Annie Burgstede got a head start tapping into her sensual side to portray DAYS OF OURS LIVES' hapless hooker, Willow Stark. For the past year, the actress has been indulging in pole dancing classes.

"I take Sheila Kelley's S Factor. It's actually a striptease and pole class," notes Burgstede. "I started doing it right before I got the part of Willow, and it's helped a little bit with the sexuality part of the role."

What leads someone to pole dancing for a workout instead of yoga or Pilates? "I dislike yoga," explains Burgstede. "It's too calm for me. I need something a little more high-energy and I wanted to find an alternative to hip-hop or ballet. I also wanted to be a little more comfortable with my body. Pole dancing has totally helped with that. Just standing up straight came from that. It gave me a confidence to embrace my body, whether it's 10 pounds overweight or underweight."

Burgstede insists that it's done the same for almost every student in the class.

"That's what really makes it a beautiful class," points out Burgstede. "It encompasses all shapes, sizes and ages of women. It is wonderful to be around all these different types of women who became confident with how they are through these workouts."

After a year of classes, Burgstede has no plans to stop. "I'm just about to go sign up for level four," she notes. "I've totally enjoyed each of them. I can't wait to take the next one."

As much as she likes the classes, however, the actress has not managed to convince any of her co-stars into taking one with her.

"I have coaxed a couple of my friends into going along with me. So far they've all enjoyed it," smiles Bergstede, who plans on pitching the idea to some of her DAYS gal pals. "I would love if all the girls at DAYS OF OUR LIVES came with me. It's such a fun thing. It's a great way for women to get together."

Aside from making Burgstede feel comfortable in her own skin, the benefits of the sexy classes are numerous.

"I have the best six pack from this," boasts Burgstede. "It's not like just doing a bunch of crunches. It's made me use my whole body. My God! We climb up a pole. We go upside down on a pole. There's extensive stretching and strength training involved, and it's all really fun. There's always music on; it never stops. The lights are really low, so no one is seeing you. You go full-on into these exercises. It's a two-hour class. My body has never looked so good."