Hi Friends,

I have some big and very exciting news to share with you today. If you know me, or read this blog often, you know I LOVE teaching Barre and Pilates classes. I truly believe in the power of these formats to change your body, mind, and life, and I can't get enough of the amazing students that attend my classes! It also amazes me, how people can benefit from Barre & Pilates throughout all walks of life. Trust me, if I can teach 10 classes a week 9 months pregnant, these formats can be modified to benefit everyone!

What you might not know, is that my other passion is mentoring new instructors. Becoming a fitness instructor completely changed my life, and I love helping others find their passion for teaching as well. I began my teaching career at Texas A&M University and was lucky enough to have some of the most amazing mentors around. Our boss, DeAun Woosley, always made sure we got the best of the best when it came to continuing education and encouraged us to continually work to improve our teaching skills.

The wonderful instructors I began my teaching career with at Texas A&M!

A few months ago, I decided to combine my love of Barre and Pilates with my passion for teaching other instructors to create five continuing education workshops. Through these five workshops, I hope to help other instructors either dive into the world of Barre and Pilates for the first time or take their current classes to the next level with new choreography and a fresh approach on teaching!

Each of these workshops are approved for ACE and AFAA continuing education credits. Additionally, every course is equipped with unique class blueprints to help you take what you learn and effectively create fun and balanced classes you are ready to teach in no time!


Cardio Barre For Group Fitness Instructors - 5 AFAA/.5 ACE CEU's

Barre Fundamentals - 3 AFAA/.3 ACE CEU's

Power Up Your Barre Class - 2 AFAA/.2 ACE CEU's

Pilates Fundamentals For Group Fitness Instructors - 5 AFAA/.5 ACE CEU's

Pilates - Pump Up The Beat - 2 AFAA/.2 ACE CEU's

For full workshop descriptions, please visit my Fitness Continuing Education page. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to go out and spread the Barre & Pilates message. These methods have changed my life and my body for the better, and I believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience them.

With that being said, if you would like more information on attending a course or hosting a workshop at your facility, please feel free to email me at LaurenEGeorge@gmail.com. I do private (just for your in house staff), or public (open to community registration) workshops and love working with gyms, studios, YMCA's, and campus recreation centers of all sizes!

Thank you for helping me spread the word about my endeavor, and maybe I will see some of you in a workshop soon!

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Howdy!

I hope you're Tuesday is treating you well so far. Minestarted off sweaty a fabulous with a 6 AM Pilates Mat class, 7 AM Barre Express class, and 9 AM Barre class. I had such a great crew this morning and we had a blast getting sweaty and foggy up the windows. Well, at least I know I did. Hopefully, they did as well! I would be lying if I didn't tell you I was pooped after three back to back classes. An awesome playlist is the most essential element for teaching when you are a bit tired or really any early morning class if you ask me. Music can make all the difference in the world when it comes to a great class!

If you were to ask my students what my favorite song is, they would tell you that I have a new favorite every week!  Totally true! I just love discovering new songs and coming up with choreography to match. I've had people ask me in the past if music is really that important for a good class, and the answer is always YES! There are so many proven benefits to working out with music, and when it comes down to it, it's just MORE FUN!

• Synchronization of movements - According to Dr. Carl Foster, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin, “You can go all the way back to rowers on the Roman Galleys. The guy is sitting there beating on his drum and he drives the basic rhythm of the rowing. Part of that is coordination – you want the rowers to row together – but part of it is that people will naturally follow a tempo. It’s just something about the way our brains work.” There isn 't a fitness instructor out there who doesn't love when the whole class is moving together in unison. It just brings such an energy to the class!
• Provide a positive distraction from exercise induced discomfort. We all know a great song can make or break us when our legs are shaking and our quadriceps are burning! 
• Music makes exercise more enjoyable - Professor Costas Karageorghis, Ph.D., from London’s Brunel University School of Sport and Education states, “[Music] can reduce the perception of effort significantly and increase endurance by as much as 15 percent.” I was using David Guetta's "Hey Mama" song in my barre class recently, and it was literally one of the hardest sets I've done in a while, but I just LOVED  that stinkin' song so I actually looked forward to it every class. 
• Helps students “get in the zone” or let go of outside distractions and focus on the moment. You've all been in class when your jam comes on and you think to yourself, "I am totally about to kill it right now." Your eyes start to focus, your head may bob to the beat, and you take it to that next level. Katy Perry "Black Horse" anyone! That song does it for me every time! 
• Improves mood - When it comes right down to it, and great song can just make you smile. Maybe it reminds you of a happy memory, you love to sing along with it, or it just makes you want to dance. Regardless, when a great song comes on, you just can't help but work a little harder. 

In unrelated Annabelle news, baby girl is finally learning how to hold her own bottle. Kara, our wonderful babysitter at ToddPilates, snapped this picture for me during class today. What a big girl!


I hope you all have an amazing rest of your Tuesday! Stay warm!

What is your favorite song on your workout playlist right now? 

In health,

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I saw this quote early this morning and thought it was a great reminder. I am a firm believer in the fact that you get out what you put in, especially when it comes to exercise! If you want something you have to work for it plain and simple.


I received some great feedback from the Barre video I posted on Tuesday, so I thought I would keep the ball rolling and share another short clip with you guys today. This segment alternates between 1st and 4th position and really focuses on the front of your thighs. As always, take every exercise at your own pace and consult with your doctor before beginning any new exercise program. If you can't see the video on your smart phone or tablet, you can visit my YouTube channel. I hope you enjoy!



Apparently, "Good" was my word of the day this morning. I learn something new about my teaching style every time I do one of these clips. It's a great learning experience for me too!

Want to join me for a full barre workout? Check out this hour long Cardio Barre Fusion video or head over to my "Workout Video" page.



I hope you all have a great rest of your day!

If you're an instructor, do you ever film yourself teaching to self evaluate?

In health,

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Happy Workout Wednesday,

For most workout Wednesdays, I post a workout, a new playlist, or a workout video, but today, I want to talk about WHY I workout. Of course we workout to look and feel good, but is that all? No, way! I could think of about a million reasons I workout and why I love to teach exercises classes, but I decided to narrow it down to my top 35 (ok, so I didn't narrow it down that much). 

I Workout To.....

Stay strong

Set a good example for my daughter

Feel like a GLADIATOR IN SPANDEX (corny Scandal reference, but true)

Have an excuse to whoop and holler in public (my students know what I'm talking about)

Hang out with amazing friends

Look good for my husband (just being honest)

Thank my body for all it does for me

Revert back to my cheerleading days

Feel good about myself

Work off some steam

Sweat like a pig, and like it

Dance to hip hop music like I'm at a high school dance, and not care who's watching (all my high school friends are laughing to themselves right now) 

Empower others

Empower myself

Build muscle

Burn calories

Make myself smile --> the kind that creeps into your eyes because you're that happy

Have an excuse to sing along with my favorite songs

Bob my head to the music and have half the class do it with me

Spend 10, 20, 30, or 60 minutes just thinking about one thing (my workout) and not my to do list

Escape reality

Embrace my body 

Make myself huff and puff for air

Feel my legs and arms shaking after a hard workout

Experience how rewarding a hot shower can be after a run in the cold

Relieve stress

Reward myself for my hard work as an employee, mom, and wife

Encourage others

Meet new people

Try new things

Learn things I didn't know about myself

Push my limits

Stay healthy

Increase my brain power

Love myself!

There you have it! The top 35 reasons I workout and love every second of it (most of the time)! If you came to the blog today hoping for a new workout, make sure you check out the great lower body barre workout I posted yesterday or my workout page for tons of ideas!

Linking up for Workout Wednesday and Wild Workout Wednesday!

Your turn! Why do you workout?

In health,

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Happy Workout Wednesday!

Where has this week gone? It seems to be flying by a little faster than normal. Last week, I shared a roundup of some of my favorite workouts, and this week, I want to roundup a few of my favorite motivational mantras. Between a baby, work, a husband, and trying to stay sane, I can definitely admit to struggling with workout motivation from time to time. Sometimes, I really just want to go get back in bed after Belle's 5:30 AM feeding instead of working out, but I try to remind myself of how great I will feel afterwards. I also find that keeping positive quotes around me about health, fitness, and life in general helps keep me on the right track. They are like little kicks in the behind when I feel like skipping a workout or when my exhaustion turns into a bad mood. Here are a few of my favorites!

Remember we are in control of how we treat our bodies and our attitudes! I hope one of these quotes resonates with you and maybe puts a little extra sunshine in your day.

Linking up for Workout Wednesday and Wild Workout Wednesday!


What is your favorite motivational quote or mantra?

In health,

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Happy Happy Workout Wednesday!

I hope you all are having a fabulous and sweaty week so far! For today's Workout Wednesday, I wanted to share five of my favorite at home workouts with you (these can all definitely be done at the gym as well). They are all total body workouts that should take 35 minutes or less and give you a killer workout!

First up, is a traditional circuit workout using resistance tubing and your own body weight. Each circuit contains an upper body exercise, lower body exercise, and cardio burst to get your heart rate up. Repeat each circuit 3x's before moving on to the next.


Next up, is a dumbbells only circuit. This workout is great to do at home or while traveling because all you need is a set of dumbbells. You'll perform 12 reps of each exercise and repeat the circuit as many times as you can in 25 minutes.


This one is a doozy!! Fifty reps of each exercise will have your huffing and puffing in no time. I loved this one because 1) it was hard, 2) I was sore the next day, and 3) it was fun to bust out of the 12 reps of everything rut!


Ladder Down was another great rep rut busting workout. You start with 25 reps of each exercise and then ladder down to 5 reps of each workout. All you need is your own body weight for this one, so no excuses!

Last but not least, is my beautiful friend the kettlebell! If I had to be stuck on a deserted island with just one piece of equipment, I think I would take the kettlebell. This total body circuit workout will hit every major muscle group in your body and most of the minor ones in no time. Be prepared to feel it the next day!

 Let me know if you give one of these bad boys a try! I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Workout Wednesday and Belle sends each one of you a great big hug as well!



Linking up for Workout Wednesday and Wild Workout Wednesday!


Are you a gym kind of person or an at home exerciser?

If you go to the gym, weight room or group fitness class?

In health,

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6) Gum and chapstick - These are must haves no matter who you are. Coffee breath and chapped lips are just not cool. :)

7) Nike Studio Wraps - If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I have the unfortunate ability to dislocate my right pinky toe at the drop of a hat. This sucker has popped out of place 4 times in the last 3 years, and it doesn't like to go back in very easily. E bought me these after my third dislocation to try to protect it during class (I dislocated it on someone's water bottle that time). I have broken numerous bones and given birth to an almost 8 lb baby no problem, but having to get my stupid pinky toe put back into place is enough to make me want to bawl my eyes out. So needless to say, I am a big fan of my studio wraps so my baby toe stays right where it is suppose to!

8) Batiste Dry Shampoo - As someone who pretty much lives sweaty, I am somewhat of a dry shampoo connoisseur, and this baby is my ALL TIME FAVORITE! It smells great, doesn't make your hair look ashy, and isn't sticky at all. If you don't have any, go buy some!

9) Coach Wristlet - I use this as my wallet/mini purse. It's easy to throw back and forth between my gym bag and diaper bag so I always have what I need. It also keeps me from having to carry my entire gym bag in with me when I'm running errands or meeting a friend for lunch.

10) Tylenol - Even though cutting out gluten has drastically cut back on the  number of headaches I have, I still battle tension headaches from time to time so tylenol is important.

11) ToeSox Leg Warmers - Last but not least are my new favorite Barre accessory.... leg warmers! When it is freezing outside, these things are amazing and look super cute I might add. Don't you knock 'em till you try them. Move over 1985, I'm coming for you!

I also usually have a water bottle, small makeup bag, and bandaids hidden somewhere in there!

Part two of this glorious Workout Wednesday is the quick and dirty (aka sweaty) workout I completed on Monday morning. I should have titled it, "Watch out 27, I'm going to kick your butt!" Anywho, it was a good one and only took 20 minutes.



Most of these exercises are pretty standard, but the plank to squat was new to me. It is essentially a burpee without standing up. That sounds like it would be nicer than a traditional burpee, but when you take out the standing portion, you end up staying in a squat or plank the entire time, and boy do your legs start to burn!

source

To begin, start in a deep squat position with hands on floor. Jump feet back into plank. Perform a push-up and then jump your feet back into your squat leaving hands on the floor. Sounds fun right?

Let me know if you give this workout a try! I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your workout Wednesday. Linking up for Workout Wednesday and Wild Workout Wednesday!

What is in your gym bag that you couldn't live without?

What is your favorite variation of a burpee? I think my all time favorite has to be a BOSU burpee! 

In health,

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Happy Workout Wednesday!

It's time for another edition of Workout Wednesday, and today I want to talk about working out when you feel like you have zero time to spare. We all have those days that are so jam packed we just don't think there is any way we can fit in a good workout. But what actually constitutes a good workout? Do you have to dedicated an hour, 45 minutes, 30 minutes, more, less? I live by the motto "Anything is better than NOTHING!" Sure, I love getting in great hour long workouts, but sometimes, that just isn't an option. Does that mean you should just give up on working out? Definitely not! Sweat is beautiful no matter how long it takes you to work up a good one!

This was the story of my life on Monday. Belle woke up with her chompers really hurting. The only thing that made her happy was being held and chewing on her cold teething keys (which would only keep her happy for about 5 minutes). Poor Baby!


By the time I got her down for her morning nap, I had an hour to workout, shower, answer emails, and get some work done for the studio before we had to head in for my 11 AM Barre class. I thought about skipping my workout all together but "anything is better than nothing" right? I decided to pick four of my favorite butt kicking moves, go all out for 4 round, and then call it a day.


Man oh man! It may have only taken me slightly under 12 minutes, but they were a sweat inducing 12 minutes. I was huffing and puffing the entire time and my muscles were burning. My triceps were even sore the next day from the burpees (I did chest to floor burpees with my arms in a tricep push-up position)! It may have been short, but it definitely got my blood pumping and made me feel strong. Mission accomplished!


Life is busy and full of reasons to skip your workouts, but stay committed to your goals and your mind and body will thank you over and over again! If you are a new mom, I feel your pain (and sleep deprivation)! Hang in there an try some of these tips for fitting in workouts with a new baby! In need of more quick and efficient workout ideas? Head over to my workout page!

Linking up for Workout Wednesday and Wild Workout Wednesday!


Do you ever do quick workouts or are you an hour or nothing kind of person? Both are totally fine!!

What is your favorite way to sneak in exercise when your short on time? I try to do squats while holding Belle. She loves it and so do my legs! 

In health,

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Howdy Friends,

I take my workouts with......

...... a side of baby monitor

....... a steaming cup of coffee (pre-workout, normally while feeding a sleepy baby)

....... a dash of kettlebell

....... a hearty serving of Pilates

........ a healthy dose of Barre

........a pinch of burpees

....... a splash of TRX

...... a dallop of walking

...... a dash of breathlessness

...... a heaping dose of efficiency!

Stir in some amazing students and bake it all together in the comfort of my garage or the ToddPilates studio!

I talk a lot about fitness here on the old blog and in life in general (I guess the name gives that away). During some of these conversations, a lot people ask me what my favorite types of workouts are or what I think is the most efficient workout. Honestly, I think that is a really hard question to answer and my answer changes from year to year. I believe everyone is different and everyone's bodies respond to different things in different ways. Some people only like to run, while strictly taking Barre classes work for some, and hitting the weights 5x's per week works for others.

I started my fitness career teaching 10-15 high impact aerobics classes per week, and although I was having a blast and felt fit, I had a few stress fractures to show for it as well. When I started doing Pilates about 8 years ago and Barre about 4 years ago, I knew I had found something that I would continue doing for the rest of my life. They make me feel strong, give me great results, and are definitely my favorite fitness format to teach (Belle is a big fan of the Pilates studio as well)! Since we moved to Austin, I've been doing mainly Pilates, Barre, and running........until recently.

So why did I decide to switch things up? Because variety is the spice of life my friends oh and running was killing my joints and making me feel like I got run over by a mac truck! I 500% love Pilates and Barre and think they are amazing, but I still crave the occasional sweat dripping, muscles screaming, lungs burning workout. So enters HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training..... aka quick, effective, and dirty) workouts to save the day.

It's really only been in the past few months that I have swapped out my runs for HIIT workouts, and I can honestly say, I have never felt stronger. The Pilates and Barre keep me feeling long, lean, and centered while the HIIT workouts give me an opportunity to push myself in new ways. This formula seems to be working for me at this stage in my life so I am going to roll with it until my body tells me otherwise. I was truthfully super worried that it would be hard for me to take off the rest of the baby weight if I stopped running 3-4 times per week, but that was not the case at all. My body happily shed the rest of the baby weight and then some with my new workout schedule. :) Am I saying all runners should stop running and switch to HIIT workouts, absolutely not! I am just sharing where I am in my fitness journey at this moment in time.

Here's a look at what a typical week looks like for me exercise wise. Please note that I am teaching all of those Pilates and Barre classes, I am not advocating doing that many classes in one week (I would say I typically do about 85-90% of a class when I am teaching it). Additionally, I have been teaching multiple classes per day since I was a freshmen in college so my body is totally used to it.

Weekly Workouts:

Monday: 30 minute HIIT workout + Barre at 11 AM

Tuesday: Pilates Mat at 7 AM + Barre at 9 AM + walk with Belle

Wednesday: Barre at 6 AM + Pilates Mat at 11 AM

Thursday: Pilates Mat at 6 AM + Barre at 7 AM + Barre at 9 AM + walk with Belle

Friday: 30 minute HIIT workout + Barre at 11 AM

Saturday: Rest + family walk

Sunday: 30-40 minute HIIT workout + family walk

If you are new to my blog, here are a couple of my typical HIIT workouts. You can find more than you probably care to browse through on my workout page as well!




So there you have it folks! I take my workouts with a side of ....... well everything and I like it that way! Since variety is the topic of this workout, be sure to head over to the Workout Wednesday linkup to find even more great workouts!


What do you take your workouts with a side of?

In health,

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Howdy Friends,

I hope everyone's week is off to a great start! I must admit, mine started off a little rough, but we pushed through and made the best of it. Annabelle was still getting over her cold Sunday night, so she woke up A LOT during the night. Poor thing just couldn't breathe very well. This made for one tired mama when she woke up for her feeding at 5 AM. I also think she gave me a little bit of her gunk because I woke up with a very sore throat. Normally, I just go straight into my workout after feeding her, but I just wasn't feeling it this morning. Yep, I admit it, I sooo did not want to workout. After contemplating hiding under my covers, I reminded myself how much better I would feel after a good workout and forced myself into the garage. After my warm-up set of burpees (I'm participating in a 100 burpee challenge), I felt loads better. Although the workout was definitely harder than most, since I was so tired, it was totally worth it!

I did a nice combination of kettlebell and TRX work for a total body workout that took 25 minutes. I can already tell I am going to feel the split jump lunges and TRX tricep extensions tomorrow. Those two get me every time!


After my workout, I did a some work until little bit woke back up at 7:30 AM. We hung out until it was time for me to head to the studio to teach my 11 AM Barre class. Luckily, E had the day off so he could stay home with Belle and let her rest.

I came home for a quick lunch and then headed back up to the studio for a meeting at 1:45 PM. After I got home from the meeting, we took Belle for a stroll around the neighborhood since it was so nice outside.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with little bit, and getting a few things done around the house. Luckily, I think she is starting to feel a little bit better.




Hopefully, she will be back to her normal spunky self tomorrow! I'm off to grab a cup of throat coat tea and do a little work before she wakes up from her evening nap. I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday!

How do you summon motivation on days you're just not feeling like working out?

In health,

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