Lavish On Locals Feature in Lavish Living Magazine
Raising The Barre
With so many exercise options out there today, it can be confusing keeping them all straight. Everyday there seems to be a new trend or fitness fad hitting mainstream media with a string of devoted followers. Most recently in El Dorado Hills, the barre movement has made its entrance and members of its newest studio, Barre Nor Cal, are raving. Not familiar with Barre? In a nutshell, most barre classes use a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines like yoga and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements. Some classes even incorporate bands or weights to really feel the burn during long periods of reps and targeted core workouts. To keep the classes fun, owner Megan Burnett of Barre Nor Cal includes high tempo, motivating music that engages an entertaining group atmosphere.
Megan Burnett’s journey began six years ago in San Francisco where she was working in the corporate world of fashion and was looking for a way to stay in shape. “I come from a dance background and never fit in traditional gym settings. I had been taking a few dance classes a month for fun, but needed something I could do regularly to stay fit,” Burnett said. Living near a barre studio, her fiancé gave Burnett a 1-month unlimited membership as a birthday present to try it out. “ I was in love after my first class!” she said. Shortly after discovering barre, Burnett began teaching classes for a franchise barre company on the side. Over the years she started craving to be at the barre studio more than her desk job. In 2015, Burnett made the leap into leaving her corporate job and created her own version of barre; combining traditional barre movements with her own dance influences. Burnett has always lived in big cities, from San Francisco to New York where there are countless barre studios. When she made the decision to open her own studio, most importantly she wanted to be close to family. After researching the area (El Dorado Hills), she discovered there were very few studios existing within the surrounding cities. Burnett was ecstatic and could not wait to bring her enthusiasm to the community.
A common response with most clients after their first month report a difference in their overall strength and energy levels. Burnett says after three months of her barre classes, clients will really start to see the transformation in their bodies and love the way they feel (not to mention the need for a smaller dress size). Who can complain with that? Being low impact, women of all fitness levels are encouraged to participate. Every class ends with a cool down and final stretch to help center the body and mind helping reduce stress, flexibility and coordination. “The best thing about my career is that it never feels like a job because I have found my passion. I love teaching just as much as I love the workout. I love when my clients finish a class and tell me how much they enjoyed it and what a workout they got, it truly warms my heart.” As a takeaway message, Burnett ends with, “Set aside an hour of your day to focus on your body and health. You won’t regret the investment in yourself. Just try it!”
With so many exercise options out there today, it can be confusing keeping them all straight. Everyday there seems to be a new trend or fitness fad hitting mainstream media with a string of devoted followers. Most recently in El Dorado Hills, the barre movement has made its entrance and members of its newest studio, Barre Nor Cal, are raving. Not familiar with Barre? In a nutshell, most barre classes use a combination of postures inspired by ballet and other disciplines like yoga and Pilates. The barre is used as a prop to balance while doing exercises that focus on isometric strength training (holding your body still while you contract a specific set of muscles) combined with high reps of small range-of-motion movements. Some classes even incorporate bands or weights to really feel the burn during long periods of reps and targeted core workouts. To keep the classes fun, owner Megan Burnett of Barre Nor Cal includes high tempo, motivating music that engages an entertaining group atmosphere.
Megan Burnett’s journey began six years ago in San Francisco where she was working in the corporate world of fashion and was looking for a way to stay in shape. “I come from a dance background and never fit in traditional gym settings. I had been taking a few dance classes a month for fun, but needed something I could do regularly to stay fit,” Burnett said. Living near a barre studio, her fiancé gave Burnett a 1-month unlimited membership as a birthday present to try it out. “ I was in love after my first class!” she said. Shortly after discovering barre, Burnett began teaching classes for a franchise barre company on the side. Over the years she started craving to be at the barre studio more than her desk job. In 2015, Burnett made the leap into leaving her corporate job and created her own version of barre; combining traditional barre movements with her own dance influences. Burnett has always lived in big cities, from San Francisco to New York where there are countless barre studios. When she made the decision to open her own studio, most importantly she wanted to be close to family. After researching the area (El Dorado Hills), she discovered there were very few studios existing within the surrounding cities. Burnett was ecstatic and could not wait to bring her enthusiasm to the community.
A common response with most clients after their first month report a difference in their overall strength and energy levels. Burnett says after three months of her barre classes, clients will really start to see the transformation in their bodies and love the way they feel (not to mention the need for a smaller dress size). Who can complain with that? Being low impact, women of all fitness levels are encouraged to participate. Every class ends with a cool down and final stretch to help center the body and mind helping reduce stress, flexibility and coordination. “The best thing about my career is that it never feels like a job because I have found my passion. I love teaching just as much as I love the workout. I love when my clients finish a class and tell me how much they enjoyed it and what a workout they got, it truly warms my heart.” As a takeaway message, Burnett ends with, “Set aside an hour of your day to focus on your body and health. You won’t regret the investment in yourself. Just try it!”
