The Benefits of Barre

Barre is one of Chakra's newest classes and is becoming quiet popular! Our instructors were trained by fitness and lifestyle expert Tracey Mallet, created of Booty Barre. This blog will share the benefits of Barre and what some of our clients and instructors are saying about this hot new class!

Barre focuses on women’s trouble areas: thighs, hips, abs, and arms. The class uses the ballet barre to work on thinning your thighs, lifting your seat, flattening your abs, and toning your arms, all in an hour that’s done to fun, upbeat music. The idea is to get each muscle working to the point of fatigue and then we stretch, creating those long lean dancer's muscles. Your heart rate is up the whole time, so you get the added benefit of cardio. This workout is for people of all ages and sizes because it is extremely effective at reshaping your body. Anyone who has taken approximately 10 classes will tell you they notice a difference in their body. The great thing about this workout is that you don’t need prior dance experience to take the class. This is a fun, sexy class that works the whole body while making you feel beautiful and empowered!

This is what Jodette Goebel, one of our instructors has to say:

"Booty Barre is by far my favorite workout. It combines various elements of dance, ballet and Pilates with a kick butt cardio twist. I have lost weight and toned areas of my body where I've never seen definition before. It is a total body workout that creates long and lean muscles and doesn't leave you feeling bulky. If you haven't tried it, I highly recommend it. You won't be disappointed!"

Our clients love it! Here is what a couple of them have to say!!

Michele O'Donnell says:

"I highly recommend Booty Barre. It is an incredible workout & you really feel it the next day. The results are instantaneous - it puts you in touch with your body & you look & feel better. I love to dance, and dancing to the great music through the moves really helps to push yourself beyond where you think you can go; & like any exercise with regular practice you only get better. Booty Barre will have you wearing your jeans with pride!"

Naomi Collins says:

"The Booty Barre class at Chakra is amazing. It targets those pesky problem areas like booty, thighs, abs and arms, keeps my heart rate up to burn major calories and its fun! It combines the flexibility of yoga, the strength of Pilates and the grace of ballet, all wrapped up in 60 minutes of solid movin' and groovin'. So far I've noticed that my booty and thighs are much firmer and my arms feel less jiggly. As a person who primarily does yoga, I find this an excellent way to mix up my normal routine."

If you are looking for a fun, new workout to add to your regimen Booty Barre is the class you are looking for! You can try it for your first time for only $10, which is quite a steal since these classes typically run at $22+ at other locations. Barre is a great compliment to Yoga and Pilates, with an added cardio benefit. This hour long class burns almost 600 calories and will leaving you feeling sexy and toned. The exercises help you sculpt long lean muscles using props such as weights and balls in addition to the barre. Sign up for a class today!

A Healthy You!

The New Year is here! Many people use this fresh start as a motivator to focus on improving their health and wellbeing. This blog post will share some delicious, nutritious recipes that will help you stay on the right track without sacrificing taste!

Kale Salad

Kale is considered a "Beauty" vegetable because it improves skin tone and complexion. It is rich in Vitamins K, A and C, Calcium, fiber, potassium, folate and more. Most people aren't crazy about kale. In fact, I admit, I wasn't a huge fan at first. I have since learned a couple of tricks that help even non-kale lovers (like my husband!) be more than happy to finish off this yummy salad. The first trick is to use Lacinato kale, which is less bitter, and to remove the stems and just use the leaves. The stems are very bitter so removing them helps make the salad more pleasing to picky eaters. Next massage the dressing into the leaves and let it marinade for 10-15 minutes helping to soften the leaves and allow the dressing to soak into the kale. Adding some other super foods to this salad help up the health ante and add even more flavor. Suggestions include cucumber, red bell pepper, raisins, red onion, carrot, and walnuts. Chop all the vegetables and add them to a bowl. You can add a dressing of your choice and allow everything to marinade for a bit before serving. enjoy!!

Balsamic Garlic Green Beans

This dish makes a nice side, or even a quick snack. Everyone who I have made this for says how much they love it! First wash and trim green beans and place on a baking sheet. Chop up fresh garlic and sprinkle over the green beans. Drizzle with oil, bals

amic vinegar, salt and pepper. and mix well with hands. Bake at 400F for about 20-25 minutes until the ends brown a little.

And what kind of person would I be if I didn't share a yummy healthy dessert recipe? A bad kind of person! So here you go!!!!!

Apple Cinnamon Crisp

This apple crisp can be served for breakfast or as a healthy, light dessert. It's so easy to make and tastes just like apple pie minus the crust! Preheat oven to 350F. Slice up 2-3 apples and place in a lightly greased baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tbs of water and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. In a separate bowl combine 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1/4 c brown sugar, 1/6 c flour. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Mix in 1/2 cup of rolled oats. Sprinkle over apples and cook for 25-30 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or opt instead for greek yogurt drizzled with honey for some added protein!

Bon appétit