CORE FUSION- a challenging workout with incredible results

We are pretty athletic and have tried all sorts of intense sports and workouts (Burn 60, for example, that involves sprinting, running up hills and weight training), so when we kept hearing that Core Fusion was the hardest workout people had ever done and it is done in socks involving a ballet bar, we scoffed.  Oh man were we wrong!

We've checked out a few classes at the Exhale studio located in the Fairmont Miramar hotel in Santa Monica (which is a looovely place to pull in for a workout, $4 valet parking with an Exhale validation and free parking if you join the studio which has a spa, gym and the Core Fusion classes), and were blown away by the intensity.

The hour long classes keep you moving the whole time with series of exercises that target each part of your body and left us shaking from muscle exhaustion and thinking, "there's no WAY I can lift my leg one more time."  They do incorporate stretching and some yoga-like moves in between sets which probably helps with the soreness you'll feel (in all the right places) for days following the workout.  We've been to a few teachers and Lauren at the Santa Monica location is our favorite -- she plays great music and has an upbeat, butt-kicking, yet patient energy.

There are studios in a lot of cities-- LA, NYC, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami-- so sort of no excuses, especially with $40 unlimited classes for your first week (classes are usually $24/class, which is expensive but you're getting a lot of personal attention).  And with actress and star of "True Blood," Anna Paquin doing testimonials for Core Fusion, maybe we might all get Sookie Stackhouse's rocking body, too!