Week two - where did the time go?

Week two flew by without any time to blog.

Facts: only made it to four classes this week (but also made it rock climbing one day and to spinning three days).  I should admit some of it was because of my schedule, but a lot of it was bc of limited hours at the gym.  Because of Christmas and New Years, this is going to happen again this week.

Realizations: I no longer have to tell the instructor I'm wicked new - I'm starting to blend in, but still getting plenty of feedback from the instructor (which I want).

I'm getting better at a lot of things we do in class - I've made it all the way through the three sets of thigh work, embracing the shake, more than ones.  I've made it all the way through a few planks, and I've started doing push-ups on the ball of my feet again - I can't get through all 20-25, but I'm working on it.

And something really interesting happened: I caught a look at myself in the mirror, and I think I can see some changes.  I'm not totally sure, but we'll see.

Sorry to keep the feedback on week two so brief!

Week three begins tomorrow, and I'm very excited to see where it goes.

Breakthrough day!

Remember how I wondered whether it was OK to go to barre for a third day in a row?  Well today was day five, and apparently it was!

Woke up to snow (which I love - it means SKIING!), got to wear my new knee high grippy socks (seriously never taking them off), and I'm growing out short hair and I was able to pull my hair into a pony tail with the assistance of a headband (MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH!).  Despite those three joyous realities, I was staring down a Saturday morning class which meant a more crowded class and more *intense* barre people who have crazy good bodies and know all the moves because they've been doing it forever and frankly are barre goddesses, which frankly had me a little nervous.

First breakthrough - I didn't introduce myself as new.  I hadn't had either instructor before, and I was running a little late so there wasn't really time to introduce myself, but I'm starting to understand the class structure and I think I have an OK grasp on what's going on.  I've also noticed that the instructors adjust EVERYONE, so now that not everything feels new, I felt like maybe I could just sneak in and see what happened.

Second breakthrough - I made it through the first plank of the class - I haven't made it through that one yet.  I used to be much better at plank, but failure to do it for a while kind of impacted that negatively.  But, I made it through!  And it wasn't even so terrible :)

Third breakthrough - I embraced the shake!  I wasn't able to get through *all* the sets of exercises without taking a moment to reset, but I made it through more than I did the day before, a few sets without taking *any* break.  AND, I even was able to take a few "challenges" (i.e. option to take the L-position) for the first time.

I left class today feeling totally different.  I got adjusted about 1,000 times, but like I've said before, I have *no* problem embracing that.  I left class feeling confident, feeling like my body was strong and like my mind was stronger.  My goal in doing this for 30 days was to make a commitment and stick to it, and to focus on something.  I'm definitely sticking to my goals.  Having said that, I couldn't be happier that tomorrow is a rest day :-p

Day Four...

So this week I thought I worked out "the perfect crime."  I discovered that during the week there is a 10:45 AM class at The Bar Method studio that I attend regularly.  So, why does this matter?  Well, 10:45 isn't usually a crowded class at any exercise studio - and this was no different.  That meant extra attention from the instructor which I crave - I want to learn to do this right and not pick up any bad habits.

So when I went to sign up for my Friday class I discovered - no 10:45 AM class!  I wasn't terribly happy about this realization, so I signed up for the 9:30, which can be a busy class out in the 'burbs.  This was no different, but once again, I dutifully informed the instructor that I was new and I lovvvve feedback.

Then I did my favorite thing (which I need to stop doing) and bought some new socks in the lobby of the study.  I loved that they said "Shake it shake it" because that's something I need to learn how to embrace, but am having a lot of trouble doing.

I toughed through class - embraced the shake to the best of my ability and set the goal of not taking breaks during sets that are "just too hard to get through."

I'm seeing definite improvement over the beginning of the week - but I think that's mostly familiarity with the class and the moves - which frankly feels very good.

Rewarded myself after class with a trip to Lululemon to buy a pair of over the knee grip socks (come on - how am I supposed to go to class in the snow during the winter in New England without the correct socks?)

About 12 hours after class ended I was laying in bed kind of sore wondering whether I was completely crazy to be registered for class again at 9:30 Saturday morning?  Was three days in a row of barre just too much? Well, since I was past the time for late cancel (see a trend here - although I'll be honest I also use it to force myself to go to workouts) I was going to have to find out.

Third Day of Barre This Week

So....

Here's the story... I accidentally signed up for two classes tonight at FlyWheel... sort of.  I signed up for a FlyWheel indoor cycle class and I also signed up for a FlyBarre class.  My goal was to cancel one - but I didn't cancel before the "late cancel" time - and ended up doing an indoor cycle class followed immediately by their own special approach to barre.

To start - this was my first indoor cycle class since catching the worlds longest lasting cold about 5 weeks ago.  I thought I was going to die, but I still ended up doing OK, so I guess that means I need to work harder than I have been lately.

Immediately following I headed into the FlyBarre studio (OK, I used the ladies room, changed my shirt, and then filled up my water bottle first).  FlyBarre is a lot different than my Bar Method class.  It definitely has rhyme and reason, but I can't quite make heads or tails of it.  Here's what I do know (a) it was hard and I had to take way too many breaks, (b) the music is WAY better than at Bar Method, and (c) I actually had a lot of fun even though I spent every minute of the class wondering how much longer I had to go.

Here's what I learned: barre and spin totally go together - but I'd rather do it in the opposite order (barre first, then spin).  Also, barre is totally changing my posture.  It's been less than a week, but it's making a difference.

Looking forward to doing my Bar Method class tomorrow, even though it's going to be stupid cold and my leg warmers haven't arrived yet (yes, I'm turning into one of *those* people).  I'm also really curious what four weeks of this challenge is going to do because one week has made some notable difference - not specifically weight loss or lost inches, but a definite improvement in posture which is HUGE!

Also - random aside - does this class count toward my 20/30 challenge? Or do I have to do all 20 classes at Bar Method?

Is it possible?

it was only day two and I may have experienced some physical improvement already. A few hours after class I was walking from work to pick up some lunch and I noticed my posture and stride felt a little different. I felt taller and a little more purposeful, I felt good.

I'm not sure if it was all in my head or if some benefits of class are starting to creep in, but I like it.

Today's class has a different instructor. She was amazing and offered tons of helpful feedback -
I'm definitely looking for her again in the future! Also - another newbie in the class and I bonded which I totally didn't expect.

It's currently "day 3" and because of some work and other commitments I had to take a rest day. Tomorrow might be a rest day too if things get crazy. I don't like when this happens. I still have 18 classes left to go and only 27 days to do them, gotta keep my eyes on the prize!

Day 1...

It begins.

At first I was worried because there was a threat of snow (you know, and the threat of doing something scary which would result in sore muscles).  Maybe today wasn't the day to begin the big challenge.  Lucky me, it was raining when I got up!  I was sore from rock climbing the night before, wouldn't that impact my ability to do all the scary barre moves?  And, I couldn't cancel because I missed the window of opportunity to cancel without incurring a charge.  Not a lot of options but to go to class (trust me, I went through the full excuse Rolodex).

This is me, looking for an excuse the night before.  Seriously, was really doing some of my best excuse finding.

Despite the best intentions, I didn't give myself enough time to get to class super early - I wasn't late, but I wasn't early enough to take my time and get my bearings.  I promptly walked up to the instructor and said "Hi, I'm Nina, this is my second class, and just to be very clear, I'm totally overwhelmed."  The instructor laughed and told me she'd make sure to keep an eye on me and not to worry.  

The next 60 minutes were something of a thigh shaking blur.  Every muscle in my body ached.  I listened to the cues from the instructor and did plenty of looking around to see what everyone around me was doing.  The instructor was awesome, she did keep an eye on me and gave me tons of feedback (which I needed and appreciated).

Class ended, I made it home, and everything is already sore.  This presents an issue... I have to take this class again tomorrow.  It's all part of the 20 in 30 challenge!  

Am I going to make it?  Tune in tomorrow for another update.

It all started by signing up and giving them my money

So that's not exactly true.  It all started when I bought a ClassPass last month.  That's also only sort of true.  I've always been curious about barre, but I've never been interested enough to try.  Why?  First off, it's terrifying.  Second, I'm an athlete, I love running, biking, lifting heavy weights, a workout where you aren't left dripping with sweat just isn't my calling.

But for ClassPass, I may never have tried it.  I purchased a ClassPass, totally enticed by their intro offer and a desire to take a couple of classes at a posh studio near work (holla FlyWheel!) which would cost more than the intro offer at ClassPass.  Well, a cold that lasted three weeks took almost all the joy out of that intro month and I was scrambling to find classes to use up my membership and take advantage of all the cool stuff that was really available.  That meant taking two barre classes.

The first class I took was at FlyBarre - it was a lot of fun, I loved the instructor, the music was great, and I would totally go back.  The next day I was sore, but this was nothing compared to the class I took a few days later at The Bar Method.  I was in over my head from the start, but the instructor was patient and even though I didn't get the heart pounding workout of my dreams, absolutely everything was a challenge, and the next day I was super sore.

I wrote barre off as "not for me," not because it was hard, but because I really love indoor cycle and running and CrossFit.  However, an email popped up in my inbox a day later telling me I was still entitled to buy the intro offer for one month of unlimited classes.

I've been so unfocused with my workouts since I left my CrossFit box and then caught the never ending cold, and I needed something to provide some direction.  With that in mind, I signed up for 30 days of unlimited classes and told everyone who matters (those in my immediate circle who are likely to hold me to task) that I was taking 20 barre classes at The Bar Method in the next 30 days.  I'm not sure if that was a good call or not, I'm terrified, but I'm going to give it a try.

To be fair... I'm not *just* doing barre for the next 30 days - I'm still going to run once in a while and I'm also going to continue with my Sunday night rock climbing, and I might still throw a random class into the mix to keep mixing it up.  Either way, I'm curious to see what barre will do for me.  Feel free to follow along as I see if I can do this!