are workin’ on it.

Bundled up and ready to go, I grabbed some pre-workout fuel found in a Premier Protein Vanilla Shake.  I am really enjoying their products!

It was very good, but I have to favor my favorite as Chocolate.  Chocolate trumps vanilla in almost anything in my book!

Feeling ready to take on the day, I picked my friend Yana up and we headed to the studio, located about twenty minutes away.

Pure Elements Pilates Studio

It felt good to get back into a studio again.  Oh, how I miss my classes and community at barre54.  By the way – shout out to Meghann at Meals and Miles for taping a show about your workout there! I loved it! 🙂

I had already talked to the woman at the front desk on the phone to let her know we were going to be taking class.  She greeted us at the door and welcomed us to the studio.

It looked like your typical boutique Pilates or yoga studio, painted in a cool color scheme, embellished with fancy light fixtures, and stocked with high-end workout clothing.

When I saw the lululemon sticker on the front door, I knew I would love the environment inside.  There is just something about these types of studios that is always so inviting to me.

Whenever I see a room covered in mirrors with a wood floor and a ballet barre, it reminds me of growing up in a dance studio.  It feels a little like home.

I did not have much time to tour before class, so I put my belongings into a locker and headed in to set up my station.

The class lasted just about an hour, and I became genuinely excited to feel the barre burn again.  Directly after class, I could already feel my legs shaking, specifically on my thighs and seat.  If nothing else, that is the tell-tale sign of a good barre class!

Being away from my studios in Orlando, I am now realizing how specialized my barre workouts were.  I have enjoyed taking barre at different places, but nothing has really compared to what I am used to.  The thing I missed the most at this class was a more structured warm up.  At the beginning of class we jumped right into exercises at the barre, or on the floor under the barre.  I have only been to two classes, though, so I am interested to see what happens at the third.

What I liked most about this studio was how much Pilates was incorporated into the workout.  Being a Pilates studio, I actually expected to see some moves I have not done before and that is exactly what I got.  I enjoyed the new versions of exercises that work the same muscles, and certainly felt the burn for the majority of the class.

Overall, the studio is charming and I ended up buying a package for five classes.

It sure beats trying to teach myself barre classes at the hotel!

Ha. You would love the looks I would get in the community gym room when I pulled out the pelvic thrusts and split stretches.  Usually, I got embarrassed and ended up going back to my room, which was not much of a success either.  Lack of space combined with animals crawling over me anytime I went to the floor gets a little frustrating.

Back to the studio I go!

Since I do have three classes remaining, I am looking forward to using them and would like to check out the other studio in the area as well.  For those of you looking for an intense workout using small isolated movements to tone every muscle of your body, I strongly urge you to try taking a barre class for yourself.

Say what you want about the low weight… they are not in any way for sissies!

Questions of the Day

• Have you ever tried any variation of barre?

• What is your favorite kind of hour long workout class?

Barre is obviously a favorite of mine.  After that, I also enjoy any kind of cardio-intense class like kickboxing or spinning.  I also enjoy group power classes that require weights, but I am dying to try CrossFit.  I heard it’s unbelievably challenging.  Bring it on!