Barre in Pensacola!!!

The Saturday I returned from St Augustine/Daytona Beach Paul hit me up with some pretty big news, or at least big news by my standards, that Pensacola had a barre studio open up while I was away. My reaction was ‘WHAAAAAA???? REALLY???’ and I made him take me there so I could see it. I couldn’t just take his word for it. Actually, I am pretty sure I was googling it as he drove me to the location. Lo and behold there it was- the Pilates Barre in downtown Pensacola.

You may remember back when I was still living in San Antonio I started taking barre classes for a few months after a studio opened up by me. I used barre as a way to help build strength back in my injured leg after the half and build up some much needed core strength to help improve my running.  Barre also helped me fit into this dress…

 

Do you remember me freaking out about not fitting into this dress for Paul’s OCS graduation?

I got to my all-time lowest weight, hit size 6 (a size I hadn’t worn in probably a decade) and became far stronger than I could have imagined all while doing barre.

Needless to say, especially after returning from a trip filled with excess, I was really very excited to hear that there was now a barre studio open down here.

And since I have the world’s best husband and the most supportive friends I was immediately told that I needed to sign up for classes ASAP. Not because they want me to lose weight but because they know how much I loved barre and they want me to be happy J

After a rough start last week I finally (after some convincing, thanks DW) signed up for a class on Thursday. I was pretty excited, a bit nervous, a bit anxious, and a tiny bit concerned. Excited, because I know how awesome barre is. Nervous, because I was so out of practice. Anxious, because I felt so out of shape and really wasn’t thrilled about putting on my tiny little workout clothes. Concerned, well I was concerned because I didn’t actually think I would make it in time from work to class- it was pretty close too. The class started at 5:30 and I think I was there by 5:27.

But luckily Heather, the owner and instructor, knew to expect me and waited for me to arrive and get changed. She didn’t make me feel rushed either. It was nice. What I would shortly learn is that everything Heather does is for the benefit of the student; how she conducts class and her business shows you that. Being in her class was fun. She is warm and welcoming and really knows how to make 50 minutes of Pilates/barre feel like 5.

The class was tough but it was about what I expected. I had some issues with doing the side plank push up/dip stuff but that was not a surprise- I suck at those. There were definitely times when I could still feel how weak my left leg is compared to my right and although those moments were difficult it made me thankful to be doing something that will help fix that. Heather’s class was tough but not over the top insane. She’s trying to ease us all into barre, as it is something most people have never done before, which is awesome. It’s a nice way for me to reacquaint myself with it.

Overall the class was great.  As soon as it was over I signed up for the one month unlimited membership.

And here is a little plug for the studio in case anyone reading is local. Right now the special price for the one month unlimited package is $99 (normal rate is $175, I think) which is freaking awesome. BUT, even better, if you sign up for a one month package by 6/21/13 then your next one month will also be $99.

How cool is that? She is really trying to grow her business but also help out the people who were there in the beginning. It’s definitely a win-win for me J

She even had a special event that evening called ‘Belly Up to the Barre’. After class we hung out and had some ‘skinny’ cocktails Heather prepared for us.  She made vodka infused with raspberry, peach and mint and mixed it with some tonic water. It was super light and refreshing and a great way to relax and socialize after class.

During our cocktail hour I got to talking to Heather about some of her Pilates machines and the private sessions she offers. I have always wanted to try out a Pilates reformer but usually private sessions are a bit too pricey for me. BUT, Heather is awesome (and her rates are super reasonable, comparatively) and after talking with her for a bit I was convinced it was something I wanted to try. So, I went ahead and signed up for a private session. I went this past Saturday, actually did barre class and then a session on the reformer, but I think I will save that recap for the next post.

But I will say that it was awesome.

And that I have another reformer session booked for after barre class tomorrow.

I’m kind of hooked.

Oh, and I should also note that even though the barre studio is new, Heather is an established Pilates instructor here in Pensacola. She just moved into a new space and decided to introduce barre into her repertoire.

I am so lucky she did J