I’ve always liked to exercise, and over the years I’ve found various different ways to stay active: playing tennis, going on bike rides, spinning classes, bootcamp, zumba, online workout videos, the list goes on. The key is to find something that you enjoy doing so that exercise is something you look forward to instead of feeling like you have to force yourself to do it.

A lot of my workouts I used to do on my own or in my apartment, but when I started working from home full time, I realized just how important it is for me to get out of the apartment and be around other people. And since my schedule usually allows for it, I can do my workouts over lunch or in the morning, instead of after work.

I have some friends that were taking barre classes and invited me to try out a class with them. I was pretty skeptical- I’m not good at dance or ballet, I’m not very flexible, and I’m used to fast- paced cardio workouts. A barre class just didn’t seem like it would be a good fit.

Boy was I wrong. The strength-based class was incredibly challenging and was way closer to Pilates than ballet. My legs shook, my muscles completely fatigued, my heart rate went up and I was sweating. With the upbeat music, the encouraging and friendly instructors, and the fact that every class follows the same structure but with different, challenging moves every time, I was hooked!

I’ve been taking classes for about 6 months now, last month completing my 100th class, my first major Pure Barre milestone. I’m happy to have found a fitness class that I look forward to going to and a community that I’m proud to be a part of.

And while I’ve had some trouble regulating my blood sugars with some of my other workouts, I’m able to keep my pump on during the class and besides a few lows here and there, my blood sugar stays pretty steady throughout.

So while there are many other aspects of my life besides my diabetes (my love of brunch, traveling, musicals, dog fostering, to name a few) exercise is definitely a big one and I know something that will continue to be a lifelong journey.