I popped into a Pure Barre class before Christmas, courtesy of the Pure Barre team, and afterward, it gave me all the excuses to eat like sh*t during the holidays. According to me, one class burns about a week of calories.

My body was sore immediately upon finishing the class, as was my self esteem. HOW could I not do half the exercises in that class? Is everyone else a beast or do I just suck?

I spoke to a participant after the class. “That was literally the hardest exercise class I’ve ever taken,” I told her. She said, “Yeah, well you did great. You should have seen me at my first class.”

She was 16 classes in. She said she started seeing her body adjust to the exercises after the first class, and by class 10 she had seen her body physically change to become more toned. I noticed her in class, and she definitely did all the exercises without stopping.

The class for me was Pilates for a dancer’s body. There were isolated movements to tone every inch of muscle, and a few stretches.

Did I like the class? Not immediately afterward, that’s for sure. But that’s because I was pissed that I physically couldn’t do some of the exercises. Do I now appreciate what it could do for me, with a few more tries? Absolutely.

This is who should give Pure Barre a chance:

• Someone looking for a change in their gym routine
• Someone who is willing to work hard for results
• Someone looking for one-on-one fitness attention (the class instructor was really awesome at correcting bodies and ensuring everyone was getting their best and safest workout)

You don’t need prior experience with Pilates or dance of any kind. The exercises are simple, low-impact, but wow, will you feel the burn.

Let me know if you end up giving Pure Barre a try! And check out this link if you’re new to Pure Barre and want an idea of what the class is like.

Let’s chat @maryinmanhattan.