How Bootybarre Is Helping Me Feel Better About My Bum

I can’t say I’ve ever disliked my bum, but it’s kinda like overcooked oatmeal, not too bad but not quite what you’d prefer. I’ve always thought there was a little room for improvement just so I could feel more comfortable. Well I found the answer and it’s called Bootybarre.

Bootybarre is a mix of Pilates, Dance/Ballet and Yoga. When I first heard about it I thought I would never try it because I have the coordination of a brick, jokes, a brick probably has more coordination. I’d been to a couple of classes at my gym but like any classes at a big gym, I got lost in the crowd, and with Barre being relatively technical it meant I was pretty much just throwing my legs around pretending to be Natalie Portman in Black Swan (while looking like one of those air dancers you see outside car dealerships).

I started doing , who will forever be known to me as the woman who got me to almost move in time with a class of people doing beautiful ballet inspired jumps. What I love most about Aletta’s classes is that they’re not big, I think the biggest class I’ve been to had about eight people in, so as soon as you’re not properly positioned she’ll notice immediately and correct you. It means that 99% of the time you’re working the right muscles and avoiding any dodgy injuries.  Secondly I love that her classes are filled with people of all ages and fitness levels and it feels like you become a part of the Bootybarre sisterhood instead of trying your best to avoid eye contact with strangers in classes at gym.

Each classes is an hour, starts with a warmup, moves to barre work (as in you’re literally holding onto a bar doing exercises) and ends with a few stomach exercises and a stretch.

So many of the exercises I do on a day to day basis are focused on the front of my body, to me it feels like Barre works the back of my body aka my bum! The exercises are all relatively small movements but after eight Plié’s on your tippy toes trust me you’ll feel like you’ve just run around the block with a backpack full of potatoes. Personally I find the hardest challenge in classes is concentrating on the moves themselves and making sure my core is solid, I’m still getting the hang of all the movements and the small angle adjustments that make a huge difference in the exercises but after about five classes I’m finally starting to get the hang of it, and my bum is thanking me for it!

I’ve almost completed my first month of Bootybarre with  and I can already see and feel a difference. My booty is definitely firmer and dare I say a few cm higher than it was at the beginning of the month, not to mention my stomach feels a little firmer and my core is definitely stronger. I can’t wait to see how my booty firms up even more over the coming months! If you’re aiming to make a difference for December recommends that you attend at least two classes a week as an ongoing regime but initially three classes a week will make a huge difference to the strength, tone and flexibility of your body.

Aletta teaches three classes a week, depending on how often you go it works out to R120 – R150 per class.