A Whole lot of Squeezing, Tucking, Lifting & Stretching Going On!

I'm looking down and I'm nervous!
Here's to New adventures!

      Lately, I've been stepping up my game just a bit when it comes to my workouts. You see, I've been a runner for 7 years now and before then, I had always done some sort of workout. In my college years, I took a class almost every afternoon and really liked it. But since I have become a mom, and a runner, running is all that I've done. I'm not complaining AT ALL. I love running. I will always love running BUT........oops, I mean BIG BUTT. That's right, BIG BUTT. Seriously, I'm not a spring chicken anymore and things are starting to move around and get a little flabbier. Is that a word??

Hamster Running...My Current Typical Workout.
3 Miles on the Treadmill

     I was blessed with a southern girl bootay....not that that's really a bad thing but it's a bad thing when you're in your 40's and don't work on it! So, my solution? I've joined a gym, I've started taking classes and I'm still running!

     And as luck would have it, I was invited to a Pure Barre Birmingham Blogger event last week and decided to go for it. I was REALLY nervous to go to this class. I had NO idea what I was in store for! It was absolutely AMAZING AND HARD all at the same time. Seriously, I've heard nothing but good things about Pure Barre classes but WOW. I was squeezing, tucking, lifting, stretching. Just WOW. Where have those muscles been for the last 7 years??

Pure Barre Studio
Homewood, Al. 

     Here is a breakdown of the classes that I've tried over the last two weeks so far.....

     Strength Training: LOVED IT! We used 8-10lb. weights, did lots of squats, ab work etc. I will definitely keep taking this one.

     Pure Barre: OMG. This class is not a joke. It's tough but it's really good! Every muscle in my body was shaking. Okay, this works and I'm a fan!

     Step Class: Hello. I've been running on a treadmill and on the road for 7 years. I am used to mindless activity exercising. THIS WAS NOT PRETTY. I needed a re-intro to Step 101 class first! I was a goof. I was a clutz. I was out of control frustrated. I left after 20 minutes and went and got on the treadmill. I needed to go back to my comfy spot. Clearly I've lost all of my exercising coordination over the last few years...however, I can still break it down on the dance floor though. ;)

     Insanity: Three Words: Hot Boy Teacher ;)))
The workout was good and I've got the endurance for this. I need to work on my sit-ups though. I have ZERO upper body strength so this was a great match for me. But that teacher...umm yeah. Bring on the muscle shirts and abs!

     This week I will tackling a Cross-Fit type class and taking on more of the Pure Barre classes....my buns have been pretty dang sore over the last two weeks but it's a good sore. Knowing that I will most likely NEVER be a hardbody supermodel, I just want to tone up and one day have visible abs! Is that too much to ask for?!?

      I'm going to start posting my progress....if I post it, I WILL work harder. My goal is to run in a sports bra IN PUBLIC next summer with confidence. Yiiiiiikes. I have Kara Goucher's runway appearance in her running clothes to thank for this bit of inspiration. So here goes....eeeeeeeeeekkkk!!!!

     This is my "oh my gosh. Am I really posting my flab on my blog look?". What's happening here?? If that's not motivation for me to get my butt to the gym, nothing is! The BEST part about this picture? My 11 year old son walking in when this was going down and he said..."Mom No. Just No". So there ya go. Reality Check. Thanks Kids. :/

     Stay tuned for more Pure Barre and workout updates...this is going to be fun. (At least for me anyways :)

Happy Running and Happy Working Out!