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3 Ways to be Present During Your Next Workout
Something inside us craves a workout.
But getting ourselves to the studio or opening up our laptop for an online workout is only half the battle. The other half is doing the work. Let us clarify, not the ‘work’ where we’re robotically following cues from the instructor and letting momentum take over. Not the work we think we should be doing by someone else’s or the fitness industry’s standards. We mean conscious, self-motivated, work.
This is the work that takes effort beyond putting on leggings and getting to the studio. Beyond initialing your name on the sign in sheet. Beyond showing up to check the one-workout-a-day box that society has put permanently on our to-do lists. Hint: we can change this.
We mean the work of showing up in mind and body. Showing up for you, and only you.
How do you tap into your inner wisdom and ‘show up’ in class? We’ve rounded up our top 3 ways to do the work:
- Before you get in the studio or start an online workout, ask yourself why you’re doing it. Need time to yourself? Are your muscles are telling you they’re craving movement? Wanting to connect with your community? The reasons are endless—and they’re all valid. Your reason is your own, and that is enough.
- Be mindful of sensations in your body. When your mind starts to wander, try to bring awareness to parts of your body that are talking to you. Label the feelings. “My glutes are on fire.” “My right hamstring is tighter than my left.” “My breathing is shallow—let’s try a few deep breaths.” This is a judgement-free zone. Don’t judge your experience, but notice and label it.
- Remember, you’re surrounded by a community that has also decided to show up. Keep the focus on your experience in class, but share a smile (or maybe a grimace) with someone around the room. Recent studies have shown that exercising in groups can benefit you more than a solitary sweat sesh. Why not maximize the camaraderie and acknowledge the shared experience? Yes, everyone takes her own journey through class, but we all are all in the room together.
All this said, we’ll admit that sometimes we have those days where it’s—quite frankly—a miracle that we’ve even made it to class. We’re human.
But what if we challenged ourselves to dig deeper? Challenged our minds as well as our bodies? We’re challenging ourselves to stay present from the moment we don our spandex to that sweet, last, final breath of class.
If we’re lucky, we’ll share a smile with you from across the room.
We have workout studios nationwide! Find your local barre3 studio or start your a workout right now with a free trial of barre3 Online.
Something inside us craves a workout.
But getting ourselves to the studio or opening up our laptop for an online workout is only half the battle. The other half is doing the work. Let us clarify, not the ‘work’ where we’re robotically following cues from the instructor and letting momentum take over. Not the work we think we should be doing by someone else’s or the fitness industry’s standards. We mean conscious, self-motivated, work.
This is the work that takes effort beyond putting on leggings and getting to the studio. Beyond initialing your name on the sign in sheet. Beyond showing up to check the one-workout-a-day box that society has put permanently on our to-do lists. Hint: we can change this.
We mean the work of showing up in mind and body. Showing up for you, and only you.
How do you tap into your inner wisdom and ‘show up’ in class? We’ve rounded up our top 3 ways to do the work:
- Before you get in the studio or start an online workout, ask yourself why you’re doing it. Need time to yourself? Are your muscles are telling you they’re craving movement? Wanting to connect with your community? The reasons are endless—and they’re all valid. Your reason is your own, and that is enough.
- Be mindful of sensations in your body. When your mind starts to wander, try to bring awareness to parts of your body that are talking to you. Label the feelings. “My glutes are on fire.” “My right hamstring is tighter than my left.” “My breathing is shallow—let’s try a few deep breaths.” This is a judgement-free zone. Don’t judge your experience, but notice and label it.
- Remember, you’re surrounded by a community that has also decided to show up. Keep the focus on your experience in class, but share a smile (or maybe a grimace) with someone around the room. Recent studies have shown that exercising in groups can benefit you more than a solitary sweat sesh. Why not maximize the camaraderie and acknowledge the shared experience? Yes, everyone takes her own journey through class, but we all are all in the room together.
All this said, we’ll admit that sometimes we have those days where it’s—quite frankly—a miracle that we’ve even made it to class. We’re human.
But what if we challenged ourselves to dig deeper? Challenged our minds as well as our bodies? We’re challenging ourselves to stay present from the moment we don our spandex to that sweet, last, final breath of class.
If we’re lucky, we’ll share a smile with you from across the room.
We have workout studios nationwide! Find your local barre3 studio or start your a workout right now with a free trial of barre3 Online.
