show of hands: how many of us set a goal at the beginning of the year along the lines of being more active? 

<insert everyone raising a hand> 

and now that we are into February (?!) how many of you are actually keeping up with that goal 

<at least half of the hands go down, including my own>

I get it, you are on the heels of the gluttony that is the holiday season, your jeans are fitting a little tighter than usual and you promise yourself on new years day, january will be different.  And then the reality of getting back into the groove of work, the shorter days and more darkness, and the cold (oh the cold!) sets in.  Next thing you know, you are in February staring down the barrel of swimsuit season and thinking you can totally do that juice cleanse that promises you can shed those winter pounds in just 7 days and a crazy body wrap later. 

Trust me, there is no quick fix to shedding those extra winter pounds, and I would even argue that the shedding of the pounds isn't the solution - it's ensuring that you are strong, healthy, and happy.  Which is where Hilliard Studio Method (HSM) comes in.  The lovely owners,  Liz & Clary, of HSM were kind enough to invite a group of bloggers to their newest endeavor HSM | Core studio for a class to check out the megaformer.  (I also think that it was partially my friend Kate's clever way to finally get me into the studio).

I'm not one that is easily intimidated by workouts, but HSM | Core class was a bit intimidating at face value.  The machines are quite the contraptions and HSM is known for transformations, so I knew that it wouldn't be easy (it would be worth it, it turns out).  The 40 minute class is intense, but the flow of the class is such that you really don't dwell on it.  There isn't any downtime to think about anything but focusing on what you are doing and what the next movement is.  The instructors do an excellent job at not only providing motivation, but also providing modifications, corrections, and realignments. (And though I might be biased, Kate is a rockstar!)

It really was a fantastic workout and one that I would highly recommend, just maybe plan to be feeling it the day after in places you didn't realize there were muscles.  I certainly did - a true sign of a workout that's worth it.