When I first moved to Charlotte this past summer, I was coping with a long term, stubborn upper hamstring tear that had sidelined my running and was starting to affect my dancing. (I dance and perform Argentine Tango and up until this point had been an avid runner) I was on my third round of physical therapy with my third physical therapist and had tried all sorts of remedies including a PRP injection. Nothing was helping me strengthen my hips and my core- the two areas that I was told that once strengthened, would help me regain my former level of activity. Being someone that was used to dancing five or six nights a week and running most days of the week, the lack of exercise, being in a new place, and having no social life was a little more than a little depressing. I ran across a Hilliard Studio Method ad in a Scout magazine and decided that once my therapist gave me the go, I would try it. Two months ago, I took my first class. It felt safe but challenging, the music was loud and energizing, the teachers are so much fun, and the level of energy was infectious. After a couple of weeks, I could see and feel the change in my body already! This past week, I went to a physical therapy session and when I did my strength test check up, we realized that HSM had done something for me that all of the circuits and weights and exercises that I was doing on my own and with the therapists could not do— I had progressed leaps and bounds in those target areas. HSM is just as much a part of my daily routine now as running and dancing – The teachers, the clean studio, the always changing workouts, the convenient app that updates my calendar, the music — I’m hooked!