brooke's nooks.

it’s become a crucial part of my weekly routine, one i never anticipated.

i bought a groupon for Pure Barre last fall, let it expire & thought that was it.

then, the biggest loser competition happened, i called the fine folks at the closest (& only Indiana location) & they kindly offered to accept my 10 class pass.

all it took was one Friday morning commitment & i was hooked.

the whole Lift.Tone.Burn workout is amazing—my legs shake, my core quivers & at the end of every hour-long session, i feel a strong sense of accomplishment.

but it’s more than that.

for one hour, twice a week, Pure Barre allows me the opportunity to step away from the madness of daily tasks, social media dependence & all other self-inflicted stressors.

for sixty minutes, i’m not tempted to unlock my phone & catch up on the lives of others—instead, i focus on me (& my often neglected muscles).

over the course of the past 6 months, i’ve purchased 2 groupons (10 classes each). so for now, i’m utilizing those bad boys. after that, i’ll have to decide whether or not i’ll commit to more—my mind is saying yes, but my budget is saying “holy shit, Pure Barre is expensive!” <—& it is.

in the meantime, if you’re wanting to go on a new fitness adventure or you simply yearn for a reason to set down your phone, i would highly recommend taking advantage of Pure Barre’s “first class free” offer.

i mean, if nothing else, who doesn’t lust after the infamous Pure Barre ledge?

forget the designer duds,

forget the sky high heels,

forget the good hair days.

when it comes to when i feel the best in my currently pale/slightly freckled skin,

it’s post-workout, post-shower, no make-up, frizzy hair twisted up in an old school banana clip, my favorite slouchy sweatpants, a one size too big men’s v-neck tee, nerdtastic glasses & feeling absolutely exhausted from head to toe.

last night, this is how i felt.

as the girls were getting ready for bed & working on homework,

i escaped to their home gym.

i had one of the best sweat sessions i could muster followed by a hot shower & six solid hours of sweet, sweet dreams.

sometimes, it’s nice to forget about all the superficial stuff & instead focus on what truly makes you happy.

#keepgoing 

(Source: instagram.com)

the number that showed up on yesterday’s final weigh in scale was the lowest number i’d seen in a few years.

when i was in grad school, i would come back to indy on breaks and mama j would often tell me that i needed to be eating more.

“mom, i’m fine,” i’d tell her, but i knew she genuinely cared.

i lost 15 pounds when i was in kansas.

i wasn’t trying to lose weight. i was stressed, not eating enough, always reading, always writing, always on the go, took up running, looked to walks as my saving grace on the weekends, and ended up consequently concerning my mother.

that’s the thing about weight loss, you can take it too far.

over the last three months, i’ve realized just how obsessive working out can become.

as i previously stated, i started involving others in the madness of calories in/calories out, 

my weekend plans revolved around when i could get in those 4 hours of cardio rather than when i could get in those 4 hours of socializing with dear friends.

i’m glad i was able to recognize and begin to rectify my change in behavior before it went too far. 

hard work (and being rewarded for hard work) can feel good, but i truly believe a balance needs to be found.

i received a message from an anonymous person last week accusing me of putting the drastic diet i’ve been on since January into the same basket as a healthy lifestyle change. 

i hope we’re all aware at this point that i do not recommend the drastic measures i took to lose as much weight as i did. 

i would never recommend two-a-days in the middle of a work week, missing family dinners in order to get in a 6 mile run, turning down happy hour drinks because it’d be too many allotted calories, throwing a tantrum because you can’t have baked goods, or having to say no to bridal shower cake because it’s clearly more carbs than protein.

yesterday, after the final weigh in, & after the scale revealed that my weight is lower than it’s been in years, i took some time to think about balance and where to go from here.

and to be honest, i’m not really sure.

i took 24 hours to indulge in foods i’d removed from my diet over the last 90 days.

that was an enjoyable first step (!!!).

i had a piece of Mama J’s homemade blueberry loaf for breakfast, a delicious cupcake from my favorite Flying Cupcake in the afternoon, strawberry shortcake for an appetizer & chocolate chip pancakes for dinner…

my body wasn’t so sure what to do with the sugar shock, but being gluttonous, developing a carb-induced food baby, and not feeling guilty or like i was going to be letting my #fattypatty teammate down was well worth it.

i know it’ll take a minute to get back into a more balanced routine and per usual, i’m up for the challenge!

(picture of Bentley & me during a grad school break in 2010…clearly exhausted.)

daily outfit: the “leopard layers for days” edition.

i’m always proud when i walk into my closet at a quarter to seven with no idea what to wear yet somehow manage to pull together an outfit that pleases me to no end.

today’s outfit falls under that situation.

it started with red denim, i realized it had been way too long since i wore my grey-toned leopard sweater, i reached for a neutral button down & topped it off with my beloved baubles & boots.

it’s really not that fancy, but i’m still gonna go ahead & give myself a pat on the back…

these are bacon & egg cups.

i made them last night while prepping for the week- the last week of this crazy, crazy, crazy biggest loser competition.

for the next 7 days, i’m going carb-free.

in a last ditch effort to drop as much weight as possible, 

i’m going to ingest all the protein i can while avoiding my beloved fruits, sugars, breads, etc etc etc.

am i excited about the next 7 days? heccccccck nah.

but, as anyone who has ever plateaued during a weight-loss competition knows, it’s frustrating as all get out & sometimes you take drastic measures in an effort to trick your body.

so, this is where i’m at.

7 more days & huge hopes that i see a drop in number ASAP.

what have i done?

(Source: instagram.com)

smile friday: your resident biggest loser competitors give “Pure Barre” a go.

i had taken a barre class before but it wasn’t at the Pure Barre studio.

Ashley & i took advantage of their “first class free” deal & signed up for this morning’s 10 a.m.

my review? the hour long class was absolutely amazing(!).

ten minutes into the class, i met Ashley up at the front bar & over-dramatically remarked, “that warm-up just about killed me.”

luckily, i gave myself a silent pep talk, remembered that i’ll be in a swim suit in a few short weeks & realized that if the fifty-something woman next to me could lift, tone & burn, then so could i!

our legs were shaking with every “tuck,”

the unique movements were way more promiscuous than i was anticipating (hello, boys!),

& the instructor switched songs & increased her own peppy voice at the exact time i needed a boost.

this picture may not be the most flattering,

but post-workout, it’s about as good as it gets!

tonight i chose chocolate chip pancakes over an 8 mile workout for the following reasons:

• i worked out for 6 days straight and needed a break
• i hadn’t eaten sugary sweets in a week
• i flipped off a semi truck driver before 8 a.m.
• i only lost 1/2 a pound at this morning’s weigh in
• on saturday, i ran/walked 10 miles & had to lay down shortly thereafter
• yesterday, i did the elliptical for an hour & a half followed by a bike ride. no laying down was necessary.
• i brought last night’s leftover grilled salmon for today’s lunch.
• i only had one cup of coffee this morning
• i kind of missed the twitch due to a lack of morning coffee
• there are less than 14 days left in this competition
• there are 7 days until the next weigh in
• i’ll now be waiting another 14 days before consuming sugary sweets
• if there’s one thing i love, it’s chocolate chip pancakes
• my teammate, Ashley, is eating pizza for dinner
• i deserve them
• i stopped by CVS to pick up milk for the sole purpose of drinking it with said pancakes
• i only made half a batch
• i needed to use up the chocolate chips constantly calling me from the pantry
• i’m getting up at 5 a.m. to get back on track in the morning
• i have 40 essays to grade this evening
• curling up with a blanket is way more enticing than putting in 8 miles on a hamster wheel
• i do what i want.

(image via)