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HOW BARRE3 HELPS ME BALANCE IT ALL—AND ACTUALLY FEEL BALANCED
When your calendar is filled to the brim, adding one more activity can seem like a terrible idea. But for studio client Brianna, adding barre3 to her busy schedule didn’t make her life more chaotic—it made it more balanced. Read on to learn how Brianna found barre3, why the workout resonated with her, and how the empowerment she finds in class has transformed how she approaches her day-to-day life.
As a mother, a PhD student, and an Instagram ethical-style influencer, I am often asked how I balance it all. Admittedly, sometimes my life feels more like a tension than a balance, but there is one consistent practice that enhances my ability to achieve what I want in all areas of my life. Ironically, adding something to my schedule is what has helped me feel like I have more room in my life and in my thoughts.
I took my first barre3 class on January 3rd, 2017. At the time, I was four months pregnant with my daughter and a term into my PhD program. I was inspired to try barre3 because I wanted to set a good example for my daughter. If I was going to tackle motherhood and academia concurrently, I knew that I would have to take good care of myself. In order to do that, I would need to cultivate a healthier relationship with exercise and with my body.
Prior to barre3, I tried a variety of exercises that I didn’t actually enjoy (ahem, running). My relationship with my body and with exercise felt combative. I often felt guilty about my health habits and rarely felt successful or strong. In my first barre3 class, I knew that there was something different about this exercise. I felt strong and supported. After two years of consistent practice, I am excited to share that my barre3 journey has transformed my relationship with my body, my mind, and my approach to exercise.
Barre3 is a Gift to Myself
I used to approach exercise from a deficit-based perspective. I tried to use exercise to fix a perceived flaw, or to change something that I felt bad about. This approach was not only ineffective, it eroded my ability to enjoy my body and the things it can do. Now, rather than approaching exercise as a punishment or a way to fix something that is wrong with me, I treat exercise as a gift.
As someone with a very busy schedule, the hours I dedicate to myself in the barre3 studio are truly an act of self-love. As a parent, instructor, therapist, and researcher, most of my daily activities are dedicated to helping others. Although it is true that taking care of myself helps me take better care of others, I think it is important for me to exercise simply because I deserve it. I build barre3 into my weekly schedule and treat each class as a self-care appointment. In each barre3 class, I tangibly dedicate resources to myself – time, energy, and money – and this helps me cultivate my awareness of my self-worth. I am worthy of my own time, my own resources, and I don’t need any further rationale than that.
Barre3 is Self-Knowledge
Barre3 gives me a better understanding of my mind, my body, and the things that I am capable of. In class, we are often encouraged to listen to our bodies, to pay attention to our needs, and we are given permission to accept that our needs and abilities change day-to-day. Some classes I need to push myself, and some classes I need to take it easy and stay in my comfort zone. Knowing that I have control over my experience helps me be consistent in my practice because I can make each class exactly what I need it to be. I have never felt pressured to do something that is not safe or that could lead to injury.
One of my favorite instructors often says that it is her responsibility to challenge us and create opportunities for us to grow, and it is our responsibility to listen to our bodies and find the place where we are challenged but can still stay connected to our experience. This division of responsibility enhances my sense of agency. Paradoxically, having the freedom to stay in my comfort zone has helped me develop the strongest body that I have ever experienced. I believe this is because my motivation to exercise no longer comes from a place of shame or guilt. Rather, my motivation is rooted in a deep trust in my potential and my ability to make wise choices for myself.
Barre3 is Confidence
The confidence that I have gained in my physical ability through my barre3 practice has translated to every other area of my life. There are countless moments in each class during which I have the opportunity to surprise myself and experience growth. When I started barre3, I never would have imagined that I would be able to hold a plank for a full minute, but my ability to manage this challenge has changed dramatically over time. I used to dread this part of class, and now I welcome the opportunity to develop in my strength and handle discomfort.
The most important growth I have experienced is in my thought process. Over time, I have learned that I have more strength than I was aware of, and by being open to the challenge, I am also being open to my own potential. Now, when things feel hard, I have a well of experience to draw from that assures me that I can rise to the challenge. I feel this sense of self-efficacy more profoundly in other areas of my life as well, particularly on my Instagram account. I used to feel self-conscious about my body and about my interest in style, and a few years ago, having a public style account would have been too hard for me to manage. I now approach my Instagram account with the thought process that I developed in barre3. Expressing myself creatively on Instagram is a risk, but it is a risk that creates an opportunity for me to better appreciate myself and to feel confident in my interests and abilities.
Barre3 is Community
Through barre3 I have gained a community. The instructors, childcare providers, and staff know me and my daughter by name. My barre3 community has cared for my daughter, has watched her grow up, and has helped me develop in my identity as a mother. The group environment helps me challenge myself in each workout, and in my local studios I feel a sense of belonging. I think this is something that was missing in my previous attempts to develop a healthy exercise routine. I am motivated to attend classes because I benefit immensely from the kind and supportive community at barre3.
Barre3 is Mindfulness
Because I have so many plates that I am juggling, it can feel easy to get lost in my thoughts and feel overwhelmed. Barre3 classes help me feel more centered because they are infused with mindfulness from start to finish. The movements in barre3 require attention to detail, which gives me an opportunity to detach from my thoughts about planning for tomorrow or ruminating about how my day went. In each session, I am able to tap into my experience in my body and be truly in the present. This helps me feel more connected to my experience, and this awareness and connection helps me feel more present throughout the rest of my day.
I love having a busy life, and I do a lot of things – but it is important to me that I am able to do them all mindfully. What is life if I am not truly experiencing it? I am grateful that barre3 helps me connect to my life in a deeper way. Barre3 is an act of commitment, a commitment to the person that I am continually becoming, and to the life that I want to purposefully experience.
Looking for more balance in your own life? Book a studio class or do an online workout today!
When your calendar is filled to the brim, adding one more activity can seem like a terrible idea. But for studio client Brianna, adding barre3 to her busy schedule didn’t make her life more chaotic—it made it more balanced. Read on to learn how Brianna found barre3, why the workout resonated with her, and how the empowerment she finds in class has transformed how she approaches her day-to-day life.
As a mother, a PhD student, and an Instagram ethical-style influencer, I am often asked how I balance it all. Admittedly, sometimes my life feels more like a tension than a balance, but there is one consistent practice that enhances my ability to achieve what I want in all areas of my life. Ironically, adding something to my schedule is what has helped me feel like I have more room in my life and in my thoughts.
I took my first barre3 class on January 3rd, 2017. At the time, I was four months pregnant with my daughter and a term into my PhD program. I was inspired to try barre3 because I wanted to set a good example for my daughter. If I was going to tackle motherhood and academia concurrently, I knew that I would have to take good care of myself. In order to do that, I would need to cultivate a healthier relationship with exercise and with my body.
Prior to barre3, I tried a variety of exercises that I didn’t actually enjoy (ahem, running). My relationship with my body and with exercise felt combative. I often felt guilty about my health habits and rarely felt successful or strong. In my first barre3 class, I knew that there was something different about this exercise. I felt strong and supported. After two years of consistent practice, I am excited to share that my barre3 journey has transformed my relationship with my body, my mind, and my approach to exercise.
Barre3 is a Gift to Myself
I used to approach exercise from a deficit-based perspective. I tried to use exercise to fix a perceived flaw, or to change something that I felt bad about. This approach was not only ineffective, it eroded my ability to enjoy my body and the things it can do. Now, rather than approaching exercise as a punishment or a way to fix something that is wrong with me, I treat exercise as a gift.
As someone with a very busy schedule, the hours I dedicate to myself in the barre3 studio are truly an act of self-love. As a parent, instructor, therapist, and researcher, most of my daily activities are dedicated to helping others. Although it is true that taking care of myself helps me take better care of others, I think it is important for me to exercise simply because I deserve it. I build barre3 into my weekly schedule and treat each class as a self-care appointment. In each barre3 class, I tangibly dedicate resources to myself – time, energy, and money – and this helps me cultivate my awareness of my self-worth. I am worthy of my own time, my own resources, and I don’t need any further rationale than that.
Barre3 is Self-Knowledge
Barre3 gives me a better understanding of my mind, my body, and the things that I am capable of. In class, we are often encouraged to listen to our bodies, to pay attention to our needs, and we are given permission to accept that our needs and abilities change day-to-day. Some classes I need to push myself, and some classes I need to take it easy and stay in my comfort zone. Knowing that I have control over my experience helps me be consistent in my practice because I can make each class exactly what I need it to be. I have never felt pressured to do something that is not safe or that could lead to injury.
One of my favorite instructors often says that it is her responsibility to challenge us and create opportunities for us to grow, and it is our responsibility to listen to our bodies and find the place where we are challenged but can still stay connected to our experience. This division of responsibility enhances my sense of agency. Paradoxically, having the freedom to stay in my comfort zone has helped me develop the strongest body that I have ever experienced. I believe this is because my motivation to exercise no longer comes from a place of shame or guilt. Rather, my motivation is rooted in a deep trust in my potential and my ability to make wise choices for myself.
Barre3 is Confidence
The confidence that I have gained in my physical ability through my barre3 practice has translated to every other area of my life. There are countless moments in each class during which I have the opportunity to surprise myself and experience growth. When I started barre3, I never would have imagined that I would be able to hold a plank for a full minute, but my ability to manage this challenge has changed dramatically over time. I used to dread this part of class, and now I welcome the opportunity to develop in my strength and handle discomfort.
The most important growth I have experienced is in my thought process. Over time, I have learned that I have more strength than I was aware of, and by being open to the challenge, I am also being open to my own potential. Now, when things feel hard, I have a well of experience to draw from that assures me that I can rise to the challenge. I feel this sense of self-efficacy more profoundly in other areas of my life as well, particularly on my Instagram account. I used to feel self-conscious about my body and about my interest in style, and a few years ago, having a public style account would have been too hard for me to manage. I now approach my Instagram account with the thought process that I developed in barre3. Expressing myself creatively on Instagram is a risk, but it is a risk that creates an opportunity for me to better appreciate myself and to feel confident in my interests and abilities.
Barre3 is Community
Through barre3 I have gained a community. The instructors, childcare providers, and staff know me and my daughter by name. My barre3 community has cared for my daughter, has watched her grow up, and has helped me develop in my identity as a mother. The group environment helps me challenge myself in each workout, and in my local studios I feel a sense of belonging. I think this is something that was missing in my previous attempts to develop a healthy exercise routine. I am motivated to attend classes because I benefit immensely from the kind and supportive community at barre3.
Barre3 is Mindfulness
Because I have so many plates that I am juggling, it can feel easy to get lost in my thoughts and feel overwhelmed. Barre3 classes help me feel more centered because they are infused with mindfulness from start to finish. The movements in barre3 require attention to detail, which gives me an opportunity to detach from my thoughts about planning for tomorrow or ruminating about how my day went. In each session, I am able to tap into my experience in my body and be truly in the present. This helps me feel more connected to my experience, and this awareness and connection helps me feel more present throughout the rest of my day.
I love having a busy life, and I do a lot of things – but it is important to me that I am able to do them all mindfully. What is life if I am not truly experiencing it? I am grateful that barre3 helps me connect to my life in a deeper way. Barre3 is an act of commitment, a commitment to the person that I am continually becoming, and to the life that I want to purposefully experience.
Looking for more balance in your own life? Book a studio class or do an online workout today!
