This article has been syndicated to Her Campus from Prep Essentials, an InfluenceHer Collective member. Read the full post here.
Towards the end of last summer, I was feeling really frustrated with exercising. No matter how often I went, or how long I stayed, I was simply seeing zero results. Having played team sports all of my life, after high school ended, I struggled to find a workout routine that genuinely worked for me and my lifestyle (rather than just going through the motions).
Group fitness classes never truly appealed to me—I always found them really intimidating, often insanely difficult to the point that one class was enough to scare me off, and nothing ever stuck. A lot of my friends in Louisville are HUGE fans of Pure Barre (a lot of them are actually instructors!) but those intimidated me as well.
Finally I decided it was time to suck it up and try again. I found a Gilt coupon for a month of unlimited classes at the Pure Barre Old Town location, and gave it a shot. The first day... I was sore the minute I walked out of class. In the best way. I felt like I had really accomplished something. Since then, I've purchased an annual membership, and it is the most consistently I've ever stuck with a workout since high school—and the best part is, I only dread it about 1 percent of the time!
I've had a lot of friends ask me whether or not Pure Barre is really worth it, and I always reply with a very strong, "Absolutely!" Given how many people seem to wonder about this though, I thought it might be helpful to do a quick pros and cons list for all of you now that I've been attending for about seven months!
Pros
1. You can see and feel the difference in your body very quickly
It wasn't anything to brag about, but I could definitely tell within about two weeks of consistently attending that there were subtle changes in the shape and tone of my body—and I could feel myself getting stronger too! The more I went, the stronger I got—and it was the biggest motivator I've had in years! Important note: It takes at least five classes to truly get the hang of it. You will feel confused, the pace is fast, and it won't be perfect. But you will get there, and it's such a satisfying feeling when you do!
2. The class length and convenience
Class only takes an hour, but you use that hour to the absolute fullest. I always walk out feeling accomplished (and already sore), but I never feel as if I didn't get a good enough workout in. Time well spent, without taking up your entire evening.
3. The instructors
Obviously, every location has different instructors, but from what I've gathered, they're all amazing. They do such a great job of motivating you, helping you adjust certain moves if you have an injury that needs accommodating, and they actually get to know you personally, which ends up being very motivating!
Read the full post here.