Why To Exercise Today: Happiness Behind The Barre

I teach a barre-based class that works every single (okay, almost) muscle in your body to exhaustion. Think: shaking thighs, rolling eyes, moans of discomfort. It is downright unpleasant.

But the clients keep coming back. They walk into that 6 a.m. class, before sunrise in the winter months, with huge smiles. The more intense the workout gets, the bigger the smiles get.

They bring their friends. They exchange phone numbers. They go out for coffee after. There is as much positive energy circulating that studio as there is in a Spice Girls video. And I am absolutely certain they take that attitude into every interaction for the rest of the day. I know I do when I am in the role of student. And I also know how grumpy I can be when I have not worked out.

Think of how kind we might be to each other if we were all on this “exercise high”. Maybe the driver next to you would not cut you off. Maybe the T passenger in front of you would move into the train. Or, better yet, the driver would hold the door open for you just a second longer.

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