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31 January 2020
Barrecore founder Niki Rein spoke to Hacking Happiness, a podcast by Dose, about hacking happiness in her career and relationships, plus the self-care practices she swears by, including silent meditation and crystal remedies to manage insomnia.
D: You came over from the US in 2009. We'd love to hear a little bit more about how your journey to creating Barrecore really began?
N: Being American and coming from where boutique fitness had already started booming - especially barre fitness - when I came over to the UK I was just really surprised that there was no barre or dance-based fitness to speak of. So I saw a gap in the market and started classes on a small scale, and one class grew to many! It's been really fun to go from strength to strength.
D: What do you think is the secret to your success as a brand?
N: Really focusing on quality has been the number one thing. We know the quality of our instructors is really important and we spend a lot on our Teacher Training to ensure our teachers are the experts in the room. So we really trust the care that our clients get. Our clients feel that and so they spread the word and keep coming and seeing results.
D: Do you have any self-care practices that you swear by?
N: I've been practising Vipassana Meditation for over 15 years, which is a silent medication that I love, but honestly just making sure I get some alone time is my best self-care practice. Which can be as simple as just sitting somewhere quiet to ponder or taking a walk on my own." - Niki Rein, Barrecore founder
D: In terms of sleep, you mentioned that you sometimes suffer from insomnia?
N: Yes, and it's usually in direct correlation of wether or not I've had enough "me" time. Whether that just be sitting alone and pondering or going for a walk on my own (racing down the street to get on the tube doesn't count). I know now that when I do suffer from insomnia, I just need to get some space and let myself settle.
D: How has your attitude to self care changed during pregnancy, pre and postnatal? Do you adapt your exercise and your diet/nutrition as well?
N: I feel that food choices and commitments tend to go out the window during pregnancy to some degree. It's really about eating what you feel your body needs. From a fitness point of view, it's also about really listening to your body on a day-to-day basis, because you feel different every single day while you're pregnant. One day you'll wake up and feel so energised and the very next your legs just feel really heavy. We often say to our prenatal clients, "If you're in class and just not feeling it, go ahead and leave, you're not going to offend anyone!"
Listen to the full podcast here.
Best Wishes,
The Barrecore Team x
