Hey everyone! I just wrote an entire blog post and it disappeared, yes it disappeared. Ugh. I hit publish and poof - it vanished. Anyway, here's my attempt at the re-write!

How was your Memorial Day Weekend? Wherever you were and whomever you were with, I hope it was relaxing, carefree, fun and spent with friends and family. My weekend was sooo relaxing and much needed after a few very busy weeks and vacation. Isn't it strange how we sometimes need a vacation from a vacation?

Moving on, last week I was asked to check out Flybarre at Flywheel inside the Pru. I've actually never been to a Barre class even though I have a handful of friends that rave about it. I was skeptical at first because my preferred form of exercise consists of hitting heavy bags, lifting weights, and running. That being said, I always love to try a new workout and like I said, I've heard great things about barre!

Rachael and I arrived at the Thursday night "POWER 45" class taught by Ashley W. I was pumped to have Rachael join me. Side note: Ever since we started going to NBGNO last year, my girlfriends and I have been having more "fitness dates". A lot of times, we still get apps & drinks after class, but, it's still so great to get in a good sweat beforehand!

First things first, Ashley introduced herself to every single person in class. I thought this was a really nice touch and also important to figure out who might be a beginner or potentially injured/prone to injury. Class got going and there were no breaks... hence "power 45". We kicked off with a quick warmup of pushups and some dynamic stretching. After that, we moved right into each muscle group. I was surprised and happy to learn that the little 1-3 lb weights were only really used for the upper body portion of the class. Everything else either utilized our own body weight or the bar and a band.

My favorite portions of the class included the glute or "seat" as they call it and the ab/core section. All the pulsing and concentrated movements for the 'seat' really made my tush burn baby burn! The ab/core section utilized the band on the bar and was really fun! Not surprisingly, the toughest portion of the class was SHOULDERS! Man, those little 2lb weights really challenged my biggish/muscular arms. Working the stabilizing muscles is no joke! During this portion - I really had to focus and tell myself to ignore the burn in my shoulders. I actually broke out into a serious sweat - haha!

Throughout the class, Ashley moved from the front to the back of the room to ensure that everyone could see what she was doing. She also paid careful attention to everyone's form and made adjustments to us, when needed. The concentrated movements of Barre require proper form and posture in order to get the true benefit from the movement. Ashley did a great job!

All in all, I really liked the class and would definitely go back! It's extremely important to work all the stabilizing muscles and I left feeling a little bit 'leaner', if that makes any sense. I am looking forward to going back to the studio not only for another FlyBarre class, but, to also FINALLY try FlyWheel!! It's supposed to be amazing.

I hope you all have a great week! Here are my QUESTIONS for the day:

1. Have you ever tried FlyBarre?
2. Do you take Barre consistently, what improvements have you seen from it?
3. What is your favorite type of workout class?
4. Do you go on fitness dates with your friends?

PS: I was lucky enough to guest post on Burpees to Bubbly while Monique is in Italy! Today, I wrote about tips & tricks for healthy entertaining with a Mother's Day recap. Check it out!