Exercise, the big scary word that many people either love or hate.
I personally am not a fan (at least for the word). While I have been exercising on and off since the age of 6, I have never (until recently) found something that I genuinely enjoyed. Starting early in 2017 my goal was to get into shape, after taking a full year and a half doing absolutely nothing even close to exercising I knew this was going to be a challenge.
I had tried this same goal at the beginning of 2016, and to say it failed would be a huge understatement. I barely made it 2 weeks. At the time the only type of exercising I was trying was workouts that could be found on an app. For me, this did not work.
Early in 2017, I had found out that a new Barre Studio called Xtend Barre was coming to Huntsville and I was intrigued. I had always wanted to try Barre but was always extremely nervous as I am not coordinated, never took a ballet class in my life, and organized exercise classes have never been my thing. They were not open yet at the beginning of January so I knew that I had a few weeks to get in shape. I was very nervous about embarrassing myself and not being able to do a class, since I had not exercised in so long.
I decided to do a 6-week plan, where I exercised 4-5 times a week anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes. At the end of this 6-weeks, if I completed it I was going to sign up for Xtend Barre. To my surprise, I completed the 6-weeks and my fiancé (now husband) signed me up for Xtend Barre as my Valentine’s Day gift. I have to say, looking back that is the best gift, that keeps on giving that I could have ever hoped for.
A little about Xtend Barre…it is definitely not your typical barre class. It is a cardio-infused barre workout, which is absolutely great. At Xtend there is also a variety of classes. You can take the Barre class, or try Suspend, which uses TRX straps, try out Stick which incorporates a pilates stick with resistance. There is Circuit 7, which is all about high intensity drills (you will burn some major calories in this one). Pilates Fusion which is a floor barre class and is all about the basics, and of course Yoga Flow. There is a class for everyone, or you can just take every class (this is my preferred route). I love being able to switch it up, while Barre is my all time favorite, I love to throw in some others every now and then for some variety.
Recently I hit my 250th class, and it has been the best. My first class at Xtend Barre was on February 14th, so right now I have been going to Xtend for a little over 7 months. I feel so amazing. Not only do I love exercising, I also love how it has made me feel.
Coming to my first class was a little nerve racking, as I am pretty quiet and uncomfortable when I do not know anyone, and had never tried anything like this before. Fortunately the owner of Xtend Barre Huntsville, Michelle, was someone I knew, which made it a little bit easier.
My first class was fantastic, I could not have asked for a better start to something new. It was definitely tough but the good kind of tough that makes you feel good after you leave. My only regret is not coming sooner. I really felt that I needed to be more in shape when I showed up for my first class but I was so wrong. Everyone that comes to Xtend Barre is so different, everyone has their own goals, and everyone can make it through class no matter what kind of shape they are in. All the instructors are super helpful when it comes to modifications of different exercises.
I really have loved my experience so far at Xtend Barre, I go almost every single day, sometimes even 2…3…and when there is a challenge happening you might even see me 4 times a day. But it is great, the instructors really care about you and the people that come to Xtend Barre are amazing. The amount of people that I have met has been great. It is always fun to get to class a little earlier so you can catch up with everyone’s lives and get your favorite spot, because yes, I do go to the same spot every class. I have even gotten my Mom to come to Xtend and she loves it (she is less than 20 classes away from hitting her 100th class!! Go Mom!!). And I also convinced my friend Emma to come and she just recently hit her 100th class! I love that I get to exercise with one of my good friends and my Mom, it is awesome!
I love Xtend Barre so much that when I was recently in New York City I felt I needed to try the Tribeca Studio out to see what it was like. Just like the studio in Huntsville, it was great, everyone was so kind and inviting that I still felt like I belonged even though it was not my regular studio. I have always wanted to move to New York City, I have no idea when this will happen but I can tell you that whenever it does the thing I will miss most about Huntsville will definitely be Xtend Barre. But do not worry, I will not be moving until I hit 1,000 classes in Huntsville so I have about 750 classes left. But I am happy to know that other Xtend Barre studios can be just as fantastic as mine so whenever and wherever I move I know I will continue to enjoy Xtend Barre.
I can honestly say that Xtend Barre has made the word exercise not so scary and terrible and instead it has turned it into a positive word. Exercising at Xtend Barre is one of my favorite parts of the day, it can make any bad day better, and make you feel amazing.
I really recommend to anyone to try it out. At least go to one class. I promise that you will love it and you will sign up. It is worth every penny. And I look forward to class tomorrow!
XO
Katelyn Moshier