Went to Pure Barre yesterday to make up for my missed Saturday class. Man I was in need of that class! In more ways than one.
I was feeling flabby. My ass felt huge. My tummy looked like a giant muffin top. I was not feeling good about my body at all. I felt like shit. I have a cold that was beating the crap out of me. My head ached from congested sinuses. I was coughing deep in my chest. My back and ribs hurt from coughing. I couldn't sleep due to the coughing. My eyes hurt from the sinus pressure. All I wanted to do was lay down and close my eyes, even if I couldn't sleep.
But I forced myself to go to class with a smile on my face. I realized how weak my arms have gotten. I've spent the past year working on running and toning my lower half, that my arms have taken a beating. Not in a bad way. I just realize in PB class when they do arms, that I'm weak, especially on the side I don't usually carry the kid with. The at home DVDs don't focus nearly as much on arms as the classes do. And we only use 2 pound weights in class! And then at the barre I found my zone. I had to stop and regroup and go back into position several times, especially in the second and third thigh exercises. But by the time I got to butt and was staring at myself in the mirror, I was so far in the zone I didn't even notice the sweat dripping down my forehead, or the sweat drops pooling at the end of my hair. I snapped out of it for a second and noticed what a hot sweaty mess I was.
After the class, I realized just how calm and peaceful I was after the class. It felt like I'd taken a week long mental vacation. I was so relaxed and rested, even if my muscles were fatigued and tired. Mentally I was in a great place. I didn't feel the need to blare music on the way home to keep my mind occupied. I did turn it on but was so into the beat. Maybe I just focused so much on the beat during class that I was still in a trance? I took cough medicine with codine last night because I couldn't stop hacking. But I woke up with that same calm, usually I wake up foggy after taking that stuff. Yesterday I was jittery and my heart was racing almost like palpitations. I figured it was from the coughing and not being able to breath right. I really wondered if I should go to class. But now, that feeling is totally gone. I'm very focused today, and still have that calm feeling. And I'm feeling better too. Maybe I'm getting over the cold. Maybe it's still the mental clarity from PB class combined with getting better? Whatever it is, it's a great feeling!! Just proved to me how much I NEEDED that class.
Found a different barre class that is closer than Pure Barre. Might give it a try. It's called The Dailey Method. Want to do something this summer to kick my butt besides running. I'll still aim to run in the morning, but after work I want something. Especially since I have more flexibility in the summer with my work schedule. We'll see if I like that class. Reviews say it's not as intense as PB (less focus on getting the HR up) and that's one of the things I like about PB, the fact that I sweat 5 minutes in before we're even half way through warm up. But the drive to Desert Ridge is 15-20 minutes, compared to 35-45 to Scottsdale or Arcadia.
