The strangest part about planning a wedding is that once the excitement of the engagement wears off, you become so obsessed with the details (the dress, the guests list, the invites and the seating chart) that all diet and fitness goals fall by the wayside. When I first got engaged last July I made all kinds of promises to myself…”No more chocolate until the wedding,” “I will exercise at least 6 times per week” and my personal favorite, “I will stop drinking alcohol 3 months before the big day.” Yeah. Right. It’s so easy to make goals, but sticking to them over time is the challenge.

Generally, I am quite good about diet and exercise, but between summer travel, wedding planning and blogging life in general, I am exhausted. Enter Barre3. I had successfully completed Barre3’s Challenge back in January and loved it. I was taking four or five classes (sometimes 6 if you count the online classes) a week. I wasn’t really drinking alcohol and my diet was super duper clean. It’s that whole snowball effect; once you start something good, it just piles up and keeps getting easier and easier. But after the 3-week challenge was over, my diet and fitness routines went back to normal. I knew I needed a change. That’s when I signed up for Barre’s summer program, Barre3 Anywhere.

The goal of the program is to help you stay strong, balanced and energized wherever your summer takes you, and you only need to take 10 classes a month. It’s only been a few weeks, but I am super into it. This is why. Barre3 is, as the name suggests, a barre class. But it’s so much better than all of the others. It’s equal parts ballet, yoga and Pilates but every class is different, so your muscles are constantly surprised. It’s a class that I never dread beforehand because the instructors (you can see all my favorite teachers right here) are super sweet and motivational.

The class is only one hour and you are working until the very last few seconds of class so it flies by. Since Barre3 West Village opened up on my street a few years ago, I have been going quite consistently and my body has been in great shape since. You know when a class can make your legs or arms actually bigger? Well this never happens. My body feels tightened and lean, and you are not bulking up in strange areas.

What I love most about this latest challenge is that Barre3 is holding me accountable. It’s something that I have committed to, and the program is totally realistic, which is why I know that I am going to stick with it. Do you have a fitness routine that works for you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the (new and improved) comments section below!