When I published my post last week, I expected some backlash, but I can honestly say I did not expect the anger. I really don’t want to harp on this, but I did want to clarify a few points that I don’t think I expressed well last week, if at all:

• I took Core Fusion (and tried numerous other barre classes) regularly for about 10 months, from January, 2010 – November, 2010, at which point my hip injury was diagnosed. I was no longer able to do that type of workout. I’ve been taking Refine Method for about 14 months, from December 2010 – February, 2012, at which point I wrote last week’s post. I know it seems like I jumped from one bandwagon to the next, but I gave it more than a year to see if I could heal, see if I could reclaim my love with the barre. Ultimately, I couldn’t. And I felt that I should share — had a responsibility to share — my own personal reasoning since it was clear I switched, but it wasn’t clear why.
• One commenter mentioned I lack integrity for praising one method so passionately, and now praising another. Another called my reviews fallible. And while all reviews written by human beings are fallible to an extent, I think it is more a reflection on my personality than my integrity. When I love something, I want everyone else to love it too. Or at the very least, to try it for themselves in case they might realize they love it too! I also trust that people will read about my experience, and then make their own decisions on what they’d like to do with that knowledge I shared.
• On that note, all workouts have the potential to be dangerous. The founder of Refine Method (which, like any exercise program, carries that same potential, which is why it has a very small class size) has told me countless times that she doesn’t think running is safe and has seen many injuries from runners who take her classes. I listened to what she said, and I decided that while her points were valid, I still wanted to run a marathon — so I ran a marathon. If you read my blog to learn about fitness classes, I  hope that you can do the same. I’m sharing my experience, but what you  ultimately decide to do should be your own choice.
• I didn’t mean to imply that everyone who takes barre classes will get an injury. I got an injury. One I will have for the rest of my life. I know how I got it, but that doesn’t mean I think you will too. We all have different weaknesses, body types and susceptibilities. But that doesn’t mean that every word I wrote in every post about Core Fusion isn’t true — it is. I expressed my love for the class and how it made me feel at the time; how it got me through major life events; my progress and improvements; my successes and achievements. I captured an entire year of transformation. A year of my life through this exercise method! A couple of people demanded I take down my old content, but my blog is a progression through my life, and I can’t imagine removing so much information about my life just because my opinions have changed. We learn through experience, and I feel fortunate to have that experience archived here.

For a much more clear and eloquent post from someone who made the same switch in exercise methods as I did, please check out Cameo’s follow-up post to mine.

I didn’t want to write this post today. I wasn’t planning to. I was actually going to write, well, a class review actually, but once I started typing a quick note to acknowledge last week’s post it turned into this rambling. So here we are. I don’t think I need to defend myself and that was not my intent here.

I think I feel better now.

I used to like one thing and now I like another. Let’s move on to happier things, like picking a new winner of the ellasport giveaway - the original winner coincidentally just did a giveaway for the same brand on her own blog. Congratulations to j. at kissing-frogs.net! J. likes the yellow Gramercy Park workout tank. I hope she wears it well, it is a fabulous top.

Return to normalcy next week? Yes. See you then kids.

• 15 comments