high five for friday: weekly wrap up

favorite exercise
another week of pure barre,,,,owned! :)

this week was pretty rough,

not gonna lie. 

but i just keep giving myself little pep talks between sets and pray i make it through. one day at a time...

[you can read my post about pure barre here!]

favorite radio station
thursday, i discovered olympics sports radio.

i can't believe i've gone the entire olympics without knowing about it.

i feel like i've missed out on so much.

better late than never right??

favorite bub-hub quote:
the bub-hub's wise words of the week-

"never get on 610....ever."

if you live anywhere near houston,

you should definitely agree. 

if you're ever late for a meeting...like i was on thursday...just tell them traffic was terrible, and they will understand 100% and forgive immediately. ugh. 

favorite piece of mail
last week, bub-hub and i became advocare distributors!

we have been using the products for years and are super excited about becoming more involved with the company.

i can't wait to share more details with you guys soon! so keep an eye out! :)

my not-so-favorite thing

my favorite pair of work-pumps died this week.

i know they were only from target,

and i know they were over 5 years old,

but they were super comfy.

they've been needing to go for a while,
but it took a one inch long hole that appeared on the top of my right shoe for me to go through with tossing them.
you will be missed.

how was your week??

link up with posts below and share your favorite highs and lows! :)

my obsession: pure barre! :)

ladies,
i have a little confession....
i'm obsessed with my new workout...pure barre!

i've talked about it so many times and i've gotten so many questions about it,

so i thought i'd share a little about pure barre with you all! :)

pure barre is a combination of pilates and dance that focuses on small isometric movements using tiny weights, a ball, and a ballet bar.  between each strength set, there is a stretching set which helps create long and lean muscles. 

the four strength sets focus on 4 key areas: arms, thighs, seat, and core

their key phrase is "lift, tone & burn",

and they own it.

instictively, you'd think that small movements have small results, but no....tiny movements are key. the smaller the movement, the bigger the results, the greater the burn. 

in one of my classes, the instructor encouragingly said "if your legs are shaking and you feel like you're about to fall, push through it, and sink a little lower."

heh...if you say so...

each workout is done in socks on a studio floor. they offer 2, 3 and 5 pound weights, which sounds like nothing, but i promise you, even using the 2 pound weights, your arms will be burning!

you don't have to be in great physical shape to start, but you have to be mentally prepared to work hard.  this is definitely not for the faint at heart. you have to be ready, willing, and prepared for a booty-busting working.



i love that pure barre is low impact. 

i have terrible joint problems and so many exercices like running or weight lifting, leave me in a lot of pain. on the other hand, low impact exercises, like yoga, leave me feeling like i didn't work hard at all. there is minimal cardio: there's no running around or jumping, it's is very low impact and easy on the joints.

i love that pure barre requires focus.

i've mentioned before that i'm making a big effort to slow down in life and focus on one thing at a time.  in pure barre, each exercise requires intense focus.  i get sucked in to making sure my hips are tucked and my shoulders are back, and that i'm doing each exercise correctly.  the instructors help correct your position and adjust to give you the best workout possible.

i love the results.
after one month of pure barre, i already feel stronger and can feel a difference in the way my clothes fit.



i'm not crazy about the price.

one weekend, my bestie told me about pure barre, and just like magic, the next monday morning, i got an email from Houston Tibits for a $50/month deal!meant-to-be!

so that was a great start. they have new-member deals, $100/month, $40/4 classes, but a standard rate of $165/month is a little steep for me. the bub-hub might have had a minor heart attack when i threw that out there in a casual convo.
oops.
needless to say, i might not be able to do it forever, but i'm going to enjoy it while it lasts! :)

i've completed my first month, and i can already feel a major difference. 

i wanted to find a video clip to show you guys, and the best i could find was this clip:

if you're interested in trying pure barre, i would definitely recommend checking out a class.
[purebarre]
also, i've noticed a lot of pilates studios offer barre type classes, but under a different name, so if you do some digging, i'm sure there is a class in your area! :)

they also have dvds, which i'm sure are great, but because the technique is so important, and it is so much easier to focus on your workout when you don't have any distractions around you, i'd recommend taking a few classes before making that investment.

what do you think??
would you be up for trying it out?

it's friday!! :)

today is a fabulous day.

not only is it friday,

but last night, gabby douglass won the gold for the women's all round
[woohoo!],

soni broke her own world record
[holla!!],

and i get to see my family today
[yay!]!! 

bub-hub and i are making the roadtrip up I-45 to the beautiful big-D,

and i am pumped!

we're pretty lucky to be from the same home town.

it makes trips back home twice as nice.

with so much to look forward to this weekend,
i had to find little things to distract me while i waited for the long days to pass.
luckily,
a few fantastic things happened this week.

1. super encouraging mid-day dove dark chocolate messages.
i usually rip into the chocolate too fast to make out the message,
but i've tried to practice self control and slow it down a bit.
trying to slow down seems to be a running theme in my life...hmm...coincidence??

2. fabulous, booty-busting workouts at pure barre.

i've just finished up my first month and i'm officially hooked.

3. my nectarine suffered a major injury in my lunch box.

poor thing didn't stand a chance being stuffed in a bag with an extra pair of shoes, notebooks and laptop.

what a tough [and super juicy!] little guy. 

4. i've been downing chobani like a champ.

i'm designating myself a chobani gold medalist.

watch out phelps, i'm coming for you.

5. this week, my music selections have been all over the place.

have you ever just put your ipod on shuffle and let it go?

i was way embarassed by what i had on there.
as a side note, 

on wednesday, i hear the usher song "scream" 6 times between driving to pure barre, during pure barre, and driving home from pure barre. 6 times people.

i love the song, 

but really. 

give pit bull a chance.

yay for friday!!!

i am so glad friday is finally here.

this week has been exceptionally terrible or rough, i just love friday.

dear bub-hub,
thanks for helping me decorate for the olympic's opening ceremonies. :) and i'm sorry i'm not sorry in advance for commendeering the tv for the next two weeks.
you're the best!

dear lion king and ladies night,

you were fabulous. just what i needed to push me over the mid-week hump.

my friend alison and i went to see the lion king at the hobby center downtown on wednesday night.

it was pretty much the most fantastic thing i've ever seen.

i was exhausted watching the dancers jump and prance and dance around like animals.

if i had 1/4 of the energy they had...man, that would be fantastic.

dear macaroni and trees,

way to be fabulous. :)

rachel ray would be proud.

dear accessory auction,

you are so fantastic, but so heartbreaking at the same time.

i love my tory burch inspired wrap bracelet.

and everything else you post on auction night.

have you heard of accessory auction??

be carefuly ladies...don't say i didn't warn you. :)

dear pure barre....you're kicking my booty and i love it!!
three weeks down, and i can feel the changes.
[if only i could kick my sweet-tooth...]
plus, how adorable are these bathroom signs....

dear opening ceremonies,
you're going to be fabulous. i'm so glad the olympics are finally here!

linking up with friday's letters and high five for friday.

holla!

     

holla for friday!

dear munchkin game, you are hilarious.  it was so fun getting to defend curses and kill the monsters. the life of an elf is a hard one my friends. 

[the game can be found here]

dear birchbox, i'm so excited about getting to meet you soon!

dear fourth of july cherry cobbler. i'm obsessed with you.  all day at work I think about how yummy you're going to taste. that's a healthy way to live right? ; ) 

dear bestie,  thank you for coming to houston and hanging out with me, and for loving Chick-fil-a chocolate chunk cookies as much as I do. baked, sealed, delivered...i'm yours.

dear nicole's classes,  i'm so excited to have my first week completed! i'm so close to having my homework done, and I can't wait to start week 2.  

you can check out nicole's classes here:  http://nicolesclasses.com/

dear pure barre, today, i'll attend my first class, and i'm so nervous!!! i've heard the class can be a killer, and i'm excited but to be honest, i'm a little be terrified too!

dear weekend,  i pray that you last a long time and go by slowly. i pray that you are sunny and not humid.  i am so excited to have more time off to spend with my hubby! 

 this has been a week of fireworks, friends, fabulous! :)

how was your week?