What is a barre body? You’ve read about it in magazines, you’ve seen it on TV, it is right there in the name of our studio. You probably associate a barre body to a long, lean ballerina or maybe one of those toned fitness models that seem to be the cover image for barre just about every where you look, but that is where you are mistaken. A barre body is not a flat stomach. It is not a perfect seat. It is not sculpted legs and a thigh gap. The standard prominently set by the fitness industry, regardless of the workout regime, remains uniform: perfection. In reality, we all know that this standard of body type is impossible to conform to, yet we seem to chase it anyways.
At our studio, there are far better attributes associated with a ‘barre body’ than what you would typically assume, we think that there are healthier ambitions to strive for in your fitness journey and we celebrate the fact that it is unrealistic to sculpt every person into a single body type. It is for these reasons that we want to redefine the image of a ‘barre body’ … for you, for us, for our entire fitness community.
First and foremost, a barre body is strong. It is one that allows you to do the things that you want to do. If you want to spend the weekend skiing in the mountains… sure! If you want to hike a volcano … why not! Barre is a fitness regime that is not designed for women to look a certain way but rather to feel a certain way. We want you to develop the leg strength to get you where you want to go, the arm strength to carry a family and the endurance to chase after your busy toddler. These may seem like the little things but in the big picture they are what is most important. Once we change our perspective on why we workout, we will be able to find and celebrate the little victories each and every day. So embrace the developing strength of your body that comes from a barre class and utilize it to pursue the things that fill you up!
Next, a barre body is confident. We hear these things so often: you look great, you are beautiful, etc. but they will never resonate with us until you believe them for yourself. And trust us, we know … easier said than done. We are aspiring to cultivate a community of women who are confident not only after they lose 15 pounds, but also in their own skin on the journey. Fitness, like anything, is a process and being able to accept and love your body during it is absolutely necessary for success. Like we mentioned earlier, our fitness goals will always be adapting, our body is relentlessly changing and our life situations are in constant flux, we want you to find the stability and confidence to accept your body through all of these revolutions.
Finally, a barre body is healthy. Not only are you going to physically see incredible transformations to your body (which will look different for everyone) we hope that you are able to feel an easiness, mentally, from your barre fitness journey. The lives of a girl boss like yourselves are wild, you are on the go morning, noon and night. It is important to find an outlet to release the stress of your everyday life even if that seems impossible. It is important to recognize that exercise should not only be pursued for your physical health, because it is also crucial to mental health and well being. Applying this standard to your fitness journey is going to change everything! Exercise is a powerful depression, anxiety and stress fighter, lets use it as such! Because the body and the mind are so closely linked, when one feels better the other will too.
We hope that you set goals, crush them, feel accomplished and appreciate the changes in your body thanks to all of your hard work at the barre. As a community, we want to reevaluate what we are aiming for in our fitness journey. We want you to exercise because you love your body, not because you want to change it. So in conclusion, we will leave you with our own definition of “barre body”: it is your body … when you do barre. (And we think that that is perfect!)
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