I've been taking Pure Barre for over five years. But, only recently I've become passionate, or as my friends and family will say, obsessed. It's not for the lack of wanting to. When I first joined the Pure Barre community I'd see amazing results from others who had started around the same time I had, and I craved to be as strong as they were. But the reality was that I was recovering from a bad car accident that left me with chronic neck and back pain, frequent trips to physical therapy, spine specialist, acupunture, and massage thereapy. I was forced to give up long distance running and rock climbing. I ended up gaining 15 lbs and struggled with finding activities that allowed me to be strong, fit, and confident.
Pure Barre 's low-impact, kick-ass workout, and the community that it creates has been amazing in more ways than one. It might have taken me longer to get to a 90 sec plank on my toes, to use 4 pound weights, or to be able to do lunges without modifications, but showing up, trusting the process, and perservering has helped contribute to where I'm at today.
Kyle and I live a relatively healthy lifestyle and had been active for years. Still, I struggled with losing the extra weight and gaining my strength back. TBH, I lacked a strong routine, coupled with a love for food and a fear for getting injured again, it was tough to get back into pre-accident shape. Enter 421 Reset + Pure Barre.
421 Reset is a lifestyle approach focused on the following:
- 4 servings of veggies, 2 servings of protein, and 1 complex carb for each meal
- 4 days of strength training, 2 days of cardio, and 1 active rest day
The key for Kyle and I was understanding the benefits of strength training and consistently eating healthy. We've since accomplished back to back challenges this summer and fall, keeping to the 4-2-1 meal and workout plan which has helped us maintain a healthy lifestyle and get stronger together. In the last six weeks alone, I've lost nearly 11 pounds in body fat and gained three pounds in muscle! Yes, weight loss is freaking amazing and I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm thrilled. But there are three things I love even more.
First, I had no idea I could push myself to do things I didn't know I could; like taking four PB classes/week, taking back to back PB classes (those attempts used to leave me sore and recovering for 2 weeks at a time), and doing push-ups and tricep dips! Weight loss is awesome, but being stronger is a million times better. #strongnotskinny
Second, is the Pure Barre Seattle community. There's no way I could have accomplished these challenges without these awesome humans! Their support, encouragement, cheerleading, and accountability is second to none. Life is better with these friends in it! #fitfam #squadgoals
And finally, the weekly recipes! 421 Reset educates you about food and the approach to eating and fueling a healthy lifestyle. Having each meal and snacks for the upcoming week laid out, made sticking to the challenge even easier. We've added these to our recipe collection and have already started to circulate through them again post-challenge. #getinmybelly
421 Reset + Pure Barre has been a life changer. No matter your goals, trust the process and the journey. Just make sure you have a community around to support, encourage, and hold you accountable. Any adventure is better when you have others along for the ride.