ten things i learned during 100 pure barre classes

in april i earned my spot in the 100 club at pure barre asheville. that's 5500 minutes that i've spent at the barre! i was way too excited to sign my name onto the 100 club barre in the locker area and to have my name up on the chalkboard. 

i was also super excited to earn the coveted red sticky socks! PB sells socks in all kinds of fun colors, but you can only get red if you're in the 100 club. might sound silly, but i think it's pretty cool. 

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i've mentioned pure barre to you all several times, but i've never really talked about the experience in detail. so here are ten things i've learned during my time working towards 100 classes:

1. no one is judging you.  if you're new to PB it's easy to feel intimidated. don't worry about how you look doing something! the only person who will notice what you're doing is the instructor (because she's trained to help you get it right!). everyone else is going to be shaking in their sticky socks and way too busy concentrating on their own movements to notice what you're doing. seriously... i'm pretty sure a zebra could walk through the studio during class and i wouldn't notice because i'm too busy trying not to crumple to the floor. 
2. buy the socks.  i've only taken one class without the sticky socks and that was enough to make me never want to forget mine at home again. you will slide all over the place! buy a couple pairs and stash them everywhere. i try to keep pairs in my purse, car, and gym bag (and yes i still forget and have to borrow them way too often). 
3. get to class on time.  and on time is at least 10 minutes early. at the very least you've got to take off your shoes, put on your socks, sign in, and get all your equipment. you should really do a little stretching and it's always nice to catch up with your classmates and instructors.  **if it's your first class go earlier. you'll get shown around the studio and the instructor will go over some of the key movements and lingo with you**
4. don't be surprised if the instructor physically corrects your movement during class. sometimes it's hard to explain what you should be doing so if you're not doing it correctly the instructor will physically manipulate your leg or hips or whatever to the correct position. it's super helpful and i guarantee you'll notice the difference as soon as they do it. 
5. if the instructor does correct you, she's only trying to help you get the most out of your time at the barre. the instructors always cover the microphone when giving corrections to a single person. they aren't going to call you out in front of everyone, so relax and listen to what they're saying! 
6. pay attention! seriously, listen to what the instructor is saying! everything she says is designed to help you get into the right position and get the most out of your workout. pure barre is based on very SMALL movements so little things make a big difference. you need to know if your toes are supposed to be pointed or flexed, are you supposed to be flat footed, on your highest tip toes, or in between, etc. 
7. when they say to move 'just an inch' they mean it.  i'm not kidding. this isn't the kind of workout where bigger is better. you'll hear the phrases "make it smaller", "trace a circle the size of a dime", and "down an inch, up an inch" over and over... that's because it's important! if you can make the movement way bigger than everyone else, odds are you're doing it wrong!
8. dress the part. i'm not saying you need to go on a shopping spree at lululemon or anything. but you're gonna want some tights or crops that fit you well and that aren't see through when you bend over. form fitting clothing is best so that the instructor can see your lines and tell if you're doing things incorrectly. 
9. bring water to class. trust me. 
10. the instructors are amazing. so are your classmates. get to know them! make friends! cheer each other on! it's so great to see the same faces, check in with each other, and keep up with what's going on in each others lives. it creates a really encouraging environment and it's a really great thing to have. we cheer each other on and support each other. it's great to be a part of the pure barre family!

catch up!! 26.5 weeks pregnant

^^25.5 weeks pregnant^^

my symptoms:  i'm experiencing what i'm pretty sure is sciatic nerve pain. it's only on one side and it comes and goes, but i have to be careful putting all my weight on my right leg because when i'm stepping a certain way it literally can just give out because of the pain. and given my current state of imbalance, that's just no good :)

wednesday i woke up with a lovely patch of shingles on my face. that's the third time in two years if you're keeping up. as soon as i'm allowed i'm getting the zostavax, insurance be damned. 

weight:  i haven't weighed myself in almost a month. here's hoping i don't pass out when i see the number at the doctors office today. 

gender:  it's a GIRL!

maternity clothes: all the time minus scrubs, some dresses, and workout clothes. we'll see how long that lasts. 

movement:  she's all over the place. it's so fun and reassuring to feel her throughout the day. 

sleep: i still have back pain if i sleep flat, so i sleep on a slight incline and it seems to help a lot. i've actually been sleeping through the night!

cravings:  sweet tarts

what i miss:  doing unmodified workouts!

appointments:  glucose test today. please pray i pass. 

questions/concerns:  i feel like i've gained too much weight.  

goals for the week:  get outside and walk! the weather has been awesome!

achievements from the past few weeks:  we picked up the crib and got it put together! completed my 100th pure barre class!

22ish weeks pregnant

my symptoms:  i'm sick to my stomach again. it's not the all day every day sickness, just certain things and smells that seem to bring it on. G2 was on sale last week so i bought 12 bottles to get the best deal. the first bottle went down fine, but now anytime i drink them i get very nauseous. 

yesterday brad had some bourbon before the game (KY thing) and the smell of it made me want to gag. (the way UK played yesterday made me sick too, but i think that's a whole 'nother can of worms!)

weight:  last time i checked i'm up 15 pounds. i've stopped eating whatever i feel like [for the most part] and trying to eat better. not less, just better. more protein, fruits, and veggies. to be honest, this is a bit of a struggle for me. it's hard to just watch my weight go up. 

gender:  hopefully we'll find out on thursday. 

maternity clothes: i've been stealing brad's old t-shirts (he's lost so much weight that his current ones would not be very comfy for me!!). wishing it was socially acceptable to wear sweats and pajamas everywhere. 

movement:  still hanging out down low. maybe i just can't feel the higher movements because of where my placenta is, who knows. moves a lot more at night when i lay down to go to bed, which i'm sure bodes well for my future sleeping plans :)

sleep: this subject makes me grumpy. i've had several weeks of blissful sleep with my leachco pregnancy pillow, but now i'm having these crazy back pains. they're pretty intense and i can't seem to find a way to get comfortable once i have them. last night when they woke me up and ended up propping up 4 pillows and sleeping upright. i hope this isn't here to stay. i can only imagine these type of pains get worse as i get bigger, but DANG. 

cravings:  sushi [and while i know that certain kinds are perfectly acceptable for me to eat, it's not worth it to me to even try again. i did once around 10 weeks and made myself sick with worry after eating it. yes i know i'm crazy]

what i miss:  feeling in control of my body. 

appointments:  second anatomy scan thursday.

questions/concerns:  hopefully they'll have some suggestions to help with the back pain. 

goals for the week:  get the baby's room cleared out next weekend.

18-20 weeks pregnant

so we were supposed to find out the gender of baby m at week 19... but the little stinker sat breach and indian style pretty much the whole time. good news is that everything else looked great and it was so amazing to see that little face and everything else! we'll have another scan in a few weeks and hopefully the baby will be a little more cooperative!

my symptoms:  i've just felt really full lately. i've also had a weird back pain, but it doesn't seem to last long. 

weight:  i'm up 13 pounds. this scares the bejeezus out of me, but i brought it up with my doctor and she said i'm right on track. i feel like my hips are way more pregnant than my belly, but i think i've mentioned that already.

gender:  hopefully we'll find out in 17 days! 

maternity clothes: maternity clothes, scrubs, sweats, dresses, leggings... they're my faves. 

movement:  i was right about the baby sitting low! now i feel like it's a little higher. i do feel like i feel the baby more. my placenta is in the front of my belly though, so the doc said it might take a little longer for me to feel it.  

sleep: still loving my pregnancy pillow. i'm waking up once a night to head to the bathroom, but i'm getting really good at not totally waking up to do it ;)

cravings:  oatmeal cream pies, milk, toaster strudels, watermelon, strawberries, pineapples, water, water, water. 

what i miss:  diet mountain dew

appointments:  none this week

questions/concerns:  i want to ask my doctor about this back pain. it's only happened twice but dang does it hurt when it happens. 

goals for the week:  pick out nursery furniture

16 weeks pregnant...

my symptoms:  i'm still pretty tired in the evenings, especially if it's a work day. the thought of certain foods don't make me queasy, but they just don't sound appealing. there are a handful of things that are my standard fare and i stick to them to avoid stomach upset. my depth perception is WAY OFF. i've been bumping into things, knocking things over, etc. i'm a good driver/parker in general, but lately i've come back to my car and noticed i'm parked on the line or over it. so i've really had to start paying more attention!

weight:  i've been weighing myself every week and i'd been holding strong at +3 until last week. now i'm at +5, so i'd say that wonderful metabolism boost i'd been experiencing in the first trimester is starting to fizzle. like i mentioned here, healthy weight gain for me  is 15-25 pounds, so i'm trying to be mindful of what i'm putting in my body (trying is the operative word here). 

gender:  hopefully we'll find out on february 5th.

maternity clothes:  at work i'm getting away with scrubs and when i'm off i am mostly in workout clothes. my regular pants still fit, but sometimes they're just uncomfortable. i have two pairs of maternity jeans that i've started wearing when i feel really big (food baby + my baby). they're comfy but i hate the feeling that i always need to pull them up! my wonderful momma took me shopping while she was here and got me two beautiful dresses. thanks mom! oh, and those are maternity clothes in the picture (thanks Lauren for the shirt!). 

movement:  this week i felt a flutter in the same place three different times, while i was driving down the road. i'm pretty sure this was the baby, but not totally sure ;)

sleep:  i still can't sleep past 9 am at the latest. my back gets sore and i'm waking up once or twice a night. this wasn't helped by the crazy head cold i've had this week. i added two pillows (one to either side of my body) and that seems to help a little. 

cravings:  Sonic diet cherry limeades, sherbet ice cream, cheese sticks, Arby's roast beef sandwiches, pineapple and watermelon. 

what i miss:  i'm alright so far :)

appointments:  last appointment (15w6d) got to hear the heartbeat, and also heard the baby kick as the doctor was feeling around with the doppler! she said everything looked and sounded good. 

questions/concerns:  did any of you all fly when you were pregnant? we're hoping to fly to STL for brad's brother's match day and i'll be about 25 weeks. from what i've read it's fine, but i forgot to run it by my MD. 

goals for the week:  workout 5 days, walk the dogs on my days off, make healthier food choices.