Pure Barre 100!
100.
This is the number of Pure Barre classes I completed today. This number represents 300 thigh sprints, 700 minutes of ab work, and 9,000 seconds of holding plank!
But for me…this 100 represents so much more! This 100 is…100 times I showed up for myself, 100 times I got dressed and made a class when life was beyond busy, 100 times that I pushed my body past its limits, 100 times that I surprised myself with my strength, and 100 times that I TOOK THE TIME to be the best version of myself for my health…both in body and mind.
Find something that makes you tick and challenges you ladies…find the physical activity that you WANT to show up for…and then show up for YOURSELF.
And a BIG shout out to the owner of the Hendersonville Pure Barre location, Ashley Branch! Her puppy Wells is the sweetest, and she has created the most positive and encouraging fitness environment a gal could ask for!
Cuttin’ Grass, Cuttin’ Calories
It’s not a secret to anyone that knows me, that I am without a doubt, a CLEAN FREAK! I like things orderly…everything has a place, and there’s a place for everything in our home. Now, I am not without my messy little secrets…do NOT open my closet doors…it’s where things go to disappear into oblivion! BUT my house, for all intents and purposes, is normally pretty straightened, and honestly, I can’t function if it’s not.
I have a love-hate relationship with housework. I loathe cleaning day, but I love the smell of my cleaners (some organic, some not) and the look of a freshly vacuumed carpet…am I right?! I breathe in the crisp cleaned air and walk gingerly with my toes in the freshly tousled rugs until my husband comes home or my boys wake up from their nap…and then it’s back to toys thrown everywhere, shoes tossed haphazardly across the rugs, and remnants of snacks left on the counter and kitchen floor. As is life!
BUT on cleaning day, I do NOT normally make it to my workout class…because honestly, I am exhausted afterwards! Last week, I scrubbed the house, mowed the yard, pulled the weeds, sheered the bushes, washed all the laundry, and then collapsed on the rug in the living room when I was finished. I laid there looking up at the ceiling fan, and as the cold air lightly blew my messy hair off my sweaty face, I thought to myself…”How many calories did I just burn?”
I did some research and found out that housework is no joke folks! Although it’s not an adequate weight-loss program, it is indeed a good excuse to take the day off of your rigorous workout schedule…especially the yard work! Yard work is not just good for your waste line, but also for your mind. Research has found that there is something zen-like about pushing a mower and working with plants and trees…and I have come to love it!
Brian isn’t so happy about my new found love for yard work. This was the one chore that he actually liked to do, so for the past few weeks, we have been racing each other out to the garage to get to the mower first. Sometimes, he will slyly slip out of the house and say he is “going to work in the garage,” and then I hear the lawn mower start up! To play a joke on Brian…I even sent a text message to his friends who live in our neighborhood, the day that I cut the grass, and asked them to text Brian about how awesome the yard looked that day. After he received the first text, I found him outside staring at the lawn. Brian is as serious about his yard as I am about a clean house! We all got a good laugh to say the least!
SO here goes…a calorie breakdown of those oh so lovely housework chores:
- Mopping: 1 hr = 150 calories
- Washing Floors: 30 min = 180 calories
- Scrubbing the Tub/Shower: 15 min = 90 calories (And a good arm workout!)
- Vacuuming: 30 min = 120 calories
- Folding and Putting Laundry Away: 40 calories
- Washing the Car: 150 calories
- Cleaning the Windows: 30 min = 160 calories
- Painting the Walls: 30 min = 160 calories
- Moving Furniture/Redecorating: 15 min = 100 calories
- Mowing the Lawn: 1 hr = 250-350 calories
- Shoveling Snow: 1 hr = 400-600 calories
- Landscaping (laying rock, mulching, sodding, etc.): 1 hr = 400-600 calories
- Raking and Bagging Leaves: 1 hr = 350-450 calories
- Gardening (pulling weeds, planting flowers): 1 hr = 200-400 calories
I hope that all of my fellow ladies, mommas, wifeys, and leisurelings find this information helpful!
Even though most of us don’t look forward to doing housework, it helps a little to know we are burning some calories, right?! Maybe you didn’t make it to the gym or get to complete your daily workout, because life’s other “to do” lists got in the way today! Never fear…if you did any of the above…you can rest a little easier knowing that you were, in fact, not only productive around the house, but you also burned some calories while “doing life” today!
Have a terrific Thursday Leisurelings!
My Best, and As Always…
xoxo~ Tara Rae
***The calorie breakdowns above came from a large variety of sources…magazines, news publications, health publications, and fitness applications. While all breakdowns were relatively close, they were not exactly the same. I rounded the numbers in order to give the most accurate and consistent average. It’s important to remember, where calories burned are concerned, that both body weight and pace will always be a factor when doing any kind of physical activity.
Upside Down & Inside Out
When I was a little girl and went to the circus for the first time, I was entranced by the gravity defying aerial acts…flipping around on ropes, wires, and ribbons…launching people through the air…I mean, what could be cooler?!
And finally, last night, I got to act out a childhood dream…I took my first Aerial Dance class! I had always wanted to go to a class, but quite frankly, I wasn’t so sure about it. I figured that I would spend most of the class falling on my face…but, like always when I try new things, my body pleasantly surprised me.
This type of exercise was like nothing else I have ever done! I got to stretch, swing, hang upside down, and spin (full disclosure, this Momma’s body has changed since having two kids, and I don’t do so well with motion-type activities anymore), 
but this experience was well worth the dizziness at the end of class! Not only did it challenge me physically, but it also gave my body a much needed alignment and muscle stretch. Also, it’s a very “pretty” type of exercise…the poses make you feel dainty, graceful, and feminine.
And of course, having awesome ladies to try this out with is always a plus! By the end of the class, when I wrapped up inside my ribbon cocoon, I had a huge smile on my face…it’s so liberating to do new things, especially something that you have always wanted to try!
Am I going to turn into a professional Aerial Dancer? Umm, yeah no, that’s not going to happen…but for an hour last night…I pushed my body 
to do things it never had before, I had a LOT of laughs, and I got to do something that was on my fitness bucket list.
So I challenge you Leasurelings…push your body and do something physical that you have ALWAYS wanted to do! What’s on YOUR fitness bucket list?! Happy Friday!
My Best, and As Always…
xoxo~ Tara Rae
Meet Me @ The Barre
Happy Thursday Leisurelings!
Today I got my booty lifted, toned, and burned at Pure Barre class! Full disclosure…it actually kind of hurt to sit down on the toilet to pee after class, but that is the beauty of this workout!
I have finally found a workout that I am passionate about for so many reasons…the owner of the Hendersonville location, Ashley Clark, is a pure ray of sunshine, the 
instructors are amazing, the women who attend the classes are incredible…we really do have our own little Pure Barre community and it’s awesome! But most importantly…this is the ONLY workout I have done (and trust me, I have tried basically every kind, or some version, of every kind out there). So I repeat, this is the ONLY workout I have ever done that is so perfectly designed for a woman’s body that it’s kind of mind-blowing. And when I say woman…I mean EVERY woman…no matter body shape, size, height, age…none of that matters, once you enter those doors, we are going to feel that sweet pain together, and we are all going to get results!
Now I’ll be honest…when I started, I fell on my butt more than a couple of times trying to get my balance, and I struggled as I tried to use ab and leg muscles that I am pretty sure have never existed inside my body before now. My limbs were shaking like a 9.0 earthquake on the Richter Scale…which I later learned is actually what you want your body to do, so I was rocking that part of the workout even though I looked pretty silly in the mirror with my legs bouncing up and down like a jackhammer.
Then one day, everything just clicked. I learned how to isolate my muscles and could control and manipulate every muscle inside of my body…I was using the smallest movements, but creating the biggest impact. Also, my balance and flexibility increased so much in such a short period of time, I was amazed. I remember the first-time an instructor said, “Now slide into your best split stretch,” and I pretty much just stayed standing up…even after a few weeks…I could almost do the splits again…”Hello there, Mr. Floor, haven’t seen you since my senior year in high school!”
Oh! And another HUGE first for me, my knees and back no longer hurt after exercising! The tucking technique and the slight bend we keep in our legs throughout the whole workout class protects my bad knees and lower back. I have had zero issues since starting this program!
After about three weeks, I started to noticed inches lost and muscles toned…I looked in the mirror and thought…was I going crazy or was this workout really changing my body this quickly?! But then I got all the confirmation I needed when I stepped out of the shower one day, and Brian ran into the bathroom to grab a roll of toilet paper. He stopped dead in his tracks, and said, “Whoa…your butt looks higher…nice!” Then he quickly grabbed the toilet paper and left. I turned around and looked in the mirror. He was right…my booty was lifting…no more could I fit a pencil underneath my booty and it stay there! Okay, am I the only one who has ever tried this?! I saw it on a movie once, but I digress…let me get back to the point.
The point is…ladies, if you want to get some crazy fast results and bring “the happy” to your booty, thighs, and abs…PLEASE do yourself a favor and go to a Pure Barre class! Even if you incorporate it into your other fitness regimens, I highly recommend doing it at least a couple of times a week…I promise you, you won’t be sorry!
My Best, and As Always…
xoxo~ Tara Rae