{working out} – pure barre

As a new mom, my philosophy on fitness has changed, it is much less about a workout, and  much more about a  lifestyle. I want to feel strong and feeling good, and more importantly, I want to have fun no matter where I am.

It took awhile to get to this place and I appreciate it so much more now. I really struggled to get back to working out consistently last year, the exhaustion and lack of sleep really kept my energy down.

My little man is now 16 months old and I am feeling good physically. These days, I am fitting into majority (about 90%) of my pre-baby clothes. More specifically, my old pencil skirts that I wear to work.

I don’t weigh myself often, and I don’t remember the last time I did. As long as I have energy to keep up with my toddler and I feel good and I am fitting in my current clothes, then that’s all the matters.

Last year was all about adjusting to my role as a working mom, and I did my best with the energy I had to stay active. Long walks with the stroller, short runs around the park and I did the a mile a day challenge between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. Being at the gym bore me and I just wasn’t motivated to do more.

As soon as I weaned from breastfeeding, I felt  a lot more energy and was looking for a new exercise to try and have something to look forward to.

In January, I bought a groupon for Pure Barre and see if it was how I remembered it. I did Pure Barre religiously back in 2010. One week turned into one month, and then after that, I signed up for the 3 month promo called “Bouncing Back after baby”.

I loved it and I kept wanting to do more and if I had the time and babysitter, I would have done it everyday.  I didn’t mind the 6am class, mentally I was ready to get back to it. I managed to do 2-3 times a week and I saw results. I also cleaned up my diet right after the holidays so that helps a lot with results too. I always believe that if I don’t have time to workout, I can always do better in my eating habits.

I remember after a tough class, I was sweating and really proud of myself for getting thru it, getting the burn and not giving up. I wanted to sit down and write how I was feeling, so I can use the post as a my motivation for days that I needed it.

So this blog post has been drafted in my head since January. Doing Pure Barre was more than just a workout, it was more than that, it was time spent taking care of myself. It helped gave me balance that I needed to thrive in my role as a wife, mom and worker. I definitely found myself a more patient parent after I’ve had some time to myself.

I have Pure Barre to thank for helping get started again and see the big picture. It made me love working out again and changed my mindset and prioritizing things that are important to me.  Pure Barre helped  me realize that I’m not just doing this for me, it’s also for my little man.