Fitness Fun

I am by no means a fitness expert or guru, in fact for many years I’ve bounced around from workout to workout never really finding a routine I could stick with.  That is until I started working out with my good friend JT at JT Personal Fitness.  Working out with a friend can change your whole perspective, and give you the added motivation that you need. My problem was I didn’t know how to work out on my own, I mean I thought I did, but after working out with a trainer I realized that really I had been doing things wrong for years.  I’ve interacted with other trainers before, and I know we’ve all seen some reality TV show that highlights a personal training session, but the thing about JT is he’s fun and really funny.  He actually made me look forward to working out.  Don’t get me wrong he’s tough and pushed me to do more than I thought I could, but he made me enjoy it. His gym space is also something that makes working out more enjoyable. Not only is it beautiful and impeccably clean, but it’s welcoming and I think it goes without saying that it’s really nice to work out in a private gym. He also makes you feel like family. In fact his family is like family to me, his daughters were flower girls in my wedding, and his wife is one of my all time favorite people. ​

Before working out with him if you had asked me if I thought I would ever run a half marathon I probably would have laughed in your face. However, with him guiding my training and running with me I’ve run two and beat my personal record both times. My one problem is we ran two Disney half marathons and now I’m spoiled and really only want to run Disney races. I mean who doesn’t want to pose for pictures with characters while running 13.1 miles? I think regardless of the running I’m not sure I have the attention span for a half marathon that just has you run through a normal town or something. I did however just see that Disney does a shorter virtual race in April so I do think I will register for that. I should be able to hand a 5k or even a 10k on regular roads, especially with a snazzy Disney medal to look forward to. I just need to get JT run it with me.

​

Starting to work out with JT was one of the best decisions I ever made, not only did he help to get me shape for my wedding and life in general, but he also gave me the confidence to try other workouts like Pure Barre. Now if you follow me on social media at all you know I love Pure Barre!!! I have never been someone that could relax enough to really enjoy a yoga class, although I love the concepts. Pure Barre is basically my version of yoga. I find myself using muscles I didn’t even know existed while also taking 55 minutes to worry only about myself. As someone who is prone to anxiety having a personal workout like Pure Barre has been a godsend. I’m able to go to my little spot in the corner of the studio and not worry about what anyone else is doing. I’m able to quiet my mind as much as my mind can be quieted and think only about the movements the instructor is directing us to do. Pure Barre has basically become my second home and I have met an amazing group of women that have become dear friends. It’s not only an amazing workout, it’s also a pretty solid social life. They periodically have challenges that give me that extra push to get there, actually most people in the studio will tell you that I’m pretty aggressive about winning the challenges. The great thing is everyone can win, so rather than compete against each other we motivate and support one another to reach our goals. Pure Barre also celebrates clients as they reach milestones like 100 classes, 250 classes, 500 classes and so on. They have a barre out in the front that represents each milestone and clients sign it as they achieve them. It may sound silly but as adults we don’t really take the time to celebrate each other accomplishments as much as we probably should. Pure Barre has found the formula for making clients feel special and I love it! I have more pairs of sticky socks than I have regular socks at this point and I basically wear leggings everyday, but I’m certainly not complaining about it. ​

 For me working out is all about having fun, and feeling good about myself.  Both JT Personal Fitness and Pure Barre do that for me.  But if you aren’t in the Southampton area and can’t get to JT and there is not a Pure Barre near you, I’m sure you can find these same qualities in a workout routine near you.  However, if you are in the Southampton area and looking for a new workout  or maybe you’ve never been into fitness but want to try to start working out, call JT Personal Fitness and Watermill and get started.  Then stop by Pure Barre Southampton right in the village and buy one of their excellent new member packages.  I promise you will not regret either decision! ​Ok enough writing,  I have to get back to my goal of 500 classes at Pure Barre.