Barre Bee Fit™

It sneaked up on us, just like the summer-like weather we’ve had this week: Mother’s Day is next Sunday, May 12! In case you have been preoccupied figuring out your Derby outfit, we’ve picked out a few gifts from Comfort Me that are sure to please. Check out these gifts at Comfort Me Boutique, 701 W. Armitage in Lincoln Park or online at walk.by!

Brynn Capella Sophie Crossbody bag ($198)

Ivy Jane Floral Split Back Blouse ($114)

Handmade Stationary ($10)

Sseko Sandals (from $49)

Stylish Girl Semi-Precious Stone ‘Motherhood’ Necklace ($55)

Pyar & Co. pillows (from $114)

We can’t say it enough: Barre Bee Fit is not just a workout; it’s a lifestyle.

At BBF, we put so much time and energy into creating challenging, engaging workouts and a fun, accepting community because we know that these are factors that can propel us from an every-once-in-awhile fitness class to the cornerstone of a truly healthy way of life.

Our friends and partners over at CJK Foods know what we mean — like BBF, they are a small local business trying to help people live healthier, happier lives. They are doing so through affordable, delicious, chef-crafted meals made with nutrient-rich, anti-inflammatory ingredients and delivered to your door or your favorite fitness hub.

Fitness and nutrition go hand-in-hand as the vital components to a balanced, healthy lifestyle. With our missions being so closely aligned, Barre Bee Fit and CJK Foods are excited to announce the EAT CLEAN, TRAIN DIRTY Challenge. We are teaming up and giving three lucky — and more importantly, serious and devoted — Bees the opportunity of a lifetime to make a true commitment and a mind-body transformation.

This is not a casual challenge! The selected participants will receive a lot of perks and guidance with their fitness and nutrition; they also will have to put in a lot of hard work and sacrifice. We believe that Barre Bee Fit and CJK Foods combined can create monumental change — a total lifestyle transformation, which is why we are collaborating on this challenge. Fitness and nutrition are only two parts of the puzzle, however. The third comes from you, and it is determination. It is commitment. This is not a challenge for the weak of will. If you want to lose a few pounds for the summer or drop a couple of inches to fit into a dress, this challenge is not for you. If you want to make some serious adjustments to your everyday life, if you want to see how strong you can become and how good your body can feel, if you want to commit to developing habits that will last you the rest of your life — this is your challenge, and we can’t wait to hear from you.

Getting Started:

• One Bee will be selected to participate from each of the three Chicago BBF studios (River North, Lincoln Park, and Gold Coast)
• The participants will be selected based on essay submissions and interviews by members of the BBF and CJK Foods teams
• We will be accepting submissions from now through the end of the day on Friday, May 3. Submissions should be e-mailed to info@barrebeefit.com.

Submission Requirements:

• All submissions must include an essay and three (3) photographs.
• The essay should explain to the selection committee (members of the BBF and CJK Foods executive teams) why you would be the ideal person to participate in this challenge. When we finish reading the essay, we should have an excellent idea of who you are, why you want to be an EAT CLEAN, TRAIN DIRTY challenge participant, and what you hope to accomplish by being a part of the challenge. You are selling yourself here — this is your opportunity to make us want to select you and give you this amazing chance to transform your lifestyle.
• The photographs must include one (1) head shot, one (1) full body shot, and one (1) shot that showcases your personality and what makes you unique. The photos do not need to be high resolution, but they just should clear and of good quality. Remember, you’re selling yourself to us as an ideal participant.

Participant Rewards and Requirements:

• The three (3) Bees chosen as our EAT CLEAN, TRAIN DIRTY participants will receive the following:
• Two (2) free unlimited months of Barre Bee fit membership
• A private consultation with Barre Bee Fit owners Ariana Chernin and Jillian Lorenz. Based on this consultation, Jill and Ari will craft a personalized BBF workout plan for each participant, specifying which classes to take each week for the two (2) month duration of the challenge
• Free meals from CJK Foods for the duration of the challenge
• A private consultation with Jenny Westerkamp, the CJK Foods nutritionist. Based on this consultation, Jenny will devise a personalized nutrition and meal plan, specifying how many CJK Foods meals the participant will receive and eat each week, and mapping out the remaining meals
• Additional nutrition guidance and support from Jenny, including e-mail access and grocery store tour
• A 30-day (halfway point) check-in with Jill, Ari, and Jenny to assess progress and make tweaks to the programs as necessary.

The EAT CLEAN, TRAIN DIRTY participants will be required to:

• Conduct a “Before” interview, to be featured on the BBF blog
• Take Before and After photographs and measurements
• Check in weekly (via phone or e-mail) with BBF Director of Content & Brand Development Emily Torockio for brief interviews and discussion of progress, which will be featured on the BBF blog and other social media outlets
• Commit to completely following the plans set by Jill, Ari, and Jenny. These will be strict fitness and nutrition guidelines and require total devotion, not excuses
• Be active on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) throughout the challenge for both Barre Bee Fit and CJK Foods — checking in at class, posting photos of meals, updating followers on progress, attending events… they will be BBF/CJK celebrities!
• Conduct an “After” interview, to be featured on the BBF blog, and a testimonial regarding the full experience for the BBF website

The two-month challenge will tentative take place from late May to late July. Exact dates will be set once participants have been chosen. We are excited to receive your submissions and get the selection process started! Please e-mail info@barrebeefit.com with any questions.

You are probably already well aware that one of our goals at Barre Bee Fit is to become an integral part of your healthy lifestyle. We hope that the things you learn at BBF carry over into other parts of your life, making you stronger, more comfortable, and more confident in who you are. We also hope that the good you do for your body in a BBF class inspires you to treat your body well in other ways — the most important way being what you eat and how you are fueling yourself.

Pasture-Raised Chicken with Organice Cauliflower Rice from CJK Foods

As a fitness studio, we obviously want to give you the best possible workout and help you see results — but real results are hard to come by if you’re missing the nutrition component. Figuring out that nutrition component is difficult for all of us for different reasons — the right information isn’t always easy or cheap to find, and few of us have the time or resources to provide ourselves with consistently ideal nourishment. And let’s face it — a lot of us are used to taking advantage of the delicious food at all the restaurants Chicago has to offer. Who wants to give up rich, satisfying flavors for bland “diet food”?

This is why we were thrilled to discover CJK Foods. This local company gives us everything we want — delicious, chef-crafted meals made with nutrient dense, locally sourced, and organic ingredients, delivered easily to our doorsteps (or our favorite fitness studio!) at a completely reasonable price. With CJK, you sacrifice nothing — not your time, not your energy, and certainly not your health. In just a few easy steps, you’ll be enjoying flavorful and satisfying meals in the comfort of your own home, knowing that you giving your body everything it needs, and nothing it doesn’t. Each week, CJK offers Paleo and Clean Eating menus for you to choose from. All their meals are gluten-free, dairy-free, and anti-inflammatory. The best ingredients are selected and then cooked in a way to ensure that they retain their nutritious value.

Barre Bee Fit is beyond excited to team with CJK Foods and to be able to offer you, our clients, this missing piece of the wellness puzzle. Combining these kinds of nutritious, clean meals with your BBF routine can only mean greater results, and a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Come check them out for yourselves! CJK Foods will be at Barre Bee Fit River North and Barre Bee Fit Lincoln Park TOMORROW NIGHT (Wednesday, April 17) from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. The team will be on hand to give out samples and answer any questions you might have about the CJK way of life.

April is always a funny in-between sort of month — is it spring? Is it summer? Is it… still winter??? — so we thought we’d spice it up a little bit with a short, fun Instagram challenge involving everyone’s favorite exercise — planks! Here are the details:

- The challenge will run from Friday, April 12 to Thursday, April 18.
- Each day, you are asked to post a PLANK’N picture on Instagram — that’s you, holding your best plank (full arm or forearm; we’ll let you decide), according to the guidelines.
- Every PLANK’N photo must mention @barrebeefit on Instagram and use the hashtag #PLANKNwithBBF in order to be counted.
- Every day, we will add all the PLANK’N photos to a Facebook album, which we encourage to tag yourself in.
- A winner will be selected each day (and announced on the following day via Instagram and Facebook) based on quality of photo, photo subject, and overall creativity. Each day’s winner will receive $50 in her BBF account for use on BBF retail, class packs, or anything else we sell at the studio.

BBF co-founders Jillian and Ariana, planking in BBF colors on the LaSalle bridge!

The guidelines for each day are posted below, and will also be at each studio, so jot them down and start brainstorming. We are excited to see what you guys come up with!

April 12: A PLANK WITH A VIEW — plank somewhere beautiful
April 13: PUBLIC PLANK — plank with a lot of people around
April 14: DRESSED UP PLANK — plank wearing fancy clothes
April 15: FUNNY PLANK — plank that will make us laugh!
April 16: GROUP PLANK — 3 or more people planking together
April 17: CHICAGO PLANK – plank that represents Chicago
April 18: BARRE BEE FIT PLANK — plank representing BBF

Most of us don’t exactly get a Spring Break anymore (tear), but you don’t need to be going to a resort to wear “resort wear”. In fact, there are tons of versatile dresses and denim out for Spring that you can pull off whether you’re in Chicago or soaking up the sun somewhere warm. Check out these outfits at Comfort Me Boutique, 701 W. Armitage in Lincoln Park or online at walk.by!

m2f Brand Denim Indie Skinny Terracotta ($148)

 KLD Signature high low hem blouse with studs ($68)

 Prairie Undergound raincoat ($288)

KLD Signature maxi dress ($98)

vintage necklace ($24)

Only Hearts cropped lace blouse ($74)

KLD Signature peplum cardigan ($78 $58)

DeLacy maxi dress ($128)

fLuXuS dip dye scarf ($62)

Streets Ahead belt ($118 $89)

Bella Dahl chambray dip dye button down ($158)

Only Hearts double knit riding jacket ($218)

One of the best things about Barre Bee Fit is the talent that members of the team bring to the company, and those talents are amazing and varied. As you probably already know, several BBF team members have impressive backgrounds in dance and continue to make dance an important part of their daily lives. Instructor Stephanie Williams is one of the most prominent, having started her own dance company in 2009.

Through the Body has teamed up with Megan Adams Dance for this show, Surface Stained. It will be at the Fasseas Whitebox Theater at the Drucker Center Menomonee Club for Boys and Girls. The theater is located at 1535 N. Dayton Street. Parking is free and plentiful, and the theater is also walking distance from BBF Lincoln Park! The show will be held on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 PM, and on Sunday, March 17 at 7:00 PM. The suggested donation for tickets is $15.00 ($10.00 for students and seniors), and you can purchase tickets online or at the door.

We sat down with Stephanie and asked her few questions about the upcoming show. Continue reading to learn more, and join us next weekend for Surface Stained!

Tell us about your dance company and how it was started.
My dance company, Through the Body, came to be in 2009. When I graduated from Columbia College Chicago, one of my fellow graduates, Megan Adams, and I decided to produce a show together featuring my work and her work. It went so well that we’ve continued to produce work together with our companies combined. Through the Body consists of women dancers, and we pull from personal experience to create modern dance works that the audience can connect with. I feel that if the dancers can take something from their lives and put it into the movement, it provides an honest work that touches the audience. We’ve done pieces related to poems from Saul Williams, examined the cycle of heroin addiction, and looked into topics like open relationships and women scorned. This show will explore ideas of the night scene culture, life pathways, and how we get thrown off those pathways.

What can we expect to see in this show?
First off — everyone should be aware that there is foul language in Them. Them is mocking the night scene culture; the characters people make for themselves and the masks they wear. When you strip all the glamour away it’s empty. I decided that a band called The Weeknd was doing a similar idea when he created his album, “House of Balloons” so I’m using that entire CD as music for the show. We’ve tried to create a circus like atmosphere. The second piece, Hearts of Steel, is about pathways in life. Things happen to throw us off our pathway; do we continue on that pathway? Or choose a new one? And do we take our past experiences with us, or move on? Hearts of Steel is told through the eyes of the four women dancers; it’s been a way for us to air out some things/people that have hurt us in the past. I always like to use my dances as sort of a healing process.

What are some of the challenges of choreographing/producing a show?
I’d say the biggest challenge to producing a show is funding. I do this because I love it and it keeps me sane, not because I get a profit. We try to do fundraisers and get grants. There is also the race against time; we rehearse for about 6 months to create a show. Most people don’t know how much work goes into it, and then it’s performed maybe two or three nights.

What is the most rewarding thing about choreographing/producing a show?
The most rewarding thing for me is seeing the final product — watching everything come together and seeing my vision translated through my dancers’ bodies (hence my company’s name, Through the Body) to the audience. I love hearing everyone’s interpretation of what they thought the work was about or moments that touched them. I also love my dancers; they are the sole reason my dances work. They devote their time to an idea I have, they believe in me and my work, and I am so thankful that they dive into these adventures in creating dance with me.

If you have spent any time at all at Barre Bee Fit Gold Coast, chances are you know our February Instructor of the Month, Taylor! When she’s not motivating clients through a tough seat section with her infectious energy and charm, Taylor is acting as the Gold Coast Studio Manager, ensuring a clean, cozy studio and a wonderful experience for all. Here is your change to get to know Taylor a little better!

“I have been in love with dance and fitness from day one. From kindergarten up until sophomore year of high school, I trained in a range of dance styles from Lyrical Jazz to Hip-Hop, while also practicing gymnastics. During junior high and the beginning of high school, I spent several years on a dance team called Hip-Hop Connxion while also cheerleading. Not to mention, I would religiously attend yoga classes every weekend. However, when I entered college, the pressure of my studies and full-time job kept me from my fitness passions. It wasn’t till near the end of my time at DePaul, senior year, when I slowly crept back into yoga classes and discovered new, popular forms of exercise. I found Barre Bee Fit through a friend, and since then my love for the barre lifestyle has flourished. Finally, I have pushed myself back into dance, and I am reviving my adoration of ballet and the fundamental strength in provides — plus, it makes me a more conscientious teacher. After starting off as a marketing intern about a year ago I eagerly auditioned to become an instructor, and the rest is history!”

Taylor’s Workout Favorites Playlist
Elen Levon – Naughty – Radio Edit
Christina Aguilera – Your Body – Martin Garrix Remix
CAZZETTE – Beam Me Up (Kill Mode) (Radio Edit)
Karmin – Hello
Azealia Banks – 212
Swedish House Mafia – Miami 2 Ibiza
Iggy Azalea – U Ain’t My Daddy
September – Me & My Microphone
Nadia Ali – Call My Name (Spencer & Hill Radio Edit) (feat. Nadia Ali)
Paulette – Rude Boy – HumanJive Remix
Florence + The Machine – Heavy In Your Arms
Major Lazer – Get Free
Icona Pop – I Love It – feat. Charli XCX
DEV – In The Dark – Hype Jones 2012 Remix
Bad Boy Bill – Fast Life
The Cataracs – Alcohol Remix
Deeper People – Save The Floor (feat. Ijeoma) – Wallem Brothers Remix
Cat Power – 3,6,9
Kendrick Lamar – Swimming Pools (Drank)
My Workout DJ – Shut Up and Let Me Go (Workout Remix + 137 BPM) (As Made
Famous by The Ting Tings)
Britney Spears – Big Fat Bass
ID16 ft. Vilde Lie – Buena Vista 2013
Serebro – Mama Lover – Radio Edit
DJ Assad – Addicted – Radio Edit
Ke$ha – C’Mon
Imagine Dragons – Radioactive

Back in January, BBF encouraged you ladies to approach 2013 with the mindset of recommitting, rather than resolving. Resolutions are easy to start but quickly fade; true commitment is the only way to experience true change.

In the spirit of keeping that sense of commitment alive, we are excited to announce the next BBF challenge! We know how hard it is to stay devoted to daily health and happiness when it is freezing cold out and the sun sets before you get home from work — but spring is right around the corner, and we want to help you prepare for a great one!

You may have heard before that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. Though there are ongoing debates as to how valid that theory is, we certainly believe that doing something healthy every day for 21 days can only have a positive effect on your life. That’s the idea behind SPRING IT ON — you have 21 days to reset, recommit, re-engage, and truly make a change!

The Details

• March 1 – 21, 2013

• Take BBF classes 18 out of 21 days (that’s 18 days, not 18 classes — attending two classes in one day would still just count as one day)

• Choose a healthy habit that you want to form. We encourage this to be a positive addition to your life — i.e., eating a salad each day, drinking 8 glasses of water each day, taking 5 minutes each day to write down something you are grateful for. Remember, you want this habit to be realistic and sustainable — something you could feasibly do every day for the rest of your life. This challenge is about doing little things that could have a huge overall impact. Think really hard about what you want to accomplish!

• E-mail info@barrebeefit.com to let us know that you are entering, and share your habit with us! Throughout the challenge, we will feature participants on Facebook to get the community support going.

• Pick up a SPRING IT ON challenge card at any of the Chicago studios starting Wednesday, February 27. Remember to receive a BBF stamp each day that you take a class in the studio.

• Talk it up! We encourage you to check-in at BBF when you come and tell us how you’re doing with your habit via social media, using the hashtag #SPRINGITON21. We’ll be keeping an eye on this and awarding prizes to our most engaging Bees!

• At the end of the challenge, if you have successfully attended the 18 out of 21 days and completed your habit, drop your punch card off at the studio to be entered to win some great prizes from BBF and our local partners!

There is no cost to participate and you are on your honor system for completing the habit. Don’t cheat yourself! We are excited to participate in and see these 21 days of change.

Stir-fry meets all the requirements of a BBF-friendly meal: healthy, easy, and flavorful! This Thai beef stir-fry is rich enough to taste like comfort food while being entirely guilt-free, and the one-pan preparation means that clean-up is a cinch. You can marinate the beef in the morning before you leave for work and have it ready to grill or saute when you come back, so dinner will be ready in no time! What more could a busy Barre Bee ask for?

Thai Beef Stir-Fry (Recipe and photo from SELF Magazine)

Thai Beef Stir-Fry from SELF Magazine

Ingredients
Beef
3 oz beef tenderloin
¼ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cilantro
¼ cup olive oil
½ tablespoon brown sugar

Stir-Fry
¼ green onion (chopped)
4 broccoli florets
4 slices yellow peppers
1/8 cup bean sprouts
8 snow peas
¼ celery stick (sliced)
2 cherry tomatoes
3 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine beef marinade in a bowl, add beef and marinate for 2 hours. Saute or grill, and then let cool for 10 minutes. Slice steak into ½-inch slices. Sauté vegetables together. Add steak to vegetables and serve.

Nutrition Info
313 calories, 20 g fat (8 g saturated), 14 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 21 g protein

Let’s face it: Chair is the pose that (almost) everyone loves to hate and hates to love. You start to feel the burn immediately. Your hands get sweaty on the barre. It’s so easy to lose your form. And on your highest heels? You know you are in for some serious shaking.

The love/hate relationship with chair makes a lot of sense. It’s one of the hardest poses, which also means that when done correctly and consistently, it reaps the greatest benefits. When you’re in minute two of holding your flat-backed chair on your highest heels in a narrow V, valiantly wrapping your knees back, the line between love and hate becomes impossibly blurred. In that moment, though, we urge you to think of the many, many benefits of the oft dreaded chair.

• In chair, your shoulders should be back and down and your chest open. This creates a great stretch across your chest and shoulders. Focusing on opening the chest and driving the shoulders down isn’t just good for you in barre class — it will help improve your overall posture as well.
• This pose tones all the muscles of your legs so effectively. Dig your heels into the floor to feel your hamstrings really engage. Come up to your highest heels to challenge your quads and calves. Wrap those knees back to engage the hips and seat. There’s a reason it hurts so good!
• When you come into chair, your tailbone should be tucked down toward the ground, which means that your core is engaged throughout chair. This is a serious total-body toner!
• If you are properly aligned and doing this regularly, holding chair will strengthen your hip flexors, ankles, calves, and back.
• Doing chair also improves your overall balance and stability.

Knowing all of these wonderful benefits won’t make chair any easier, but hopefully it helps motivate you to stay in the pose longer, to push yourself to shake each time, and to let your mind power you through a seemingly impossible set. In one of Mindy’s legendary Burn classes a few weeks ago, she urged each Bee to choose  one section of chair to devote herself completely to — holding it throughout, perfecting the form, committing to the pose and its benefits. It was awesome to see what everyone could accomplish when really putting their minds to it. It was incredibly inspirational, and we urge you to bring that motivation into your next thigh section with you. You’ll be amazed by how those few moments of perfection can reap serious rewards.