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BARRE3 HELPED ME REHAB AFTER OPEN-HEART SURGERY
A little over a year ago, Rashed Fakhruddin was being poked and prodded by doctors in an attempt to uncover why he had been in so much pain over the past month. They found the culprit—a bacterial infection that was running through his bloodstream—and then they discovered even worse news: The infection had spread to his heart. Before he knew it, he was undergoing open-heart surgery to save his life.
Recovery was difficult and, at times, excruciating, but Rashed, a community leader, engineering supervisor at the power company, and director of community partnerships at the Islamic Center of Nashville, had immense support from his family and community—including the team from barre3 Nashville | The Gulch.
Read on for Rashed’s journey in his own words, including how barre3 played a major role in his recovery (and—bonus—improved his 3-point shot at the same time!).
The physical recovery started the first morning after surgery, when I was forced to take a walk around the hospital floor, holding onto a wheelchair. I was in excruciating pain and desperately wished I could be in bed. After I was sent home from the hospital—with a pick line on my arm through which antibiotics were being released into my system—I had to walk five minutes twice a day. Those five-minute walks were like marathons to me. After a while it became a 10-minute walk. I recall walking in the neighborhood and wondering if I would make it back home alive at one point.
A month later I began my formal cardio rehab program at the hospital. The program was supposed to last twelve weeks, but after attending only five weeks, I decided to use barre3 classes as my cardio rehab instead.
Barre3 actually feels like physical therapy to me, with the heavy weights, Core Ball, and resistance bands, but it’s a lot more fun.
I had been doing barre3 as my primary fitness workout for the past two and a half years, beginning when I was on the verge of needing back surgery for a bulging disc. My barre3 practice healed me then, and I was convinced it could help me this time, too.
It wasn’t just the cardio and strength-training I was craving from barre3—it was also the emotional rehab I knew I’d get there.
From the owner to the instructors to the incredible people taking classes, barre3 had become more than just a community to me; it had become a family.
While I was in the hospital, the owner, Holly Coltea, visited me, and I received a number of emails and texts from barre3 staff checking in with me. They sent me a bouquet of flowers, a card, and a barre3 sweatshirt. A couple of team members even offered to cook me a dish!
The barre3 staff is one of the most welcoming groups I have encountered, and I am so grateful for their kindness. I pray five times a day, and when I’m taking a class that overlaps with prayer time, the staff has been so kind in providing me a space. And it’s not just my local studio. This past spring I travelled to barre3 studios in several other places (Long Island City, West Village, Buckhead and Druid Hills), and I have noticed the consistency in the culture of kindness in all barre3 studios!
Before I knew it, I was taking five to six barre3 classes a week. Now, a little more than a year out, I have taken over 200 classes since my surgery, and I am in the best shape of my life.
Barre3 has helped me find balance in my body through working opposing muscle groups, helping to counter tight hamstrings and a tight neck.
I’ve even noticed an improvement in my 3-point shooting (I guess that’s why they call it barre ‘3’) and overall basketball skills, such as rebounding, pivoting, and playing defense.
And just as I’d suspected when I started barre3 after my heart surgery, it gave me so much more than just strength and endurance. It also gave (and still gives) me incredible energy—the extra juice I need to take on the rest of the day, which for me continues after work with several commitments to nonprofits, family, and friends. And the endorphin boost I get from the workout is unparalleled—partly from the natural endorphins you get from exercising, but also from being surrounded by people who are getting their own endorphin boost. I feel like I need a daily barre3 boost just like I need to take my daily vitamins!
In short, barre3 healed my heart—not just physically, but also emotionally. I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today in my recovery without it. It was there for me when I needed it most, and I feel so grateful that it will be there for me going forward.
Ready to try barre3? Sign up for #barre3anywhere to get a FREE month-long program, complete with curated workout plans, tips on setting intentions, giveaways, and more!
Rashed is an engineering supervisor at Nashville Electric Service, the director of community partnerships at the Islamic Center of Nashville and is very active throughout his community, including volunteering with the YWCA’s AMEND Together, a primary prevention initiative dedicated to ending the epidemic of violence against women and girls by empowering young men and boys to become catalysts for cultural change. As a result of his work to end domestic violence and empower women, he has received recognition and awards, including the YWCA’s Man of the Year, Nashville Predators Community Playmaker award, Southerner of the Year honoree by Southern Living Magazine (2016), and Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee Good Guys award.
A little over a year ago, Rashed Fakhruddin was being poked and prodded by doctors in an attempt to uncover why he had been in so much pain over the past month. They found the culprit—a bacterial infection that was running through his bloodstream—and then they discovered even worse news: The infection had spread to his heart. Before he knew it, he was undergoing open-heart surgery to save his life.
Recovery was difficult and, at times, excruciating, but Rashed, a community leader, engineering supervisor at the power company, and director of community partnerships at the Islamic Center of Nashville, had immense support from his family and community—including the team from barre3 Nashville | The Gulch.
Read on for Rashed’s journey in his own words, including how barre3 played a major role in his recovery (and—bonus—improved his 3-point shot at the same time!).
The physical recovery started the first morning after surgery, when I was forced to take a walk around the hospital floor, holding onto a wheelchair. I was in excruciating pain and desperately wished I could be in bed. After I was sent home from the hospital—with a pick line on my arm through which antibiotics were being released into my system—I had to walk five minutes twice a day. Those five-minute walks were like marathons to me. After a while it became a 10-minute walk. I recall walking in the neighborhood and wondering if I would make it back home alive at one point.
A month later I began my formal cardio rehab program at the hospital. The program was supposed to last twelve weeks, but after attending only five weeks, I decided to use barre3 classes as my cardio rehab instead.
Barre3 actually feels like physical therapy to me, with the heavy weights, Core Ball, and resistance bands, but it’s a lot more fun.
I had been doing barre3 as my primary fitness workout for the past two and a half years, beginning when I was on the verge of needing back surgery for a bulging disc. My barre3 practice healed me then, and I was convinced it could help me this time, too.
It wasn’t just the cardio and strength-training I was craving from barre3—it was also the emotional rehab I knew I’d get there.
From the owner to the instructors to the incredible people taking classes, barre3 had become more than just a community to me; it had become a family.
While I was in the hospital, the owner, Holly Coltea, visited me, and I received a number of emails and texts from barre3 staff checking in with me. They sent me a bouquet of flowers, a card, and a barre3 sweatshirt. A couple of team members even offered to cook me a dish!
The barre3 staff is one of the most welcoming groups I have encountered, and I am so grateful for their kindness. I pray five times a day, and when I’m taking a class that overlaps with prayer time, the staff has been so kind in providing me a space. And it’s not just my local studio. This past spring I travelled to barre3 studios in several other places (Long Island City, West Village, Buckhead and Druid Hills), and I have noticed the consistency in the culture of kindness in all barre3 studios!
Before I knew it, I was taking five to six barre3 classes a week. Now, a little more than a year out, I have taken over 200 classes since my surgery, and I am in the best shape of my life.
Barre3 has helped me find balance in my body through working opposing muscle groups, helping to counter tight hamstrings and a tight neck.
I’ve even noticed an improvement in my 3-point shooting (I guess that’s why they call it barre ‘3’) and overall basketball skills, such as rebounding, pivoting, and playing defense.
And just as I’d suspected when I started barre3 after my heart surgery, it gave me so much more than just strength and endurance. It also gave (and still gives) me incredible energy—the extra juice I need to take on the rest of the day, which for me continues after work with several commitments to nonprofits, family, and friends. And the endorphin boost I get from the workout is unparalleled—partly from the natural endorphins you get from exercising, but also from being surrounded by people who are getting their own endorphin boost. I feel like I need a daily barre3 boost just like I need to take my daily vitamins!
In short, barre3 healed my heart—not just physically, but also emotionally. I truly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today in my recovery without it. It was there for me when I needed it most, and I feel so grateful that it will be there for me going forward.
Ready to try barre3? Sign up for #barre3anywhere to get a FREE month-long program, complete with curated workout plans, tips on setting intentions, giveaways, and more!
Rashed is an engineering supervisor at Nashville Electric Service, the director of community partnerships at the Islamic Center of Nashville and is very active throughout his community, including volunteering with the YWCA’s AMEND Together, a primary prevention initiative dedicated to ending the epidemic of violence against women and girls by empowering young men and boys to become catalysts for cultural change. As a result of his work to end domestic violence and empower women, he has received recognition and awards, including the YWCA’s Man of the Year, Nashville Predators Community Playmaker award, Southerner of the Year honoree by Southern Living Magazine (2016), and Women’s Political Collaborative of Tennessee Good Guys award.
