How Can I Use My New Barre Instructor Certification? You have just attended your first Barre Instructor Training and you are thinking, “Ok, now what?!” As cliché as it might sound, the world is your oyster! The opportunities are endless and what you do with it and where you go is truly up to you and what fits you best! I am going to break down three of the most common options for what to do with your brand spanking new certification to better help you figure it out! 1.) Gyms/Studios. Probably one of the most common ways to use your Barre Instructor Certification is to go teach at a gym or stu ..read more

What I Think About Working Out on Vacaton As summer quickly approaches and you can start to smell your vacation in the air and you begin that packing list in anticipation, you may be contemplating how many pairs of workout clothes you need to pack. I often get asked by my private clients to create a workout routine for them to take on vacation or my on-demand subscribers being to download their favorite workouts in case of spotty wifi. I myself enjoy a vacation workout, in fact, my husband works out the most when on vacation. This is all fine and dandy, as long as these three things don’t com ..read more

My 3 Favorite Ways to Use Weights in My Barre Classes If you are looking for ways to make your barre classes or workouts a little more spicy, than I highly recommend adding weights. I am not talking about turning it into a weight-lifting class, so no need to be scared! 2-3 lbs is what I like to max out at and those small weights can definitely bring the heat! No matter what levels you have in your class, weights can be easily added or taken away with no disruption, allowing for seamless transitions and modifications. And my favorite part is that you can use this prop in every aspect of your c ..read more

How to Safely Return to Your Workouts After Physical Therapy Expert and Physical Therapist, Laura Christiansen, weighs in on how to safely return to workouts after completing physical therapy: They say there are only two constants in life, death and taxes. I feel confident we can add body breakdown occurring as well. I have over 33 years of orthopedic experience as an orthopedic physical therapist as well a a rehab candidate/failure myself. One of the most frequently asked questions from active individuals is "when can I........". Active people want to be active! I advise patients t ..read more

How to Love Your Body For some, this seems like an impossible task. And it honestly doesn’t help that diet culture literally tells us in not so subtle ways everyday that we in fact should not love our bodies. But we should, and we can. I believe there are three different ways that help move us in the direction of loving not only our bodies, but who we are and were created to be. 1.) Protect Your Mind. Maybe you didn’t see this one coming? But like I mentioned earlier, there are messages targeted at us everyday in every direction of how imperfect our bodies are and why we should hate them. If ..read more

Why Motivation Isn’t Everything You Need Ever find yourself using the excuse “I’m just not motivated to workout?” Well good news, you don’t necessarily need motivation to keep on your health and wellness journey. Motivation is a fickle thing, it comes and goes. It’s not something you can rely on at all times. Sometimes you are going to need more than motivation. And I have more good news, these three things are much more reliable! 1.) Consistency. You’ve heard it time and time again - “Consistency is key.” And that’s because it’s true! You do something consistently enough, regardless of wheth ..read more

Why Private Lessons are Right for You Ever feel like you aren’t getting exactly what you need during a group fitness class? I love teaching and taking group classes and I can still definitely feel like this at times! It is nearly impossible to get one-on-one attention in a group setting, which is why I love private lessons. For some, this may feel like a far off luxury, but I am here to tell you private sessions are for everyone and why they are the right fit for you! 1.) Personalized Program. You can’t get more one-on-one than literally being the only one! With my private clients, I like for ..read more

My Top 3 Favorite Total Body Exercises I get asked quite often what my favorite type of exercises are, and if you know me, you know I am all about efficiency and getting the most amount in in the least amount of time. Get in, get done, get out! So my answer is always any exercise that targets the entire body head-to-toe! And bonus points if they have a cardio component that gets my heart pumpin’! Total body exercises are not only great for those who are short on time and are craving an effective workout, but they also improve our mind-body connection and requires us to focus on proper form an ..read more

A Letter To My Younger Self Preparing Her For Her Infertility Journey 10 years ago I was living my best life living out my dreams of dancing on cruise ships, waking up in a different Caribbean island every day. The thought of one day having a child was quite possibly the furthest thing on my mind. Perhaps due to lack of knowledge, preconceived notions or influenced by culture, I took for granite the idea that when the day came that I was “ready,” it would just happen. Looking back now almost a decade later, on an infertility journey that I don’t think I ever could have foreseen, I wish more t ..read more

Why I Love Teaching In-Person and Virtually Even prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, I was already teaching in a hybrid model, offering both in-person and virtual classes. At the time, the virtual aspect was on-demand classes and since then I now also offer a livestream option for real-time classes. Many instructors strictly prefer one or the other - teaching in-person or teaching virtually. I have actually always preferred having both options available to my clients and for myself, and even more so in this post-pandemic world! 1.) The Pros of In-Person Classes. There will always be a need for cl ..read more