Ballet dancer

Away she goes!

Let me begin by disclosing I have neither toned thighs nor a tight ass. Despite this predicament, I’m wildly enthusiastic about my latest workout obsession: hitting the barre. The barre classes I discovered at Canmore’s WildHeart studio promises to get my butt in gear by fuzing together pilates, cardio, and yes, some ballet maneuvers.

Ballet Barre Workout

Not to worry, it’s nothing like the rigid ballet classes of our youth. It’s more like a Tracy Anderson workout (without the crazy choreographed cardio). And let me tell you, it’s an ass workout like no other. Though my derriere presently plops lovingly upon my hamstrings, there is hope.

Truthfully, I never thought light hand-weights would amount to anything, but then again, my arms get sore whilst blowdrying. Anyway, I definitely feel the burn when hoisting my two-pounders and knocking out a variety of arm exercises somewhat reminiscent of the Judy Blume routine. You know: We must, we must, we must increase our bust! Except being much older and certainly more mature, we chant, “no chips, no cheese, no chocolate!”

Yeah, this class is a riot for us middle-aged gals, until we get the hard word from our instructor.  Apparently I’m a cheater and over compensate with my hip flexors, so my abs aren’t doing the work they should. Now it’s all so clear why I feel the need to stretch those babies out all the time, and break into hysterics when my chiropractor tries to adjust my pelvis.

Wall splits

Not. Quite. Yet.

The very best part of class is stretching out at the end. We contort ourselves into all sorts of intriguing positions that haven’t been attempted in many decades. And I know I can believe my instructor when she says, “You’re only one good party and a bottle of wine away from fully completing those splits!” Friends that joined us at a wedding in France last year can attest to this.

Let’s face it, dancers have great bodies, so it stands to reason that working out like they do should – could produce similar results. Of course, their diet is likely much cleaner and more restrictive than mine, but I feel any attempt to switch up your exercise routine is a noble one. And certainly worthy of an extra helping of dessert.

WildHeart Canmore

WildHeart offers a variety of classes, not just barre. Here, you can do yoga, and classes that focus more on cardio, buns or arms. The yoga classes are mainly either flow or yin style. With so many athletes in Canmore, they give lots of tips on how to prevent injury and stretch out those pesky IT bands. And if you like a bit more of a work out with your yoga, Snow Flow will build up your strength for the ski season.

As great as their classes are, the interior design of the studio is even better. Seriously. You’ll want to pop in if only to browse through their indie boutique, take a swing on their suspended chair or steal paint colours.

Final tip: You’ll want to book in online (through MindBody) for their weekend classes. They tend to get booked out and you wouldn’t want to get turned away. See you next Sunday with Jillian?