Fighting the Headache Battle With Neighborhood Barre

With Summer allergies rearing their ugly head, it’s not uncommon to be feeling a little more achy this time of year. For those of you who suffer from headaches, this one’s for you. Resident instructor Hallie Wallen shares how exercise has helped her to better cope and manage chronic migraines via NEIGHBORHOOD barre classes and their combination of:

• getting my heart rate up in the always stellar warmups
• forward folds and downward movements to increase blood flow
• the unique workout that, in general, lowered my blood pressure through the constricting/contracting of my blood vessels

Read more about Hallie’s story here: “Living in East Tennessee you are likely to either suffer from migraines or know someone who does. East Tennessee ranks as one of the highest concentration of migraine sufferers in the country. I myself have been diagnosed with chronic migraines….. BUT I discovered Neighborhood barre and it has helped tremendously with my migraine “hygiene”. Low impact exercises (you should avoid jarring exercises such as running) that still maintain a cardio element are proven to reduce migraines. When I started coming to NB I noticed a significant decrease in my number of migraine days. Even on days when I had a migraine I still pushed myself to go to help reduce the pain. It works! I have tried other low-impact exercises and barre-based classes, but I did not get the same benefit due to the imbalance of cardio vs. strength training. Neighborhood Barre classes seem to balance this perfectly to maximize the benefits of both. Still doubtful? When I began NB I was taking more than a handful of medicine everyday, referred to as prophylactics. Exercise stimulates your body to release natural pain controlling chemicals called endorphins and natural anti-depressant chemicals called enkephalins. NB allowed me to embark on a well planned exercise program that enabled me to reduce my drug intake, particularly those drugs taken daily to prevent migraines (prophylactic medicine). Now I take only ONE pill a day! I encourage you to come try the health benefits of NB for yourself.” -Hallie