Watching the Sunrise While Working Out

Two weeks ago, I took the plunge and tried waking up at 6:00 to take a 6:30AM cardio barre class. I’ve been meaning to do it but I really need my sleep at night so I was postponing doing it. I finally bucked up the courage and got into bed at 9:00PM and waited till the next morning.

I woke up and it was still dark outside. Not a good sign because usually I just want to go back to bed when it’s dark. But I plucked myself out of bed and got dressed (workout clothes are not the warmest) and pulled on my sweats and a jacket. I drove over to the cardio barre studio and got my dance on! It was actually kinda cool to see the sun rise while I was sweating and burning calories. The studio has these big glass windows and we watched the sky change colors while we did plies and torso twists and bar thighs.

After class, I went home to shower and get ready for work. I had plenty of time to get ready but to be honest, I spent most of it sitting in bed debating whether to go back to sleep but instead just scrolled through my Instagram. At work, I was really awake for the first part of the day but the exercise inevitably wiped me out and after lunch, I was a bit sleepy. Ice tea lemonade definitely helped me through the rest of the day but I was exhausted!

I think it’s probably a combination of not used to being up so early and being a bit out of shape but that 6:30AM class was not my favorite. It wasn’t my favorite instructor teaching either. But perhaps if I’m ever motivated again, I might rouse myself at the early hour to work out in the morning!

Cardio Barre Revisited

As of two nights ago, my Groupon for my cardio barre classes was used up and I've been dying to go back. I thought I could be sneaky and buy the 10 class Groupon but the lady at the desk said that you could only use the Groupon if you were a new client. So now I'll have to start paying the actual prices and let me tell you, cardio barre isn't exactly the most affordable class to take. Single classes at $16 each and you can save a bit if you stock up but it's a lot of money to forgo in one sitting.

So I'm stuck dealing with this dilemma of whether to keep paying for classes or not. I really do love it and I'm positive I'll be able to push myself through however many classes I buy, and I need to make a decision soon since class prices are going to go up next month. I'm thinking of maybe buying 20 classes and that'll last me at least two months if I go twice a week. Maybe even longer since I start tutoring soon, if I pass my teach back tomorrow, and that'll cut down on my times to go to cardio barre class.

I've already gone to class twice this week and I'm thinking of maybe trying and advanced class soon. Maybe not...But I do know I want to go to class this weekend if only to swoon at the adorable instructor. *sigh*

How many classes do I have to go to to look like this?

Cardio Barre

I’ve been crossing things off my 22 Things List left and right! First a salsa class on Tuesday and today, I took my very first cardio barre class. It kicked my butt but I’m so happy I went and I can’t wait to go again!

Cardio barre is this new fad exercise class that’s taking over LA and it’s like ballet on speed. It’s fifty minutes of intense cardio that utilizes a free standing barre and incorporates some familiar ballet movies like plies, battements, and releves but done at a much faster pace. It’s one of those classes where you can really push yourself by lifting your leg a little bit higher, stretching a little bit further, just doing everything a little more.

I already know I’m going to be sore tomorrow but it was so worth it. It felt so good to sweat and doing something that was somewhat familiar to my body. I’m surprised I was able to do 50 minutes of cardio when running usually knocks the wind out of me after 20 minutes. I can’t wait to go again and maybe try out some of the other instructors, though I did love Sabrina. I wonder how hard it is to get cardio barre certified? I’d love to teach a class.

Cardio barre classes aren’t cheap either. I was lucky enough to find a Groupon where I bought five classes for $29. Usually, single classes are about $16 a piece. They give you a little keychain card that you scan and it keeps track of your classes for you. If you ever get the urge to do a little ballet while sweating like there’s no tomorrow, cardio barre is for you! Check out their website here!

This seems to be the default cardio barre picture everywhere...but this was one of the many things we did.