Reflections on Teaching Pilates and Barre Classes

Tags

Barre, Pilates

I’ve now taught 4 sessions of pilates/barre classes (started my 5th two weeks ago), so I thought I’d do a check-in on how it was going. Teaching pilates and barre classes have been one of the greatest things about my last year. While I haven’t loved the 5 am wake up call (especially in the winter!), my Tuesdays and Thursdays are better for it!

These classes feel different to me than a regular early morning work out. Because both of these classes involve the mind-body connection, they feel incredibly grounding. To spend an hour focusing on my breath as I cue others to connect their minds and bodies as they exercise is energizing and peaceful to me at the same time. Even though I wake up over an hour earlier on the days that I teach, I tend to have so much more energy on the days that I teach.

Barre is especially awesome with the playlists that I have. Here are some examples: Playlist 1 and Playlist 2. Listening to those playlists from 6-7 in the morning really gets my heart rate up!

I love the energy that the students give off too! The little groanings they give off when they take a break, but then continue to push themselves forward inspires me, and I appreciate how much they give to class! This last session I’ve had my hardest working group of people yet, and they’ve really improved greatly, and I can tell that they’ve gotten so much stronger!

It’s been great to see how I’ve improved too, and how much more comfortable I’ve gotten in teaching and stringing the flow of exercises together! It’s sort of funny to think that a year ago, this wasn’t really even on my radar, and I’d never even taken a barre class!

I also love that I get paid to work out. Now really I walk around and correct the students positions quite a bit in class, but there are some things that I do the entire time with them (like the warm up, cool down, and cardio sections in barre), or at least do the first few reps with them. It’s kept me extra flexible and strong through half marathon training!

Most of all I’m just thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to get paid to teach something that I really love and believe in to others! It’s great to see their life benefit too!

Here are a few other posts about my journey in the instructor process:

• Pilates Barre Instructor Training!
• A Barre Class Left Me Shaking
• Initial Thoughts on Teaching Pilates Mat & Barre Classes
• Teaching My First Pilates Class

Now it’s your turn to share! Do you have a reflection on some aspect of life lately?

Looking for more ways to connect?

• Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
• Find me on ‘Bloglovin

 

Grace and Gratitude

Tags

Barre, Mental Health, Picture, Thankful

I shared this quote at the end of my cool down song yesterday morning during my barre class, and I thought I’d share it here today:

It’s so simple, calming, and healthy. If you sit with your eyes closed and focus on deep breathing, say “inhale grace” as you inhale and “exhale gratitude” as you exhale- try this a few times and see how you feel!

I think infusing our lives with grace and gratitude would lead to much healthier relationships (with ourself and with others) and lead to much more peace for each of us- don’t you agree?

Now it’s your turn to share! What does this quote mean to you, and how can you apply it to your life today?

Looking for more ways to connect?

• Connect on twitter @kalolainastar
• Find me on ‘Bloglovin

 

14 in 2014 Challenge First Quarter Update

Tags

2014 Challenge, Barre, Biking, Exercise, Pilates, Race, Racing, Running, Thankful, Walking

Happy April (and Happy April Fools’ Day). Did anyone play any good pranks on other people? I don’t play pranks on people now, but when I was little I did stupid little things (screaming about a huge spider in the bathroom was one that I’m embarrassed to think about. haha). Since we’re now through the first quarter of the year (WHAT?! How did that happen?), I decided to do a “14 Challenges in 2014” Update.

I challenge myself to run 200 miles. I’m at 60.3 miles for the year, which has me right on track with about 30% of my mileage done.

I challenge myself to walk 275 miles. I’m at 74.8 miles for the year, which also has me right on track with a bit over 26% of my mileage done for the year.

I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. I’m right at 237 miles for the year, which also has me just over 26% done for the year. All of those miles have been done on my bike trainer, and most of them were spent studying for my big test I took in mid-March.

I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. I am starting to think that it might be difficult to get in 75 total hours for the year, and I don’t want to push myself to do it just because I HAVE to, and then get burnt out on it. Either way I’ll end up pretty close. Right now I’m at 17.5 hours for the year, which puts me at 23% done for the year. Obviously this doesn’t even put me at the quarter mark. Like I said, I had no idea how many hours of pilates I did each year, so I just chose a random number.

I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. This one has been REALLY easy so far, and I’ve clocked a total of 100 minutes for the year, putting me right at 40% complete! I guess this winter just called for lots of planks?

I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person! So far I’ve done 4 virtual races, but I have my first “in person” race of the year coming up soon! I’m on track with this for the year!

I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. This one has been so fun! I’ve read 6 full books and half of another book so far this year. I’m doing great with this goal.

I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. This one I finished at the end of January when I got rid of 54 or 56 (I forget which)

I challenge myself to continue to be present. Am I present every single moment of every day- no, but I don’t think that’s fully possible for most of us! But being present has really changed my life, and I’m continuing to enjoy this challenge!

I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). Yes! I’ve written it down twice a week, and am really enjoying it. I even started a gratitude journal outside of this blog, and it’s great to have a hard copy I can flip through.

I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I found a plan online (it’s this one if you’re interested) and have been following that. I don’t necessarily exactly read what is outlined on the day, as sometimes I get ahead or behind (and then have to catch up). I’m right on track where I should be at this point in the year though.

I challenge myself to publish an article this year. I haven’t published it yet but I’ve written it and it’s gone through a few rounds of revisions now! On my way…

I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. YES! This one has been so much fun, and I’m loving the relationships that I’ve either strengthened or built over the last three months.

I challenge myself to be brave. Oh yes! I wish I could write blog posts about this, but at this point I can’t so much. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, overall, I’m pretty much on point with where I “need” to be for the year in each of these goals, although slightly behind with pilates. It really hasn’t felt like too much effort, but knowing these goals are out there helps keep me motivated. So, we’ll see how this next quarter goes–

Now it’s your turn to share! How are you going on your goals/challenges/resolutions etc… for the year? Is there anything that you hope to accomplish in the next three months?

A Barre Class Left Me Shaking {In A Very Good Way}

Tags

Barre, Exercise

This past summer when I became a barre instructor, I was able to take a class or two every week, and I loved it! Then I started teaching and stopped taking classes. I often do 15-20 minutes of the class along with students (I demonstrate every move and do the first few 10-15 reps with them so they can watch if needed, and then go around and correct form as they finish), but that’s it.

As this week is spring break (and they, therefore, don’t have class), I decided to do a barre class for myself! On Monday I headed into the studio, plugged in my ipod, and started playing my most recent barre playlist. WOW- what an intense workout! Seriously, barre workouts are amazing, and I really like that I can do them for myself 🙂 Definitely a perk of going through the training program!

After the planks and cardio section, my legs were already shaking! I hit basic releves in first position and was shaking so badly! Ahhh- hello muscles! Now I remember why students groan and glare sometimes when I yell “10 more”- I was yelling that at myself, but student me wasn’t so happy at instructor me!

I love that barre is a total body workout, and I love how intense it can be! The music definitely helped, and it was fun to sort of experience the class from the student end in the studio in which I teach. I did a full hour class, and by the end I was so happy to hit child’s pose and catch my breath for a minute! I think this class reminded me that, once I’m done with half marathon training, I need to get back to doing these classes for myself a bit more frequently.

It’s hard not to feel good after a barre workout! With the fun music and energy in the room, I almost always leave class feeling happy and excited.

Now it’s your turn to share! Is there a form of exercise that gets you really happy and excited? Have you ever done barre workouts? 

Playlist For Pilates Barre Class 2.0

Tags

Barre, Exercise, Music, Pilates

One thing that I absolutely LOVE about barre class (beyond all the awesome benefits), is getting to listen to an hour of music that’s fun (especially the music in the barre section)! I tend to shazam music as I’m listening to the radio, and then add them to a note I have on my phone. When I sit down to actually make a playlist, I have to figure out not only what songs are appropriate for the time segment, but I also need to make sure that the beat is appropriate. The entire process does take some time, but it’s quite a bit of fun. I’ve had some fantastic responses to this current playlist, so I thought I’d share it with you!

And here it is broken down by section:

Warm Up

• Say Something

Pilates Section

• Just Give Me A Reason
• Songbird
• Let It Be
• Demons (starting to pick back up the pace)

Planks Section

• Radioactive

Cardio Section

• My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark
• Cruise (just through the first minute)

Barre Section

• Cruise (after the first minute of the song)
• Let Her Go
• On Top Of The World
• Yeah That’s My Kind Of Night
• Wrecking Ball
• Dark Horse
• Stompa: Serena Ryder (I do flat back kicks to this song- it has a fantastic beat)

Cool Down

• Coming Home (Part 2)
• Gratitude

This playlist has a lot of energy though, which is perfect for 6 am class! I find myself thinking of the songs throughout the day, and I feel like it gives me energy throughout the work day, despite my 4:50 wake up call! If you are interested in another playlist, you can click here for another barre playlist.

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s one of your favorite workout songs right now?

Why Should I Do A Barre Workout?

Tags

Barre, Exercise

When I first started hearing about barre workouts, I was instantly intrigued. I danced pretty much my entire life until I hit college, so the idea of heading back to the barre was really exciting. I took a few classes early in the summer of 2013, and knew that I needed to become a certified instructor (which I completed in July of 2013). The place I did my training at incorporated pilates principles into barre training, which I really loved since I’m such a strong believer in pilates! I’ve been teaching barre class now since September of 2013, and have really been enjoying it.

Do you want a class that works muscles you don’t regularly use? Do you want a class where you work muscles from shoulders to toes? Are you looking for strength, cardio, and flexibility in one? Then this is the type of class for you!

source

Barre class will take you through a series of exercises and, as the name suggests, most of these exercises will be at the barre. Many of these exercises are rooted in ballet movements, giving you killer calves just like dancers have! Barre is made up mostly of micro-movements and pulses, which SEEMS like it would be easy but hurts more than almost any other exercise I’ve done! Your legs will be shaking (which is definitely part of the goal of these classes!), you’ll likely be sweating, and you’ll beg for mercy- all great components of a class!

Beyond being a great full body exercise, barre classes usually include upbeat and exciting music to help motivate you! As an example, you can see one of my barre playlists here.

If you have a barre class in your area, I’d encourage you to give it a try! It’s a great form of cross training, and will help strengthen lesser used muscles AND muscles that are critical for things like running and biking!

Now it’s your turn to share! Have you ever done a barre workout before?

14 Challenges in 2014

Tags

2014 Challenge, Barre, Biking, Exercise, Mental Health, Pilates, Plank, Planks, Race, Racing, Relationships, Running, Self Care, Walking, Wellness

I’ll be back tomorrow with another post about my trip to Ecuador… 

Last year I set 13 challenges for myself for the year, and I loved having these to push myself throughout the year. Why challenges? I want to give myself the freedom and room to take new paths for myself that may arise throughout the year. I like the freedom as well as determination that a challenge gives. So, because I loved it so much last year, I am setting 14 challenges for myself this upcoming year:

1. I challenge myself to run 200 miles. Again, I shoot very low, knowing that I get injured easily. I would love nothing more than to have 500+ mile years, but I know this isn’t practical for myself.
2. I challenge myself to walk 275 miles.  I enjoy walking, and used to walk much more than I do now. 275 might still be high, depending on how my fitness plays out throughout the year. I refuse to give up what I WANT to do just to meet a certain number.
3. I challenge myself to bike 900 miles. This would solidly mean the highest biking mileage I’ve ever done in a year before, so we’ll see if I can make this happen. I would be solidly happy with 700+ miles for the year.
4. I challenge myself to 75 hours of pilates. This is pretty much hardly over an hour a week, which I think is reasonable. I’ve never kept track of how many hours I’ve done pilates in a year before, so we’ll see how this one goes! I love pilates though and think that it’s incredibly beneficial for life. (I’m counting reformer, mat, and barre pilates here)
5. I challenge myself to 250 minutes of planks. I chose 250 minutes of planks last year, and I felt like that number was pretty reasonable. Instead of trying to go up (because…why?) I decided to keep it at a number I was happy with for the year.
6. I challenge myself to run 10 races for the year. Like 2013, these races can be in person or virtual, but I’d like at least 5 of them to be in person!
7. I challenge myself to read at least 14 books. Just like the books I read in 2013, I want them to be a mix of fun, health, and educational.
8. I challenge myself to go through all the clothes that I own. I almost feel like I’m cheating with this one since it was on my list from last year, but making it a challenge somehow made it more fun (and a little easier to part with clothes). I want to continue to make space in my closet for the clothes that I really wear.
9. I challenge myself to continue to be present. I talked about the benefits of being present last January, and I felt like it was really healthy for me throughout the year. This one is a huge priority throughout the year for me.
10. I challenge myself to continue to hunt for provisions and blessings (continuing to develop gratitude in my life). I will write down at least once a week what I am thankful for (I’ve officially started a specific gratitude journal for the year), and will continue to hunt throughout the week for the things I’ve been provided. I really feel like this makes a huge difference in mental health.
11. I challenge myself to read the entire Bible this year. I’m pretty sure that I’ve read it all in bits and pieces, but I’ve never read the entire thing in a condensed amount of time. This one will be an average of maybe 15ish minutes every day, although obviously there will be somedays that I’ll have to play catch up for other days that I’ve missed. This one has already been interesting so far.
12. I challenge myself to publish an article this year. 
13. I challenge myself to put more time and energy into friendships and relationships. This is something that I have really done in the past 3 months, and I want to continue to make this a priority in my life. This involves both keeping up with a few close friends from my past, current friendships, and maybe making a few new friends as well!
14. I challenge myself to be brave. Brave (or courage) is my word for the year, and while this probably deserves an entire post of it’s own, I thought I’d throw it out there anyways. I want to continue to push myself to be brave in any area of my life…

So, that’s it-my 14 challenges for the year. Obviously, like I mentioned on my final update for my 13 challenges, I am giving myself the freedom and space to take the year however it comes. I have no idea what the upcoming year holds, so I don’t want to make my goals to rigid. So- here’s to a great 2014 for my own personal growth, and it’ll be interesting to see how it all turns out!

Now it’s your turn to share! What’s a challenge for yourself for the upcoming year (or month or week- you can choose!)?

2013 in Review

Tags

2013 Challenge, Barre, Exercise, Half Marathon, Pilates, Racing, Relationships, Travel, Triathlon

On New Years Eve in 2012 I had a sort of bad feeling about 2013, and I just felt like something would be off during the year. Most of my year was pretty amazing, but 2013 also brought some pain and frustrations that I ended up dealing with throughout the year (with extended members of my family that I have no control of, but obviously impact me). I want to acknowledge and appreciate the year for all the good things in it, but I’m also not too sad to see 2013 end. Here’s how the year broke down:

January: The month started with a trip home after Christmas at my parent’s house. Low key, chill month. I was sick for a week, so not much happened. January is a relaxed month at work, so I had a lot of time to spend with my friends. I set 13 challenges for myself for the year. I traveled twice month.

February: This month I really started to talk about POTS on the blog, and I’m glad that I started opening up about this. I did the Sweet Cupcake 5k race this month, along with the Tackle the Miles 5k. This month I started to lead wellness groups on top of my 40 hour a week job, so that was a big adjustment with all the extra time involved (ended up being an extra 8-9 hours a week. This went until April). I started the month by talking about dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I traveled once this month to North Carolina for work, and it was nice to get some warm weather here. I watched every episode of Castle this month.

March: This month was fun as it ended with a fun week-long Spring Break trip in Marco Island, Florida. I did a St. Patrick’s 10k race, and I introduced the topic of boundaries. I traveled once this month.

April: This month I completed the Cherry Blossom 5k. When I think of April it’s all a complete blur, but I do think about the bombing at the Boston Marathon. I traveled one weekend in April to give a lecture.

May: May is a crazy month because we close out our year of clients, and it’s the start of summer vacation. I kicked off the month with my 3rd half marathon. I gave a lecture at the end of the month. I also visited my parents after work ended, and my brother in the Air Force was able to go home as well. I traveled twice this month.

June: I completed my 2nd sprint triathlon this month, which was lots of fun! I ended the month by traveling to Marco Island, Florida for vacation. I gave a lecture in another state, an that went really well. I traveled twice this month.

July: This month started with me still being in Florida, where I got to see the fireworks on the beach! In the middle of the month I did pilates barre training. The month ended with me being diagnosed with posterior tibial tendinitis. This month I gave a lecture at a very well known clinic, which was a huge honor. I traveled 1 time this month.

August: Birthday month! I did my two longest bike rides ever this month: a 33 miler and a 40 miler. In the middle of the month I visited a friend from a camp that I worked at back in 2005, and we had a great time! I ended the month with starting back to work after having the summer off! This month I started watching both Criminal Minds and NCIS, which I’m still working my way through currently.

September: At the end of the month I spent 2 days in Boston for work, and walked the  final mile of the Boston Marathon route. I ran the Color Me Rad 5k and had a really fun time! This month I finally got a bike of my own, and I loved going on rides after work! I taught my first pilates class this month, and have really had a lot of fun teaching since then! The month kicked off with a labor day weekend trip for my brother’s soccer tournament. I traveled 3 times this month.

October: This month wasn’t highly exciting. I traveled to North Carolina at the end of the month to visit friends, and that was fun! I set a new 5k PR this month in a race I was only running for fun. This month I watched my brother play his final soccer game of college, which was really sad for me to watch. It’s been a joy to get to watch him play 4 years of college soccer.

November: I started the month off with my 4th half marathon and finished it off with a 5k Gobble Wobble Race. I traveled for my brother’s pilot training graduation and for a lecture I did for a clinic and hospital. There were 4 trips I took this month. I also opened up a bit about how I started to work out with POTS.

December: I finally got my bike trainer and started to get some long rides in for the winter! I talked about 2013 in Running as well as Biking. I lost my first race, but it didn’t really bother me. I took 1 trip this month.

It looks like I took 20 trips this year, which averages almost two trips a month-whew! This year was one of the busiest of my life. I had so many fun times with friends and family members, learned a lot, challenged myself quite a bit, and overall really enjoyed my life. I’m thankful for all the provisions and blessings in the year, and for all the lessons learned. Mostly I’m thankful for the people in my life- it’s what truly makes it wonderful.

And here’s to a great 2014.

Tell me something that stands out about your year! 

Playlist for Pilates Barre Class

Tags

Barre, Exercise, Music, Pilates

When I first started teaching Pilates back in September, one of the biggest sources of stress for me was coming up with a playlist that matched the beats of the music for the beats that I wanted to do. There was a whole choreography process that took me a few weeks, and I ran through the class a few times in my living room. I thought from time to time I might share these playlists. This is the first playlist I came up with for my pilates barre class:

And here it is broken down by section:

Warm Up

• Take A Bow: Rihanna

Pilates Section

• Who Knew: Pink
• Titanium: David Guetta ft. Sia
• Footloose- Holding out for a Hero
• 300 Violin Orchestra: Jorge Quintero (just instrumentals)

Planks Section

• Rumour Has It: Adele

Cardio Section

• Can’t Hold Us: Macklemore

Barre Section

• Te Amo: Rihanna
• Bright Lights, Bigger City: Cee Lo Green
• Call Me Maybe: Carly Rae Jepsen
• Raor: Katy Perry
• Applause: Lady Gaga
• Stronger (What doesn’t Kill You): Kelly Clarkson
• Stompa: Serena Ryder (I do flat back kicks to this song- it has a fantastic beat)

Cool Down

• Blessed To Be A Witness: Ben Harper
• Blessings: Betsy Walker

This playlist clocks in right at 59.8 minutes. The funny thing is that now, when I hear a song from this list, I immediately start doing the moves that I have my students do during the song. For example, everytime I hear the song “can’t hold us” on the radio, I start doing jumpking jacks in my head. This playlist has a lot of energy though, which is perfect for 6 am class!

Now it’s your turn to share! What are a few of your favorite work out songs right now? How do you build a playlist? 

Monumental Half Marathon Training Recap Week 10

Tags

Barre, Half Marathon, Pilates, Running, Training, Travel, Walking, Weights

10 weeks from start to finish to train for a half marathon. My training felt less than ideal, and I certainly ran VERY low mileage. POTS throws a wrench into training. However, one thing I can say for myself- I stayed pretty balanced. I did strength training, pilates, and biked every week (except this past week- no biking because I didn’t want to accidently fall and hurt myself!). This balance led to some strong training, and I ran a great race (you can read the recap here). Here’s what my final week of training looked like:

• Sunday: REST
• Monday: 2.15 mile walk (fit in a workout at the airport!)
• Tuesday: 1.4 mile run, Best Body Bootcamp Phase 4, Workout A, & Pilates Barre
• Wednesday: REST
• Thursday: Pilates
• Friday: Walking around expo
• Saturday: HALF MARATHON: 13.1 mile run!!!

So, here we are, at the end of another training cycle. I’m not sure where I’ll go from here, but I know that I plan to continue staying balanced and biking, running, walking, strength training, and doing pilates and barre. I love the mix of exercises, and I think a balanced approach is what’s best for me.

Thanks for following along on my journey to my fourth half marathon!