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Beyond the Barre: Own Your Inch
Katie Schrier, owner of barre3 Atlanta – South Buckhead, has a saying: To own your inch. Read on to find out what it means and why it’s so important to her.
“There’s a new exercise studio in the neighborhood and it’s SO YOU!” A friend had said of the first barre3 studio. Yet as I stood outside the Pearl location and looked beyond the gauzy curtains to the sleek ballet barres, I wasn’t so sure. My lack of grace had dashed my childhood dream of performing in the Nutcracker. I didn’t need another failed attempt on my dance card. To ensure that if I looked clumsy, I’d at least look stylishly clumsy, I’d worn my new favorite top with my old favorite leggings for a class taught by Sadie Lincoln. As Sadie helped me get set up at the barre, she mentioned that she liked my top. I felt better already. Then she asked me to move one inch. I moved five.
If you’ve taken a barre3 class, you’ve experienced our signature three-step formula. Every exercise begins with an isometric hold to focus on building strength and reinforcing proper alignment. Then we layer on small, controlled one-inch movements to break plateaus and continue the benefits of a hold. To finish, we add large-range-of-motion functional movement to elevate the heart rate and increase blood flow.
As a beginner, it’s easy to get excited about the larger-range-of-motion movement. It’s satisfying to feel your heart pump as you do mindful, low-impact cardio-inspired moves. At first, that’s what I was most excited for too. I thought moving bigger and doing more was better—both at the barre and beyond it. In class, I believed large movement would help me get stronger and more fit faster. In everyday life, I thought accomplishing big things would make me happier, healthier, and more productive. Perhaps you can relate.
Everything changed when I committed to the inch. I began to see results, and I realized that it’s those minuscule one-inch movements, not the big, sweeping ones, that strengthen, sculpt, and lengthen our bodies. Although those inches feel far too minuscule to have any real effect, they pay off over time.
The same holds true in life. It’s so easy to set lofty goals: run a marathon, cook all your family’s meals using only whole foods, take five barre3 studio classes in a week. But inevitably, life gets in the way and those goals feel hopelessly out of reach. The first temptation, often, is to bag it and sit on the couch and eat pizza. But the barre3 approach has shown me another option: Take smaller steps—or as I call it, own your inch. Perhaps you sign up to run a 5k, get takeout from a healthy restaurant, or fire up a 10-minute online workout. Although these may not feel as glorious as crossing your finish line, whatever that may be, they’ll bring you one step closer. Even better: When you embrace the small steps, you’ll find that it’s the journey, not the final achievement, that makes you stronger.
The idea of owning my inch has great meaning for me both personally and professionally. It helps me remember to be true to myself, to listen to my body, to know my limits, and to do the best that I can given the situation at hand. My hope for you is that the next time you’ve got your sights set on a goal or accomplishment that doesn’t come to fruition, re-evaluate. Remind yourself that the actions we take every step of the way towards our goals are opportunities to make big changes, grow, and be successful. Think about the small steps you can take toward your goal, and put one foot in front of the other. Own your inch.
Katie Schrier, owner of barre3 Atlanta – South Buckhead, has a saying: To own your inch. Read on to find out what it means and why it’s so important to her.
“There’s a new exercise studio in the neighborhood and it’s SO YOU!” A friend had said of the first barre3 studio. Yet as I stood outside the Pearl location and looked beyond the gauzy curtains to the sleek ballet barres, I wasn’t so sure. My lack of grace had dashed my childhood dream of performing in the Nutcracker. I didn’t need another failed attempt on my dance card. To ensure that if I looked clumsy, I’d at least look stylishly clumsy, I’d worn my new favorite top with my old favorite leggings for a class taught by Sadie Lincoln. As Sadie helped me get set up at the barre, she mentioned that she liked my top. I felt better already. Then she asked me to move one inch. I moved five.
If you’ve taken a barre3 class, you’ve experienced our signature three-step formula. Every exercise begins with an isometric hold to focus on building strength and reinforcing proper alignment. Then we layer on small, controlled one-inch movements to break plateaus and continue the benefits of a hold. To finish, we add large-range-of-motion functional movement to elevate the heart rate and increase blood flow.
As a beginner, it’s easy to get excited about the larger-range-of-motion movement. It’s satisfying to feel your heart pump as you do mindful, low-impact cardio-inspired moves. At first, that’s what I was most excited for too. I thought moving bigger and doing more was better—both at the barre and beyond it. In class, I believed large movement would help me get stronger and more fit faster. In everyday life, I thought accomplishing big things would make me happier, healthier, and more productive. Perhaps you can relate.
Everything changed when I committed to the inch. I began to see results, and I realized that it’s those minuscule one-inch movements, not the big, sweeping ones, that strengthen, sculpt, and lengthen our bodies. Although those inches feel far too minuscule to have any real effect, they pay off over time.
The same holds true in life. It’s so easy to set lofty goals: run a marathon, cook all your family’s meals using only whole foods, take five barre3 studio classes in a week. But inevitably, life gets in the way and those goals feel hopelessly out of reach. The first temptation, often, is to bag it and sit on the couch and eat pizza. But the barre3 approach has shown me another option: Take smaller steps—or as I call it, own your inch. Perhaps you sign up to run a 5k, get takeout from a healthy restaurant, or fire up a 10-minute online workout. Although these may not feel as glorious as crossing your finish line, whatever that may be, they’ll bring you one step closer. Even better: When you embrace the small steps, you’ll find that it’s the journey, not the final achievement, that makes you stronger.
The idea of owning my inch has great meaning for me both personally and professionally. It helps me remember to be true to myself, to listen to my body, to know my limits, and to do the best that I can given the situation at hand. My hope for you is that the next time you’ve got your sights set on a goal or accomplishment that doesn’t come to fruition, re-evaluate. Remind yourself that the actions we take every step of the way towards our goals are opportunities to make big changes, grow, and be successful. Think about the small steps you can take toward your goal, and put one foot in front of the other. Own your inch.
