We did it! $6,300 raised for the OneFund #b9forboston

Like many of you, Boston has been my home for my entire life. I remember going into the city with my family as a kid to watch the Boston Marathon and cheer on the runners.

Like many of you, I was at the Boston Marathon this year with a close friend, her husband, her 2 year old son and 4 month old baby and my 2 year old son, Jalen.

Like many of you, I will never forget every detail of

Monday April 15, 2013…

For the past few years I hadn’t been able to go to the race as I was working at a financial advising firm during the day and we had to work on Patriots Day. This year, a close friend and I made a last minute decision to go into town with the kids and watch the race.

We arrived in Boston at around 10:30am. We parked in Brookline in Coolidge Corner. From there we walked to the park near Zaftigs, let the kids play for a bit then headed to Upper Crust pizza for lunch. After lunch we walked down to Beacon Street (the 24 mile mark) to cheer on the runners. There was a man and a woman where we were standing. They were so kind to let our little boys through the crowd so they could stand right up front.

I relive that moment every time I think about Monday April 15th.

The fact that our boys were not even a foot away from us, smiling, clapping, and jumping up and down waving at the runners.  The fact that just 2 miles away terrible things were about to happen. The fact that I considered when the boys were getting antsy and my friend was going to go home, that I was going to take a walk closer to the finish line so I could get some steps in.

The list of ‘what ifs’ is endless.

Thankfully I didn’t walk down to the finish line and we headed home to beat the traffic since I was supposed to teach at 5:30pm. While driving home I began receiving tons of text messages asking if we were okay. I was so confused.

 

After learning what had taken place I was literally in a state of shock. We were *just* there, having a wonderful day. My friend and I had just finished saying how much fun we had and how glad we were that we decided to take the kids to the marathon.

Like you, I have many pictures from that day.

They hold such a different meaning now.

Since then I have been working hard with the girls on my team to put together an event to raise money for The One Fund. It was never an option not to do something to give back to this great city and its people.

Today was such an amazing day. We held a total of 10 classes between each studio with each class participant paying $15 per class. Additionally many clients who could not come to class donated $15, $30, $45, and $60!

  

 

I cannot even thank you all enough for the outpouring support and generosity for our event today. You raised $3,300 with your donations. barre n9ne®matched $3,000 totaling $6,300 which we are sending to The One Fund.

Additionally, many of our clients donated prizes for our raffles.
We are so grateful for your donations.

At 10:45am clients, their children, friends and family members gathered at each studio to walk/run around town. With my son Jalen, my other half- AJ and our amazing clients walking by my side these steps symbolized so much: unity, generosity, love, support, community, kindness, strength and determination.

Thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for honoring those affected by the events of April 15th and for making this event a huge success We couldn’t have done it without you and we are forever grateful to have you as part of our barre n9ne® family.

 Thank you for helping us give back.

~Tanya

the story behind the barre n9ne® 60 day challenge

Before delving into how the 60 day challenge began and why as well as the evolution of it I first need to start by saying that this program would not be what it was if it weren’t for Jessica and Jolene, two of our amazing instructors. From Day 1, these girls have put their heart and soul not only into barre n9ne® studio but into our 60 day challenge program. They have far exceeded my expectations and I am so very thankful to have them on our team.

In April 2011 I launched a studio wide contest to win a free 60 day challenge. Many clients submitted a paragraph explaining why we should choose them. Jolene submitted a write up for herself and Jessica. I hadn’t even thought about selecting two ladies but their story just spoke to me and I thought, “why not have two?”

By winning, the girls had to take 4 classes per week (were allowed to take more if they wanted), drink the recommended amount of water, follow our nutritional advice and complete 10,000 or more steps per day. Also there were a few other rules associated – no squats, lunges, spinning, or artificial sweeteners. {If you want to know why come to one of our nutrition seminars }

Jess and Jolene’s free 60 day challenge kicked off May 12, 2011. I highly recommend reading Jessica’s blog post after they had their first meeting with me. We actually did not weigh them. We only focused on inches lost because honestly in my opinion the number on the scale does not matter even close to as much as how you feel, how your clothes fit, and most importantly if you are happy with what is staring back at you when you look in the mirror- because lets be real, the actual goal is for you to be HAPPY with your body.  {Jess recaps how she felt at the 30 day mark here}

{If you are interested in reading how many inches the girls lost at the 30 day mark here are their posts: Jessica’s and Jolene’s}

I think what makes me the most happy when I re-read these blog posts from Jessica and Jolene is not just the results it’s the feeling behind all of it. These girls were not the same girls I met in May. Not even close, and they sure as heck did not look the same. They stood taller, prouder, were more confident and had a sparkle in their eyes that no one could take away. They truly were transformed, in more ways than one, forever.

{If you are interested in reading how many inches the girls lost at the 60 day mark here are the posts: Jessica’s and Jolene’s

After posting their results in emails and blog posts and getting the word out to all the barre n9ne® clients, we officially launched the barre n9ne® 60 day challenge studio wide in August 2011.

For Jessica and Jolene, after their “60 day challenge” officially ended they continued to purchase unlimited months and would come to class as many times as they had been. Since they were my original challenge girls, I continued to measure them every 30 days until they hit the 6 month mark-  really just for business purposes for barre n9ne®. I wanted to ensure my program was still working and was actually a lifestyle- and it was.

Almost two years later Jessica and Jolene still to this day just LIVE. They take class (and of course teach!) They follow the same nutritional advice they were given on May 12, 2011. They get their steps in from running or walking. They drink the recommended amount of water. They enjoy the foods they want when they want to and that is that. There is no dieting, or weight fluctuations of 10lbs in one direction or the other. There are no good days and bad days. They learned the tools to succeed and they carry those with them each and every day.

Since August 2011 we have helped hundreds of women change their mindset about food and dieting, transform their bodies into one that they are comfortable in and proud of, and most importantly they have learned how to live a happy and fulfilling lifestyle, for the rest of their life.

As we approach the kick off of the April 1st challenges that you all have been inquiring about, I felt that it was important to reach out to those ladies who are contemplating doing a challenge, those who have done a challenge in the past, and those who are completing the current challenge and are not sure what exactly to do next.

As you know I do not promote dieting, in any way, shape or form. I am completely and totally against it. I don’t believe it works for the long term and I don’t feel that you are actually living, because you are not -you are dieting- two different things.  {Take a moment to read a post drafted by Jolene at the one year post challenge mark.}

In my opinion once you participate in a challenge you should be good to go. You should not necessarily need to do challenge after challenge after challenge. This program was truly designed to get you started. To learn the tools you need to live a healthy, fun, happy lifestyle. I know it is scary. I know that me measuring you helps keep you accountable. I know that you are scared you will gain back the weight and inches. YOU WON’T IF you truly accept this for what it is supposed to be- a lifestyle, not a diet. Doing challenge after challenge after challenge tells me you are scared to do this on your own. I am here to tell you, YOU CAN DO IT! I have faith in you. Jess and Jolene have faith in you. We KNOW you can do this. You just have to believe in yourself

In a few days I will be launching the sign ups for the April 1st challenge. Those of you who have inquired about it already and haven’t done a challenge before I am so excited to work with you! Those of you who have been doing challenges back to back, I think it is time to let some new girls participate. {again YOU CAN DO THIS!}

It brings me happy tears and I am so beyond flattered and grateful for the outpouring response to our program. I seriously wish I was superwoman so I could measure every single person that has ever done a challenge each month so you could see your ongoing results- and so that I could see the smile and excitement on your face when you have reached your goal or surpassed it!

The reality is I am not superwoman {shockingly enough } I am only one person. I can only measure so many people in a day and I want to help as many women as humanly possible reach their fitness goals and to come to peace with food.

What I haven’t mentioned yet is that because of all of you who have been doing challenges back to back you have made a lightbulb go off in my head- and without you what I am about to say wouldn’t have happened.

I am in the midst of creating a bunch of new packages-2x per week packages, 3x per week packages, 4x per week packages and more fun things! This is to alleviate the fear inside of you that without a ‘challenge’ you won’t be successful! These will be non-measuring packages so that you can continue to follow the same program as the challenge and you will still be held accountable in the sense that if you don’t use up those classes in a set time you will lose them- same as a challenge

Also the MOST exciting news is that in honor of the 2 year anniversary of Jess and Jolene’s challenge we will be giving a FREE 60 Day Challenge to one lucky lady! Details soon on how to be considered!

I hope you are as excited about this as we are!

I seriously cannot thank the barre n9ne® community enough for your support and love for us. We love you back just as much and as so excited to be on this journey together.

See you at the barre,

Tanya

Creative ways to stay active and avoid temptation when snowed in!

While most of us are snowed in by Blizzard Nemo, it becomes extremely challenging to not only stay active, but to avoid the temptation to hunker down and eat ‘out of the ordinary,’ so we thought we’d share some fabulous tips and motivation to stay on track when snowed in (and the beauty of these tips is that they transcend beyond just being snowed in, too!). Some of our fabulous 60 day challengers have also been coming up with unique ways to get some steps in, stay active, and avoid temptation!

1. Walk and read. Now is a great time to get to that book you have been wanting to read but never have time to. There’s no time like the present to cozy up to your book…and walk around your house or apartment! Alternate between cozying up under a blanket on the couch and walking around your living room reading your book. You’d be amazed at how many steps you’ll get in!
2. Tap into your cable’s on-demand feature. There are a number of walking workouts on demand, and you’ll knock off a few thousand steps while you’re at it. There are also tons of cardio dance style workouts on there as well!
3. Walk the halls. If you live in an apartment and don’t have stairs or longer hallways? Try the hallways outside of your apartment. Genius, right?
4. Put laundry away…one piece at a time. No, seriously. You tidy up and get those legs moving all at once! Many of our challengers do this all the time!
5. Have a step-off with a friend. Many of our challengers are doing this all the time! But even if you aren’t currently doing one of our 60 day challenges, you don’t have to! Challenge a friend, a family member or your significant other to a step off. A little healthy competition always helps you go the extra mile (pun intended!)
6. Have a treadmill? Walk and watch TV. Or, if you are a runner, run a few miles and you’ll knock off some steps that way too, of course.
7. Say it out loud and you’ll reach your goal. Accountability is huge. Commit to a total step amount, say it out loud, to a friend, on Facebook or Twitter, and you’ll feel motivated to reach that goal even more, and may even surprise yourself with how many steps you end up getting in!
8. Be a kid! Who said adults can’t play in the snow?! If you have children, bundle up, get outside and chase them around. If you don’t have children it is totally acceptable to run/play around in the snow too You are bound to work up a sweat and get your steps in at the same time- not to mention a killer thigh workout!
9. Random acts of kindness. Clear off some neighbors cars, help someone shovel their driveway or walkway. Start shoveling at the opposite end of the driveway/walkway and walk the snow (on the shovel of course!) all the way to the pile you start, then walk back to where you began. Obviously bundle up and be careful of slippery ice!

In addition to avoiding the temptation of laying around all day (we do want you to relax, though, so please DO rest up and rejuvinate, too!), it’s also easy to slide into old habits…junk food, extra snacks, drinks etc. The one tip we have here is to treat this day as any other day – be normal, stay on track, and just plan for that treat you know you’ll want, and you won’t feel deprived- you also won’t feel the ‘regret hangover’ the next day after overindulging!

We hope you stay warm and safe as the storm winds down, and we applaud each and every one of you for staying active, focused and determined to live a happy, healthy and fit lifestyle! See you {soon} at the barre!

Instructor Spotlight – Erica G!

Today, we bring you Erica! She is a long time client turned instructor who has a love for fitness and teaching. By day, Erica is an accountant and by night, of course, a barre n9ne® instructor! Enjoy reading more about her!

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1 – What are your favorite songs to work out to?

Don’t Stop the Party by Pitbull (how can you not dance to that one?? And speaking of dancing, how can you not thigh dance to that one?)

Mercy by Duffy (that song was made for outer thigh work!)

Rum and Raybans by Sean Kingston featuring Cher Lloyd (I just love that song and think Cher Lloyd is adorable)

2 – What’s your favorite food/guilty pleasure?

I love food so this isn’t easy but I would have to say Trader Joe’s dark chocolate covered almonds. I eat a few EVERY day. Definitely more than a few on some days. This is a shameless plug for the barre n9ne® nutrition plan because whatever your guilty pleasure is, you can have it if you plan for it!

3 – Favorite move to teach? Favorite move to do? (This could be very different answers!)

I love teaching chair…is that evil of me? Mostly because I know how hard it is to support your body weight in that position, which makes it amazingly effective at strengthening legs. I feel complete admiration for the way the women in class tough it out despite their legs shaking like crazy. It takes such determination to keep going when you think you can’t or to get right back into it after taking a break.

My favorite move to do is shoulders with the balls. I love the different combinations that the other instructors come up with! It’s never boring and getting through a long series feels so satisfying! I’m also falling in love with doing push ups now. I NEVER thought I’d say that!

4 – What’s one thing about you that clients may be surprised to know?

My mother’s side of the family is Swedish and I grew up with a lot of those customs. When I was little, I was Saint Lucia for a Swedish Christmas fair and a very sweet elderly artist painted a ridiculously large watercolor painting of me in the costume that hangs over my grandmother’s couch to this day…I couldn’t make this stuff up!

5 – What do you love the most about teaching at barre n9ne®?

Finally getting to know the women that I have been taking classes with for so long! It’s been really nice to talk to some of the clients who started before me and the newer clients. Knowing how far they have come in terms of fitness or what their personal goals are makes it so nice to lead a class for them. I am so grateful for the chance to be a part of this amazing and inspiring group!

Instructor Spotlight: Jolene!

Today we bring to you Jolene! She started her journey with barre n9ne® as one of the Inaugural 60 Day Challengers along with her sister Jessica. Post 60 day challenge, Jolene and Jessica began actively helping to launch the first studio-wide challenge in August 2011. After I saw how receptive the barre n9ne® community was to Jolene and Jessica, their caring, kind, and compassionate connection they had with our clients, it was a no brainer to have them train to be instructors! Still to this day we have clients who can’t tell them apart, which is always really fun! barre n9ne® would not be what it is now without Jolene (and Jessica)!

Enjoy reading all about Jolene!

~Tanya

1 - What are your favorite songs to work out to? 

In addition to all things barre n9ne®, I love to run, but when I do, I don’t normally listen to music, except sometimes on the treadmill, because let’s face it, how on earth does one get through a ‘dreadmill’ workout without some tunes of some kind? I know I will probably get some laughs for this, but to this day, I still love me some Britney Spears, with a dash of NSync, for good measure. And I always always ALWAYS need to have some Pitbull, Black Eyed Peas, Swedish House Mafia, Bodyrockers and anything Taio Cruz in there!

Favorite songs generally (okay, I am adding this one in, wasn’t part of the question!) come from Ray Lamontagne (yes, I am also admitting I LOVE his rendition of ‘Jolene’ even though I feel weird listening to it, for obvious reason, hehe), Alicia Keys, and Matchbox Twenty, my all-time favorite.

2 – What’s your favorite food/guilty pleasure?

This one is far too easy. Wine. I absolutely adore wine, and like my sister said in her instructor spotlight post, we have been going to Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, for the past four years, and that place just never.gets.old. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful place, with sprawling vineyards left and right, and some of the best wines you will ever taste, and the sense of serenity and slower pace of life in that region is just the most calming feeling ever. As for the wine itself, I love that I can enjoy a glass – just one – as ‘dessert’ and it feels utterly satisfying, or I can plan ahead and have a few glasses and enjoy every last sip knowing that a) it really does have some lasting health benefits and b) I know what’s in it, from calories to ingredients, and it isn’t an unknown as say, a baked good might be, or a cookie from a box (gasp, not homemade!?).

It’s funny…I used to say baked cheetos were my favorite food or guilty pleasure, but after going through the 60 day challenge as the inaugural challengers more than a year and a half ago, but now? I haven’t touched them since the first day I walked into barre n9ne®. There’s nothing satisfying about filler foods that become my trigger. But wine? 100% satisfying. *end long response to a short question*

3 – Favorite move to teach? Favorite move to do? 

This is a toughie. I truly do love teaching them all, but I think I will have to say any and all barre-based move is my absolute favorite. I love seeing clients’ determined faces, pushing through, holding longer, going lower, pulsing longer…and then pushing them to do one.more.pulse. Seeing the shake activate in their legs and faces full of focus is so rewarding and inspiring and it truly makes ME work harder at the barre the next time I am in class. And it reminds me how much focus really plays into each and every barre n9ne move we do!

As for me, my FAVORITE move to do has to be side leg. Yep, I’ll admit it. I LOVE doing side leg because it never.ever.ever.ever.EVER.gets.easier. EVER. And it hurts so good! 

4 – What’s one thing about you that clients may be surprised to know? 

Some may know this, some may not, but a huge catalyst towards my own fitness journey and stepping foot into barre n9ne in the first place, is my divorce. Though I am just about four years past that time now, it was that time in my life that propelled me to step out of my comfort zone and finally do for me what I never did before. Put myself first. Shape who I want to be. And I have never looked back.

From starting to run, to testing my instructor chops teaching a group kickboxing class (suuuuch a departure from barre n9ne, as my sister notes, our ‘getups’ used to be loose and baggy, bandanas and hand wraps – hard core, much?!) and finally, coming to barre n9ne and feeling like I was finally home. Reshaping my body, continuing to build my confidence and finally, 100% stepping out of my former shell of myself, to the person that I am today.

5 – What do you love the most about teaching at barre n9ne?

I love this community of clients at barre n9ne and how it continues to grow by the day. I love seeing clients motivate each other, become friends, plan walk and run dates, compare grocery stores for the latest in Chobani, oatmeal or PB2 finds, and I love helping ‘behind the scenes’ on all things marketing and PR. barre n9ne runs through my veins, I am pretty convinced, and there is no workout or lifestyle that has ever felt this natural (and believe me, I have tried a LOT of different workouts!), or – FUN.

barre n9ne has made my life so good in so many ways, in being such a part of it, both as a ‘student,’ and an instructor, that teaching classes, tweaking, changing, and switching things up, is my way of feeling like I am ‘paying it forward’ to someone that may need that extra little boost, that motivation, and that ‘switch’ to flip, and if I can be a small part of that? Well, that’s just a beautiful thing.

Reason #683 why barre n9ne® clients are the best clients.

While our client appreciation week was but a small token of our appreciation to our dedicated, kind-hearted, motivated and loyal clients, we continue to be blown away by just how passionate our ladies are! We launched our first ever Instagram challenge (our most FAVORITE challenge to date, we must admit!!) asking for clients to use Instagram to post a barre n9ne® pose a day and tag us in their post, along with the #b9poseadaychallenge hashtag.

WELL, not only did more than 30 clients (and some of our fabulous instructors too!) play along each and every day of the 14-day challenge, we threw in a last minute twist on the last four days of the challenge: Conduct four random acts of kindness (one per day), take a picture of whatever it is you do for a random stranger and on the note you leave for the recipient, write the following: “You are the recipient of a barre n9ne act of kindness. Please pay it forward #barren9ne” Post the picture of the act and the note to Instagram and hashtag #b9poseadaychallenge and #b9actofkindness and tag @barre_n9ne!

Not only did our clients gladly dive into this added ‘twist,’ they gave some pretty amazing and generous donations and acts of kindness, from clothing donations to children in need, to Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks gift cards, to scratch tickets left on windows, to paying for groceries for those in behind them, and more. Not only was each act beautiful and touching, in many instances, the acts of kindness were for very personal reasons for each client, and showed us even more of a glimpse into the hearts and souls of our passionate and dedicated clients. We thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your beautiful acts of kindness (that some of you are even continuing to do!), and your ongoing dedication to our studio. We wouldn’t be where we are today, without you.

And on that note, here are a few collages of some of our most favorite #b9poseadaychallenge pictures and #b9actofkindness pictures! Thank you again, so much and we’ll see you at the barre!

Tanya

Instructor spotlight – Stephanie G!

This week Stephanie takes the stage in our Instructor Spotlight series! A former Group Kick Instructor who is currently in Acupuncture School, Steph was one of the first group of 60 day challengers when we launched it studio-wide in August 2011. She has totally transformed her body and of course has a deep passion for helping clients get fit and enjoy working out, and most of all making fitness fun! Enjoy reading about Steph! 

1 – What are your favorite songs to workout to? 

Tigerlily- La Roux, Material Girl- Madonna, Shake It Out- Florence + the Machine, Echa Pa’lla- Pitbull are current favorites!

2 – What’s your favorite food/guilty pleasure?

Ok, I can’t pick just one! I LOVE ice cream, especially fresh homemade ice cream from Cherry Hill Creamery! Orange Pineapple, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Cherry Vanilla are just a few of my favorites.

I love to cook and bake, and every once in a while, I just have to make homemade macaroni and cheese!

And lastly, I’d have to say vodka. I have (maybe too much!) fun mixing up creative, yummy, lower calorie drinks. I also had lots of fun last summer infusing my own vodkas with fresh fruit and veggies!

3 – Favorite move to teach? Favorite move to do? 

Teach: Hard plank series, it’s so fun to push the girls to limit and watch them get stronger!  You can just feel the determination in the room!

Do: Pretzel at the barre, or Glutes with feet on the barre…really any glute exercise!

4 – What’s one thing about you that clients may be surprised to know?

I didn’t always look how I do now, and I was overweight for most of my life. Once I was in high school and finally realized I wanted to get fit, it became a constant struggle. I would work out and try to eat better, but never quite get where I wanted to be.  I had a hard time with self-confidence and I used to be shy and just uncomfortable in my own skin. After completing my first barre n9ne 60-day challenge, I saw huge changes both physically and mentally. And since August of 2011, my confidence, self-acceptance, and love for my body and myself has just soared, making me feel like the best me I can be. It is really such a wonderful thing, and I am so thankful for it everyday.

And, a more fun/funny fact…I used to be afraid of dogs. I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters, so growing up there was no time or room for pets. I always just said that I didn’t like them, but really I was afraid of them! And most animals for that matter! I didn’t start to like dogs until I started to hang out with (my now husband) George. His brother had a sweet dog, and I got over my fear. Then when George asked me what I wanted for Christmas I was joking and said a dog. Well he decided to adopt Daisy or first Golden Retriever from a friend of his…and then I was really hooked! If any of you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, I’m sure you have seen plenty photos of my lovable pups And what a workout walking those two!!

5 – What do you love the most about teaching at barre n9ne?

I love to help heal people and help them heal themselves. Practicing acupuncture I love to help people become more balanced, healthy and to work on fixing their problems/issues, whatever they may be. Being able to apply some of the same concepts when I teach a barre n9ne class just makes me so happy! I love helping people reach their health and fitness goals, seeing them work so, so hard to get there, and seeing big smiles as they come in and leave my class. It is just the best!