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Tuesday, August 7

my obsession: pure barre! :)

ladies,
i have a little confession....
i'm obsessed with my new workout...pure barre!

i've talked about it so many times and i've gotten so many questions about it,

so i thought i'd share a little about pure barre with you all! :)

pure barre is a combination of pilates and dance that focuses on small isometric movements using tiny weights, a ball, and a ballet bar. between each strength set, there is a stretching set which helps create long and lean muscles.

the four strength sets focus on 4 key areas: arms, thighs, seat, and core

their key phrase is "lift, tone & burn",

and they own it.

instictively, you'd think that small movements have small results, but no....tiny movements are key. the smaller the movement, the bigger the results, the greater the burn.

in one of my classes, the instructor encouragingly said "if your legs are shaking and you feel like you're about to fall, push through it, and sink a little lower."

heh...if you say so...

each workout is done in socks on a studio floor. they offer 2, 3 and 5 pound weights, which sounds like nothing, but i promise you, even using the 2 pound weights, your arms will be burning!

you don't have to be in great physical shape to start, but you have to be mentally prepared to work hard. this is definitely not for the faint at heart. you have to be ready, willing, and prepared for a booty-busting working.

i love that pure barre is low impact.

i have terrible joint problems and so many exercices like running or weight lifting, leave me in a lot of pain. on the other hand, low impact exercises, like yoga, leave me feeling like i didn't work hard at all. there is minimal cardio: there's no running around or jumping, it's is very low impact and easy on the joints.

i love that pure barre requires focus.

i've mentioned before that i'm making a big effort to slow down in life and focus on one thing at a time. in pure barre, each exercise requires intense focus. i get sucked in to making sure my hips are tucked and my shoulders are back, and that i'm doing each exercise correctly. the instructors help correct your position and adjust to give you the best workout possible.

i love the results.
after one month of pure barre, i already feel stronger and can feel a difference in the way my clothes fit.

i'm not crazy about the price.

one weekend, my bestie told me about pure barre, and just like magic, the next monday morning, i got an email from Houston Tibits for a $50/month deal!meant-to-be!

so that was a great start. they have new-member deals, $100/month, $40/4 classes, but a standard rate of $165/month is a little steep for me. the bub-hub might have had a minor heart attack when i threw that out there in a casual convo.
oops.
needless to say, i might not be able to do it forever, but i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts! :)

i've completed my first month, and i can already feel a major difference.

i wanted to find a video clip to show you guys, and the best i could find was this clip:

if you're interested in trying pure barre, i would definitely recommend checking out a class.
[purebarre]
also, i've noticed a lot of pilates studios offer barre type classes, but under a different name, so if you do some digging, i'm sure there is a class in your area! :)

they also have dvds, which i'm sure are great, but because the technique is so important, and it is so much easier to focus on your workout when you don't have any distractions around you, i'd recommend taking a few classes before making that investment.

what do you think??
would you be up for trying it out?

Monday, August 6

a busy & refreshing weekend

you know what's better than a weekend full of friends and family?

ummmm...nothing.

bryce and i made the trek up i-45 last friday afternoon, made a stop at sonic for happy hour, waved to sam houston, sat in traffic, and cranked the tunes.
we arrived in coppell just in time for dinner at our favorite restaurant on the planet,

anamias.

followed by fro-yo with my mama and watching the olympics.

pretty solid welcome home if i do say so myself.

it also just worked out that my bestie a.k.a. the bride-to-be was in town!

holla!

so a trip to starbucks definitely happened.

have you tried the very berry hibiscus refresher?

my new favorite thing for sure!

and we might have made another trip to anamias...

it's not that houston is lacking in mexican food restaurants,

but for real guys,

nothing compares to our hometown favorite.

and we had some lost time to make up for.

even though our time with our families was short,

it was just what my heart needed.

we had a great time,

and maybe [definitely] ate too much food.

totally worth it.

how was your weekend?

Friday, August 3

it's friday!! :)

today is a fabulous day.

not only is it friday,

but last night, gabby douglass won the gold for the women's all round
[woohoo!],

soni broke her own world record
[holla!!],

and i get to see my family today
[yay!]!!

bub-hub and i are making the roadtrip up I-45 to the beautiful big-D,

and i am pumped!

we're pretty lucky to be from the same home town.

it makes trips back home twice as nice.

with so much to look forward to this weekend,
i had to find little things to distract me while i waited for the long days to pass.
luckily,
a few fantastic things happened this week.

1. super encouraging mid-day dove dark chocolate messages.
i usually rip into the chocolate too fast to make out the message,
but i've tried to practice self control and slow it down a bit.
trying to slow down seems to be a running theme in my life...hmm...coincidence??

2. fabulous, booty-busting workouts at pure barre.

i've just finished up my first month and i'm officially hooked.

3. my nectarine suffered a major injury in my lunch box.

poor thing didn't stand a chance being stuffed in a bag with an extra pair of shoes, notebooks and laptop.

what a tough [and super juicy!] little guy.

4. i've been downing chobani like a champ.

i'm designating myself a chobani gold medalist.

watch out phelps, i'm coming for you.

5. this week, my music selections have been all over the place.

have you ever just put your ipod on shuffle and let it go?

i was way embarassed by what i had on there.
as a side note,

on wednesday, i hear the usher song "scream" 6 times between driving to pure barre, during pure barre, and driving home from pure barre. 6 times people.

i love the song,

but really.

give pit bull a chance.