athleta ~ I Heart Heels

Bouncing back from baby at Pure Barre wearing Athleta

Sugar Rush Top (Mink); Plié Tight (Dress Blue); Pure Barre Sticky Socks

As you know, I had my second baby four months ago, whew! And I've been trying to "bounce back" after baby. I chose Pure Barre for my "fitness of the moment" and it's now week 11 for me. And it's now that I'm wondering WHY on Earth I decided I needed one more German Chocolate cupcake. Le. Sigh. I think during both of my pregnancies I went overboard, I'll admit it. I've always been very conscious of my weight, so to be able to eat and not worry about a belly bulge in my top was sorta a relief. And the first time, I lost it all in just seven months, so I shrugged it off, knowing I'd lose it again. Granted, I've still got a couple more months to go, but I must admit that losing it the second time is slightly more challenging than before. With two kids? Ummmm, ya can't just head to the gym while someone watches "the baby." There are now multiple parties involved, and since my son is older, he has more activities than ever. That's why I've been in total love with my post-baby workout this time around. Pure Barre is such a dream for us new mamas! I've now lost 17 pounds. I also took a 30-day summer body challenge and found out this week that I lowered both my BMI and body fat...score!

And guess what? After months of wearing drab black t-shirts (no joke!), I'm back into chic workout gear. This one here is courtesy of Athleta, and now that I own my first outfit from the brand, I'll never go back. I had the most amazing experience shopping online and finding exactly what I wanted. I couldn't believe the selection, honestly. So many great things for us yoga types! And since I just had a baby, my favorite feature is how it lists the fit for you. I actually ordered this entire outfit online without trying it on (but using the size charts provided)...and everything fit. I'm still gasping y'all. And I'm so, so happy at the way it fits and the cuteness factor. You don't even know...I'm overjoyed to wear this cute workout wear because I can...and because I'm slightly just as addicted to a good pair of yoga pants as I am heels. <blushing> This outfit really makes me want to workout. And just by wearing this new outfit, I feel better working out. It's amazing the power of new clothes and how they can make you feel!

I've always been huge into Pilates. When I worked full-time, I would head to the gym for class once a week. That's all I had the time - and energy - for folks! Now, my time and energy is spent a different way (whew...those little ones do have the energy), and I'm lucky to have my mom watch the kids while I head to the barre. I've always wanted to try barre work, and the first time I did was last year, just before I became pregnant. Let me tell you, it was SO hard. And I kinda loved that! (Um, who wants to feel like they didn't workout after they worked out? Not raising my hand here.) So after I had baby L in February and I was cleared by my doctor to workout, I immediately let my mind wander back to Pure Barre and how hard it was. YES, this would be my baby bounceback. And since April 1, I haven't looked back. I've been rocking every class, four days a week, every week.

It's so easy to just go onto the Pure Barre app on my phone and schedule all my classes for the week, and if I need to cancel one on the fly because a kid got sick or my hair appointment was changed, I can do that, too. It literally makes me go by scheduling it this way.

Breathe Cami (Mink Heather); Pliè tights (Dress Blue); PB Sticky Socks

I'm now fitting back into some of my pre-pregnancy jeans and my wedding rings finally fit again. Such a relief...but I also feel amazing! I honestly never knew my bottom could look so good...and these awesome pants are my new favorites because they have extra length on them to fit over the heels of your feet. If you invest in one great thing for barre class, make it the pants. They can improve performance so much!

It's going to take awhile for my abs to get back to where they were, but I've seen so much progress it's crazy. (I also blame my quick progress on natural childbirth because the postpartum healing process was so incredibly fast!) The ab work also, believe it or not, has increased my flexibility. I'm not sure when I'll ever master the reverse curl, but that's one I'm determined to get some day...so incredibly hard after babies!

An hour of Pure Barre is the hardest workout of my life, and that's why I'm so happy to have it as my fitness of the moment. Couldn't live without it...and couldn't live without this outfit, either! ;)

P.S. I'm taking it on the road! Next week I'll be on beach vacay, so I'll be LTB'ing from there. I couldn't believe it when I found a Pure Barre within minutes of our beach cottage. I can't wait to share with you my experience in a couple of weeks!

Outfit provided by Athleta for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.