Holidays are a time for family and festivities. But quite frankly, those festivities usually wind up preventing us from fitting in our skinny jeans come January 1.
Get a jump on the calorie torching with a slew of workouts that are inspired by lean, sexy ballet dancers. This year, the giant thighs people will be referring to will be on the turkey, not on you.
Barre Bee Fit: This newly-opened studio in River North combines ballet work with light weight lifting and short spurts of cardio to get the heart pumping. A cute lower-level studio with walls painted like a bar code adds a fun element to the workout.
The Bar Method: This intense class combines isometrics, the body-elongating practice of dance conditioning and the science of physical therapy with the rapid pace of interval training. It’s similar to the rest of the ballet classes, but definitely on the intense (and therefore, high calorie burning) side.
Core Fusion: The ultimate in calorie-torching workouts, this class will leave your thighs shaking and your entire body aching -- a sure sign it's doing some major damage control. Added bonus: afterwards, you can slip right into the spa for a deep tissue massage. Trust us, you’ll need it.
Barre Burn: This Equinox class isn’t done in a traditional yoga studio like many barre workouts--which means the intensity is even higher. You’ll still go without shoes like traditional barre classes, but use more weights and body bars instead of leaning on the ballet barre for support. The only catch? You have to be an Equinox member to take it.
Kim Peiffer is the founder of The Glow List, a blog dedicated to fitness, beauty, diet, spa and travel.
