Barre and Breakfast

TUCK YOUR TAILBONE IN, TUCK INTO FOOD

Those who follow me on Twitter know I’ve been going to Barrecore classes since the beginning of November, going 4 times a week and I haven’t looked back since. I’m currently on my fourth week of Barrecore and will do my four-week update sometime next week along with the class in more detail.

Last Sunday was an exciting Barre and Breakfast event. The thought of breakfast right after a workout is music to my ears. Those who aren’t sure what Barrecorre is, it’s a fusion of ballet, yoga and pilates, to target all muscles with the help of the ballet bar, your body weight and isometric exercises. This will help lengthen and strengthen your muscles, working them to exhaustion to give you that longer and leaner look. It’s not as scary as it sounds.

This session was taught by the lovely Melissa. She was lively, energetic and not breaking a sweat one bit. Like, how? This was the barrecoreMixed class and it consists of a mixture of floor and barre work, where some exercises incorporated equipment. This class specifically, we had used two different weighted dumbbells, a resistance band, a resistant band loop and the ball.

The class consisted of a warm-up, stretches, thigh exercises, more stretches, glute exercises, ab exercises and a cool-down session. All muscles are worked throughout each exercise. Some will tire more than others. You can tell when those muscles start shaking! This is a good thing.

Here’s a little gif on one move. This looks easy and simple to do right? Don’t let it fool you. Engaging the abs, finding your balance, tucking your tailbone in to prevent the back from arching and controlling the flex and point with that foot all at the same time is challenging itself. Multitasking it with the phone was harder.

Below is one way the ball was being used for ab exercises.

55 minutes flew by and my legs were shaking by the end of it. Breakfast time! It was time to refuel after this intense workout so we headed to Le Pain Quotidien in Victoria Gate. The takeaway is downstairs whilst the restaurant is upstairs. Walking upstairs was a bit challenging with shaky legs. It’s the first time I’ve visited Le Pain Quotidien and would visit again. It’s a lovely spot for breakfast with a great atmosphere.

We were sat by the window and could admire the Victoria Gate architecture from above. When I had seen the exact phrase “avocado toast” on the menu, I instantly made my decision. This came with scrambled eggs and had the option of adding smoked salmon. Seeing “matcha latte” too, I knew this was heaven. It’s my ideal breakfast.

When the matcha latte had arrived, I didn’t expect the large size to be like a bowl! It was the surprise of the day. The breakfast had hit the spot and was what I had needed. The perfect healthy meal to refuel.


It was busy for a Sunday morning but the staff were attentive and pleasant, making sure we’re OK with everything and asked if we needed anything else. This was a lovely experience. I’m definitely coming back again, whether it’s for breakfast or lunch. I’m actually reading the menu whilst writing this up and am sat here drooling at everything they serve. This is a great place to start your day off, have a catch up with friends, have a break from shopping etc.

Such a perfect event to start off a Sunday. Thank you, Lauren, Barrecore, Le Pain Quotidien and Victoria Gate for this wonderful experience. I need to make Barre and Breakfast a thing now.