I am just returning from a trip up to Michigan for the baptism of my godchild- the beautiful 10 week-old daughter of my best friend Cathy. Following the baptism, Cathy's extended family headed back to the house to celebrate. Upon arrival, the women surrounded the island in the kitchen while the men claimed their seats in front of the baseball game on tv. As we women were chipping and dipping, the topic of exercise came up- I tend to spark that conversation wherever I go, almost like a priest in a confessional. Anyway, it started by Cathy's mother-in-law stating her cellulite had cellulite and then the group proceeded in to a litany of excuses of why they couldn't exercise. It went something like this: I don't want to sweat. I'm fat. I don't want to jump up and down. My feet are too wide- they don't make tennis shoes that fit me. I like butter. I don't have time. I'm too old. Then began "body show and tell"- women showing me parts of their bodies they don't like- grabbing their inner thighs, pulling up their sleeves to display the back of their arms, and sticking their hips out to the side and pointing at them. Then silence, as they all stared at me.

I'm not sure what they were hoping for me to say- maybe that if you had wide feet there really was no need to exercise. Or, if you are fat or old then forget it, you're a lost cause. But, instead I found myself talking about the Pure Barre dvds, certainly not to push sales at the baptism of my godchild, but because I truly believe that all those women around the island could do the dvds and achieve great results on the exact areas that they were all grabbing, pointing and pulling on.

The dvds are doable by every woman out there, and there is no jumping, sweating, well, I can't get out of that one, but you could still love butter and do Pure Barre. As far as the no time issue goes, Cathy has a strong argument- 4 kids under the age of 8, a husband and a job. However, 45 minutes 3 times per week could add years on to your life, higher productivity, increased happiness, and a lot less jiggle and sagging and if you think about it that way, that 135 extra minutes per week has to be somewhere- maybe it's under the butter dish.

Best,
Carrie