Category Archives: barre n9ne

Finding your healthy (happy) place

Posted by JessSutera in 60 day transformation, barre n9ne, body image, confidence, guest blog, healthy eating, journey

One of my all-time-besties is Steph. We first became friends when we decided to train to become Group Kick certified a year or so ago and since then, have run half marathons together, bonded over our now-shared obsession love of barre n9ne and have become super duper close. I heart her so. She is such a great friend with a huge, huge heart. And she’s gorgeous to boot.

Oh! And she just started blogging as she prepares for her final year of acupuncture school – she’s going to be an incredible acupuncturist one day soon, this much I know. So give her a little love today, will ya? She’s blogging for me here while I’m off hanging with the super-fab Heather in Little Rock. Thank you, Steph!! <3

**********

Finding your healthy (happy) place

I absolutely LOVE living a healthy life.

This is something fairly new for me. For the last 8 years I have been striving for a healthy life. Working out most days, eating well during the week, then too much on the weekends. I thought I was doing everything right, I mean how could I work out so much, be careful about what I ate most days and not look the way I wanted?? It made me so frustrated. I would see people who NEVER worked out, always went out to dinner, or ate what they wanted, and granted they were more overweight than I was at the time, but they didn’t seem to be gaining any weight. So why was I doing so much work just to stay the same??

It went on like this for a while…then I found my happy (healthy) place.

With the help of Jessica and Jolene of course!

Over May, June and July of last year, I learned all about their barre n9ne challenge. At first I couldn’t figure out why they were so obsessed with this place. What could be so great about it??

…then I took my first class.

Bliss.

I loved the format of the class, the people in the class, the instructors, the music, the intensity….everything.

I signed up for the 60-day Challenge and started on August 1st and never stopped.

I lost weight and inches, but even more than that? I gained so much confidence, a love for my body and I finally found my own happy, healthy place. And for that I will be forever grateful.

Barre n9ne has become such a wonderful place for some major “me” time. Of course I love the barre dates I share with Jess and Jo, but for the hour or two that I am there, it’s really all about me. I’ve worked towards that mind-body connection that barre n9ne is built on – it’s about really being able to focus on which muscle I am squeezing (which is harder than it sounds). Finally connecting to my body.

And now, I look at myself in the mirror — I mean really look at my whole body — and am completely amazed at how much I LOVE it. It’s not perfect, nor will it ever be, but it’s strong, it’s healthy, it’s beautiful, and it’s mine.

Barre n9ne is my happy place, but it’s really so much more than that.

My real happy (healthy) place isn’t really a place, but this lifestyle I have made my own. This healthy lifestyle that I love so much — it doesn’t feel like work, it just feels like me.

A happy, healthy me.

And you know what the best thing is?
…anyone can do this! You don’t have to go to barre n9ne. You don’t have to be a runner or a biker. You just have to find what you love! You have to find your own happy (healthy) place. Find a healthy lifestyle that works for you, that you enjoy. That you are downright passionate about.

When people tell me they hate working out, or they can’t do it, I tell them to try something new. Maybe it’s walking and chatting with a friend a few times a week, or trying a new class. Because once you find what makes you happy it will make you healthy too!

It’s so important to get into a habit of being active, and continually working to become stronger and healthier. Adopting an active lifestyle that you look forward to instead of dread makes all the difference. If you hate going to the gym and are just waiting for your workout to be over, instead of enjoying and connecting, is it really even worth it?

If someone tells me they can’t diet because they love to eat, I urge them to try a food log. It’s worked wonders for me, taking responsibility for what I put in mouth, without losing my love for food. Without feeling restricted – like I can’t have certain foods that I love. With the food log, I can have ice cream if I want (I <3 ice cream). Of course, there are days when it’s frustrating to log but those days are few and far between and honestly, it's not meant to be perfect, just like we aren't meant to be perfect all the time. But the food log works for me, it takes away the stress of dieting and the wondering if I'm eating the right amounts of food for what my body needs. It really is an amazing tool for me.

Bottom line: Find your own happy (healthy) place. And embrace it.

…my happy (healthy) place is enjoying classes at barre n9ne, running, using my food log to keep myself in check while learning what my body really needs.

…my happy place is zipping up a pair of size 0 pants and not believing that I was a size 6 just months ago.

…it’s loving what I see in the mirror, and honestly appreciating and loving the strength and beauty (and hotness!) of my own body. Finally.

…it’s knowing that I’m doing good for me. Yes, me. And knowing that this is a lifestyle I will keep because it’s not a diet, it’s not me trying to lose weight, it’s me living. It’s me.

Find a healthy lifestyle that makes you happy and rock it. Find your happy (healthy) place. Find yourself.

Love to run – winter and summer edition

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, Chicago Marathon, Cox Rhode Race half marathon, rundate, running, speed, sweat

So, after seeing tons and tons of “why I love to run” style blog posts yesterday in honor or Valentine’s Day thanks to #runchat’s call for posts on the topic on Sunday, I got to thinking about my own lovefest with running.

But rather than talk about why I (love to) run – which I’ve covered a couple of times already here and there (though I feel like I could answer that question differently any day of the week!), I thought I’d take a slightly different slant.

Why I love to run – the winter and summer edition.
(mainly because, up until this winter, I used to despise winter running. And now I don’t (so much). But I digress. Let’s carry on, shall we?)

Winter:

It’s freezing.
…which makes you run faster. As in holy-hell-there-must-be-crazy-angry-polar-bears-chasing-me fast. <—this was how Sunday's run went, thanks to 15 degree temps and mad wind.

…being freezing means two things.
1 – you’re alive and ought to be pretty darn excited about that fact.
2 – you get to pick out wicked cute (and warm) running tights, running hoodies, headbands, etc. And lust after a few items over at Lululemon, wistfully hoping for them to magically appear on the “we made too much” section. Like this:

(I WANT.)

And, winter running means be-friending the dreadmill which for me translates into interval training and hill work. Both equally puketastic. Both equally needed if I want to kill my half marathon in May…and to set me up nicely for Chicago Marathon training which begins in June (um, puke…that’s coming up pretty quick…)

Summer:

You sweat. A LOT. I dig that.
(recycled post-rundate pic from this summer)

You get to run much, much earlier in the AM and outside, not on the treadmill. Which means – birds chirping, bunny sightings, warm summer air and ridiculous runner’s highs. I have such fond memories of summertime rundates with my running buddies Steph and Jo, and many long rundates with Scott. Come to think of it, summertime is actually where most of my half marathon training has taken place, to date. So I guess you can say I’m a big-time summer runner, high heat and muggies, be damned.

…which from what I hear is a good thing given the weather for the Chicago Marathon can be fairly unpredictable (but usually pretty warm). <–so choosing this as my first full marathon was a wicked smaht move, who knew?!

And – it takes far less time to “gear up” for a summertime run than a wintertime run. Don’t get me wrong, I dig all the cute winter running gear I’ve accumulated (or lusted after) this season, but nothing compares to running in nothing but Lululemon run shorts and a tank top.

(after the YuKanRun half marathon with Isabel – she’s so little here!)

…which reminds me of a little goal or “bet” that Jo, Steph and I have. That this summer will be the summer we will throw caution to the wind and run in just shorts and a sports bra. Something none of us has ever been brave enough to do (in public) before. Eek. We promised we’d make it happen this year, that we’d let go of insecurity and own that run. Call it a running bucket list item if you want, but dammit – we’re making it happen this year. Right, ladies??

So, this post turned into a bit of a rambly mess, I hope you don’t mind. Sometimes my mind wanders all over the place when I’m blogging, especially when it comes to running. It’s on my mind a LOT lately. That and barre n9ne, barre n9ne, barre n9ne. Not much room in my brain these days for much else.

…which I don’t consider a bad thing. Not. At. All. ;-)

The boy at the barre

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne

This weekend was Valentine’s Day weekend at barre n9ne. How does one celebrate Valentine’s Day at a barre studio? Well, you bring your boy to the barre, that’s how!

Rather than simply relay how this spectacle went down on Saturday morning, I figured I’d get my husband’s take on the whole experience. I’ll say this — I’m pretty sure I’ve gained a whole new level of respect from him as a result. That – and it was pretty frickin’ funny seeing him struggle through the upper body work with those teeny tiny 3 lb hand weights (4 lbs for him)!

So here we go – boy at the barre (n9ne), he said/she said style:

He said: Little nervous, not gonna lie. A little intimidated by the 4 lb weights, who would’ve thought. But let’s get this party started. I’m a Sutera, I never turn down a challenge.

She said: It was SO weird seeing a bunch of boys in the studio, all refusing to take their socks off, so as not to appear anything less than the macho guys that they were trying so hard to be. (kinda hard to do in a studio, but they pulled it off, kinda…)

He said: How many times are we gonna lift these stupid weights over our head? Seriously? Can we put them down yet? Ok, this burns, I’m not kidding. She keeps counting to “8.” How many “8′s” are we gonna do??

She said: This was the part of the workout that I knew the boys would be most surprised by. So of course, I had to go balls-out during the upper body work, I couldn’t let them know that even after 8 months of these workouts, that upper body work still kills me, too! It was hard to focus though, I kept giggling at Scott as he’d scrunch his face up in pain, trying so hard not to drop those weights.

He said: Triceps. I got this. Ok, maybe not. Tricep dips – where’s my bench?? On the floor, you want my hips up where? And I’m supposed to lean back into my triceps and *then* bend my elbows? Um hi, I can’t move.  All that’s moving is my butt, why aren’t my elbows bending?? I look over at Jess – she’s rocking killer form over there. What the hell! Yup, gotta work on this one at home (I said this out loud, Tanya LOL’d at me)

She said: This might’ve been my proudest moment ever in the studio. Scott legit looked over at me and said “Holy crap, good form babe!” which made me crack up and got me to look at his form – or attempt at form – still not really sure what he was working there but it definitely wasn’t his triceps. mwahahaha

He said: At the barre. Oh boy. Make a piece of my pie with your feet. What?? They kept coming around to get me to tuck my hips all the while laughing at me because my legs were trembling in agony. Screw the tuck! My legs are on fire over here! Holy sh*t – now you want me to put a ball between my legs and then keep going, and then figure out this tuck thing, with my feet in a pie. This isn’t working. I mean it is, my legs won’t stop trembling, but really – a blue ball??

She said: Scott made me pretty proud here. He never gave up at that barre. Even if he couldn’t tuck his butt to save his life, he at least kept moving, kept trembling, never dropped. High five, babe!

(so much to say about this pic – mostly the look on M’s face (in the middle with the gray shirt on) – that would be Jo‘s bf if you were wondering. And Scott over in the corner ready to take a knee. tee hee…That and just the sheer sight of a bunch of boys at the barre!! <3)

He said: Thigh dancing. Forget it. I couldn’t even feel my legs, they sure as hell weren’t “dancing” after all that stuff at the barre.

She said: I don’t think Scott knows he has hips. He couldn’t move them. At. All. Like really couldn’t. So he ended up watching me thigh dance instead. Which was another part of class where I went balls-out so as not to look like a wuss next to my husband. And I kinda wanted to impress him. Again. ;-)

(ohh thigh dancing – probably the highlight of the whole class – and see? Scott (red shirt next to me at the end) can NOT tuck his hips — and there I am being all “tuck babe, tuck!” as if that’s really helping the situation…)

He said: Julianna said, “men, look at your strong women! you’ll gain a whole new level of respect after this!” To which I yelled “already did!” (I think this earned me major brownie points) But seriously, I had a lot of fun, it was a really good workout — and now, I know exactly what Jess does all those hours she spends at the studio. Highly recommended (but I’m not sure I’ll be back…at least not until next Valentine’s Day).

She said: It gave me such pride to have Scott by my side at the barre, to finally show him this “thing” I am so ridiculously passionate about. *And* to totally whoop his ass at the barre was kinda badass too. And, he was such a good sport — all the guys were! Highly recommend it ;-)

****HUGE thank you to Julianna for taking these action shots *and* sharing them with me in time to include in my post today!! You’re the best!!

Paying it forward – barre n9ne style (or: BIG news!)

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, paying it forward

Which one on this list does not describe me:

Runner (and soon-to-be marathoner!)
Motivator.
Goofball.
Lover of all things sweaty.
Foodie (and wine-o) fan.
Blogger.
Fitfluential.
barre n9ne instructor.

If you were about to mentally cross out “barre n9ne instructor” — you’d be wrong.

Yes, you read that right — my BIG NEWS: I’m in teacher training to become barre n9ne-certified!!
…and guess whose joining me on this wild ride? Yup, my sister. We’re doing this together. Which just fits.

I am thrilled. Honored. Humbled.
…this is what paying it forward is ALL about for me.

Even though we’ve known about this for awhile now and actually started training two weeks ago, I still have a hard time putting into words just how passionate I am about this thing. I am ridiculously excited to share my passion for all things barre n9ne with each client that walks through the studio door — and even those that are hesitant to walk through that door, I hope I can reach them through this blog and any other channel I can. I so firmly believe in this style of exercise and how truly life-changing it can be – body, mind and spirit – that to be able to teach in this style is a dream come true.

Seriously.

I have big plans to rock out this certification process so I can get my butt on that barre n9ne schedule as soon as possible. This will mean many hours in the studio practicing, and many more hours spent at home honing my practice so that I can meet the (very high) bar (barre?) that Tanya, Julianna and the rest of the barre n9ne family of instructors have set. They are an incredible bunch of women – women that inspired me to make giant life changes, changes that have evolved me into the confident, happy and strong person I am right this very second.

I’m finally living my best life now — and it’s getting even better by the day.
…and I cannot wait to pay that forward in the studio, around the studio (via b9 rundates!) and here on this blog. I hope you’ll join me for what should be a pretty awesome (and wild) ride, barre n9ne-style. ;-)

So, what’s the (February) plan?

Posted by JessSutera in #stretchnow, barre n9ne, Chicago Marathon, Cox Rhode Race half marathon, marathon, running

Now that the urge to vomit has subsided dust has settled a bit on the whole marathon thing, I’m ready to think about how I want to tackle my running plans for the next month or so.

Why am I thinking about *just* the next month?

Well, I’ll tell you. ;-) In a month, I’ll start training for the Providence half marathon, and once I kick the crap out of that race complete that race, I’ll have about a month before Chicago Marathon training begins (early-June).<—and yes, I already have the training plan for that worked out, I’ll share it soon! 

So this month, I want to focus on just one thing: staying strong and healthy.

I really want to go into training mode feeling my best – both physically and mentally (especially mentally). This is particularly important to me as I’m realizing just how long I’ll be in training once March rolls around:
…7 months long, give or take.

That’s going to take a lot of energy and focus and drive. Sure, I’ll give myself a break between Providence and the start of marathon training, but really – even 6 months of training is a long time. And I want to do this right. I also want to do this my way – by my own rules, plans and goals. And yes, that does involve having fun along the way, like I’ve said before.

But back to my point – my plans for February. It’s going to be a VERY busy month. For many reasons (and one BIG reason that I can’t wait to tell you guys about!!).

I’ll be visiting Heather in February. Hopefully it’ll involve some super-fun rundates (complete with post-run mimosas?). I say “hopefully” because Heather is dealing with an injury – I’m sending her good vibes like CRAZY and I’d urge you all to do the same. Let’s get her back on her running feet again, mmk?

I’ll also be really busy essentially every weekend with that BIG NEWS I can’t wait to tell you about. (yes, I’m a tease). Which will limit my ability to cram much running time in on the weekends.

And I have another work trip at the end of February to contend with. Which means craptastic early-AM runs on the hotel dreadmill. Dislike. But I’ll embrace the un-routine once again while I’m there, right, right?

So anyway, my plan for February is fairly simple:
Run when I can – aiming for four runs of mixed intensity and distance, as I have been since kicking off my winter running schedule a few months ago. I say “when I can” because I know I’ll have to pull back certain weeks (particularly that week I’m traveling for work) and I need to be ok with that. And honestly – I already am. I know I’ll get MORE than enough running in after this month is over. May as well enjoy a pull-back month of sorts, right??
Hit up as many barre n9ne classes as my body will allow – it’s making a GIANT difference in how I’m running. My glutes and hammies are the strongest they’ve ever been. Which equates to very happy knees (which is huge for me given two previous knee injuries and all…).
Stretch, stretch, stretch. #stretchnow has been a success so far this week. I’m determined to keep it up. Good for the body *and* mind. I like.
And breathe. Spend time really focusing on my breath and that mind-body connection. I need to be mentally fierce once marathon training kicks in.

Wow. I was anticipating this to be a short post but it’s turned into quite the novel — apparently my mind is already spinning, turning and running away on me and I’m not even close to the start of marathon training. Oy. ;-)

Getting (or trying to get) limber

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, fitness, running, stretching

Not a shock Confession: I am not flexible.

Running basically undoes any effort I put into gaining flexibility. This much I know.

But until recently – I didn’t put much effort, if any, into stretching. At.All.

Bad, bad fitblogger. Bad.

I know better. That’s the thing.

However: I now consider myself a changed woman. In the last, say, 6-8 weeks, I’ve made a concerted effort to stretch. As part of or after every single workout. Even if that means getting up earlier to get my run done *and* my post-run stretching. I get a good amount of stretching from the bajillions of barre classes I do each week. And I’ve noticed a huge difference, especially in how much quicker I recover from my runs during the week. Far less sore and tight the next day, for example.

…but I need to do more on my own. As I said, running basically negates the stretching I’m doing now.

So – as they say, if you want to run faster, you have to run fast. And if you want to gain flexibility, you gotta stretch. Duh. So simple yet here I am being all “But I’m just not naturally flexible” — essentially using that as my excuse not to focus on stretching more.

But, I’m of the mindset that there are no good excuses. So I’m tossing the whole “but I’m not naturally flexible” whiny mentality out the window. And I’m gonna focus the sh*t out of my stretching from now on.

My plan? Simple really:
…Stretch after every single run. And foam roll.
…Take fifteen minutes during the day (now that I work from home most of the week) and do hip opening stretches (think the “runner’s stretch for the hip flexor or my new fave, “happy baby“). My hips are so tight (why does that sound like a TWSS phrase to me??)
…Stretch soon after every barre n9ne class. As I said, we do a good amount of stretching during class (given the strengthening/lengthening mantra that makes up the barre style). But, I need to do more to counterbalance all the running I do. So after class I’ll spend 10-15 minutes at home doing additional stretching (while I’m still warm from class).

There. Simple, right?

Now – who wants to volunteer to be my stretch accountability artist? Fancy title, right? But hell, I need the added accountability in this area or I know I’ll fall back into that “I’m not naturally flexible, it’ll never happen” mentality.

(and bonus points if you feel like sharing some of your favorite stretches with me in the comments section below!)

Miles for miles sake

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, rundate, running

I had the best of intentions on Saturday. Our barre n9ne rundate was postponed due to snow in the area so my goal was to run before barre method class at 8:30 on my treadmill to get some miles in, and to finish out the week with my usual 4 runs/week.

However.

I woke up on Saturday morning feeling more wiped than I did on Friday morning (where I only got about 5 hours of sleep compared to the 9 I got on Friday night!). The events of the week had clearly caught up with me.

However.

I am one stubborn-as-hell woman. So I re-set the alarm clock to give myself a little more sleep before barre n9ne. I wanted to kill it at the barre, and figured I’d just get those miles in after class instead.

However.

After a *really* good class and *really* killer shake at the barre (LOVE that), I felt so worked. As if I had nothing left, leaving it all on the floor of that barre studio. A feeling I aim for each time I’m at the barre. It felt amazing.

However.

It also left me feeling so worked that I knew that adding on those miles back at home on my treadmill (remember, snowing outside – no yak trax, must purchase…) wasn’t going to be my smartest move. I try like hell to avoid that thing called “junk miles” – I know they aren’t worth doing.

Miles for miles sake.  Sure, they appease that mind of mine that never stops churning, but is it worth it on my body? Nope. Miles for miles sake doesn’t accomplish a single thing (other than calming those aforementioned mind games) – your body tells you when to pull back. The real challenge is listening and actually pulling back. Because you know what? The miles I’ll put in the next day, the day after, and so on? Will be miles worth putting in.

So next time you’re tempted to put in miles just for miles sake? Stop. Listen. Re-assess. If I can do it (remember: stubborn as hell), you can do it.

…you can thank me later. ;-)

Thinkin’ hilly…’n stuff

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, change, conditioning, endurance, intervals, running, speed

After chatting with my sis about her recent success (asslap, sis!) with tackling her first hill-style interval workout yesterday, I got to thinking about my own “relationship” with hills when running.

…which quickly blew up into a much bigger topic once the wheels started turning. (typical!)

To start – I thought about how I approach hills when I run. I really can’t avoid them all that much in my neighborhood since I’m sort of surrounded by them so they’ve never really “scared” me so much as I’ve just dealt with them and learned to push through them over time. I rarely, however, use much of an incline when I run on the treadmill though and I got to thinking about that fact.

So sure, I’m pretty decent on hills when I run outside…but how does that change when I’m facing far less hills in the winter (due to fewer outdoor runs and much more time on the ‘mill)? I’m sure it’s doing me no favors in the winter months not to be doing much in the way of hill work except on the rare occasions that I get to tackle them outside in the chilly winter months.

So I resolved right then and there to start incorporating hill work into my running plans this winter. It could translate into every-other-week hill-style intervals vs. straight-up speedy intervals. Or, it could translate into one of my steady-state runs including hill work, particularly as the winter months drone on and steady state treadmill jaunts grow more and more tiresome. And it most certainly means making sure that my outdoor runs still include any and all routes where hills are involved. Just for good measure.

But what this little exercise also reminded me of? That anyone can be the victim of a plateau or falling into the “well, I’m already pretty good at that so…” mindset. In other words – don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a rut or a routine just because “it’s how you’ve always done it.”

I want to apply this to all of my workouts from now on. 

Not that I’ve felt like I’ve hit a wall or anything with my workouts, but more because I never want to get complacent. I don’t want to hit the barre and feel like “I’ve done this workout before…” I want every trip to barre n9ne to feel new and challenging and shake-worthy. Same goes for each run – inside or out. I want to walk away from each run feeling as if I left nothing to spare. No speed left on a speedy day. No leg stamina left on a hill day. No endurance left on a long distance day.

This isn’t me being all hard core and crazy. Nope. This is just me never taking my workouts for granted by phoning them in. To me, there is nothing worse than complacency –not just with workouts, but in any area in life. Always be looking for ways to grow, change, evolve.

…to me – that’s what this lifetime is about – living your best life right now, and always working for that personal “best”…even if it stings a little. ;-)

New “things”

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, blogging, career, fitness, no limits

2012 – its finally here. Welcome!
New year, which only means one thing up in here:

No limits.
Leaping without looking.

In keeping with my mantra for the year, I thought I’d jot down a few new “things” happening for me this year (yes, new things happening already – just a half day into the new year…what? It’s how I roll ;-) )

New “things”:

I’ve moved! Well, my blog has moved – and it’s only taken me over two years to get it done. But it’s done. You can now find me here:

EatDrinkBreatheSweat.com

So please, kindly redirect your RSS readers to my new domain if you don’t mind :) And, please do expect some fun changes coming to my little corner of the ‘net this year, I have big plans!

I quit. Yup, I have a new job, as I alluded to in my last post. I’ve found a job that will give me much better balance (something I’m craving in a big way) *and* will challenge me (something I’m also craving). I’m anticipating a lot of “out of my comfort zone” moments as this job will entail some travel (to Cali where the company is based) and a slightly different role than I have now. But, it’ll also give me a chance to regain a semblance of balance that I’ve been missing in the past year given that not-awesome 3+ hour commute everyday. Which means 3 hours back in my day four days a week (working from home) *and* a chance to push myself career-wise which I need. Win-win in my book. I’m equal parts anxious, equal parts excited-as-hell to get going (I start Jan 9)! And funny enough, I’m now back on a very parallel career path as my sis which is kind of neat – I’m sure she’ll be teaching me a LOT about balance while traveling, right sis??

I’m a leader. New Years Eve marked the start of something new that my sis and I are leading at barre n9ne. Some of you may have seen our tweets on our inaugural b9 rundate — a twice per month rundate we’re leading with fellow barre n9ne-rs just before the 8:30am class on Saturdays. We plan to do them each Saturday once the weather gets better, but figured twice a month this winter is a great starting point. And guess what? The b9 ladies were AWESOME and ran the 3-mile loop we created like champs. It was such a fun way to kick off the “last chance workout of 2011″ in style, and has given Jo and I a chance to pay it forward, b9-style. Something we both really want to do, as much as we can in 2012 given how life-changing barre n9ne has been for both of us. So, you can expect much more excitement on the barre n9ne front in 2012, this is just the start. (weeeee!)

2012?  So far, you’re showing great promise – I’m mightily impressed. Let’s keep it up, shall we? Remember: no limits, no boundaries, lots of leaping. Let’s do this.

*****Editor’s Note: One more “new thing” to add to the list: I created a Facebook fan page for the blog (another “at last” thing scratched off my list!)! C’mon, you know you want to mosey on over to Facebook and “like” me, right? http://www.facebook.com/EatDrinkBreatheSweat

“Have no limits today.”

Posted by JessSutera in barre n9ne, breathe, Chicago Marathon, inspiration, marathon, motivation, running

“Have no limits today.”

Just think about that for a second. That simple phrase has so many connotations, doesn’t it?

For me – the second I opened that Dove chocolate earlier this week, I knew. This would be my mantra for 2012. My guiding light. My driving force.

2012 – the year of no limits.

Has a nice ring to it, right?

In looking forward to 2012, rather than listing out 3 or 4 resolutions or goals for 2012, I have made just one promise to myself.

To leap before looking.

Breaking free of any preconceived limitations or boundaries that maybe existed in my mind before.
…26.2? Sure, let’s do it.
…a new job? Lemme at it (a post for another day, promise).
…seeing just how refined this body can become, barre n9ne-style — All.Over.It.
…harnessing my inner sponteneity, letting go of that pre-planned/go-go-go mentality…finding that Type B? I want it.

So this is me – staring down 2012 with a sparkle in my eye: I’m ready to leap without looking. I’m ready to have no limits today...everyday.

*clink*