Tips for the Home Poler - Part 1

This is the first post in a two part post on helping the home poler. Not all of us have access to pole fitness classes and have to resort to learning at home. This can be done, but there are many things to keep in mind to ensure a safe and effective pole journey. I strongly recommend anyone with access to an instructor, that is well trained in proper pole technique, pacing, and proper general fitness training, utilize that resource. It helps to have outside input. For those who do not have that resource, hopefully this will help you.

Proper Equipment - This is probably the most important aspect of home poling. There are so many "novelty" and counterfeit poles out there and it makes a dangerous situation for those who don't know better. One must purchase from a reputable brand. Most of the poles in adult shops are nothing more than a glorified shower rods. Those simply cannot support the weight and toque of a poler. Period. A proper pole can be the difference between life and death. There have been several instances of people becoming permanently disabled from a poor quality pole. Some poles don't line up at the seams and can pinch you. Some have plastic domes that can crack. There are shoddy chrome jobs that bubble and crack, and can cut the poler. Protect yourself. Avoid plastic parts. If the price is low, that is a HUGE red flag. You get what you pay for. Your safety is worth saving up for a more expensive, safe, reputable pole.


Getting hot - A proper warm-up is probably one of the most important aspects of starting a workout. It gets the muscles prepared for the upcoming training by increasing body temperature, loosening up the muscles and joints, and decreases the risk for injury. A proper warm-up should cover the entire body and last about 10 minutes. Get your heart rate up slowly.  Do hip, chest, and shoulder circles. Do sexy walks. There are many ways to warm up. There are even YouTube videos that can serve as warm-ups. Be sure to warm-up your pole at this time to, because a warm pole is a grippy pole! Touch the crap out of it!

Delicious Dishes: Chicken Picatta Soup

I'm a lazy chef. Like, ridiculously lazy. Crock pots are my best friend. I am so lazy with my food, that I either barely heat up, or just don't heat up left overs before I eat them. My partner is baffled by this, and when we are both eating left overs, he has to do the heating, because I'll let it heat up to luke-warm and be ready to chow down!

I love soup. It's my go to dinner when I'm lazy. It's cheap, easy, filling, and oh so yummy! With fall just beginning, it is the perfect time to share one of my favorite recipes with you.

I've been playing with soups for the last year. I had a spaghetti squash that I didn't know what to do with. I figured a soup would do, so I did some googling. After a bit of trial and error, I managed to tinker with various recipes enough to satisfy my tastes. I found that I had put together a soup that reminded me of chicken picatta. The benefit of the soup is it is low carb and full of fiber! It's also cheap and easy to make!

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
2 chicken breasts
10 cups chicken broth (or 10 cups water and bullion)
1/2 cup lemon juice
capers (to taste)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise and seed. Place it on a cookie sheet inside down, and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

While the spaghetti squash is baking, get the chicken started by: filling a soup pot with either 10 cups chicken broth or 10 cups water and bullion (per package instructions). Use use Better Than Bullion. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium-ish heat to a simmer and cover pot with a lid, to prevent evaporation.

Around the time the spaghetti squash is done baking, the chicken should be done. Pull out the breasts and shred with a fork, and put back in the pot with the liquid.

Shred the spaghetti squash with a fork and put in the pot.

Add lemon juice and capers (to taste.)

Voila, you have a yummy in your tummy soup!

Weight Perception - The Emotional Roller Coaster

My arms before (left) and after (right) pole
Weight on left: 136 lbs; on right: 146 lbs

As with most people, I've suffered with body issues for most of my life now. My body type is short and thick boned. My thighs like to hang onto fat (thunder thighs galore.) It's how I'm shaped. It's very different from bodies portrayed in the media. I've come to realize this and appreciate it. I love my hips; I love having curves. Despite that, I still battle insecurities of weight gain. Once I hit puberty I put on a ton of weight. Despite the fact that I was fairly active, in my teens, being on several performance teams, and despite being pretty muscled (we joked that we could beat the football team at push-ups), I was soft over my muscles, and I hated it. I got to 143 lbs and cried. My costumes and pants started giving me muffin top (though looking back I probably needed the next size up to begin with.) I didn't eat terribly. I ate when I was hungry, but none-the-less the weight kept creeping up. I have never been able to get a handle on my weight issues. Was I overweight? Not really, I was in the normal range of healthy, but I fell for the ideals of the media, with regards to body weight and became insecure (waaaaa! I'm not a model!)

Delicious Dishes: Awesome Sauce Recipe

Though not directly related to pole, aerial, or belly dance, healthy foods are a staple of any fitness regimen. That is why I am introducing a series of blog posts: Delicious Dishes. In my journey to be healthy, I've done a lot of experimenting with recipes and would like to share my favorites with you.

I love dips & sauces. Like really, really love them. You could say I have an addiction. Whether for veggies, fruits, chips, breads, or meats, I cannot get enough dips and sauces. I am the one at the snack table shamelessly gorging myself on chips and dip. "Who ate all the dip?!" *slinks off*

The Anonymous Poler - May 2014 Blog Hop

This months Pole Dance Blog Hop topic is "Pole Dance and Social Culture." This is something that hits home with me tremendously. Currently, we live in a society that, in some regards, is progressive and accepting of many things different, but on the flip side, shuns the unknown and is terribly ignorant on topics such as pole fitness. Despite the ignorance, there is the issue of people holding strong opinions on things they don't understand. This is where I have an issue.

Exercising at home

*Note: Always consult a physician before starting a new exercise program. Always be safe and stay within your body's limits. Listen to your body. What works for me, may not work for others.

Trying to find time to exercise in our hectic lives can be difficult; often very difficult. I am guilty of not exercising enough. Between my job, my errands, my family, and migraines, exercising often takes a back door. It also takes a lot of effort for me to leave the house to go workout. That takes time; time that I don't have. Due to this, I decided I needed to find a way to workout at home, in my apartment. So far, this is what I have found that helps me get in a workout at home.

Fitness Blender
I really like this website. They have full workout routines in which you can filter by level, type, parts of the body used, etc. I love their tabata-style workouts! They are quick, hard, and effective. The stairs up to my place become my nemesis the next day. The workouts are free!

Our femtastic pole brothers - breaking the barriers

This is a Pole Dance Blogger Associations blog hop. This topic for February is "pole dancing and men."

When I first started pole, I was a recent college graduate, and decided to treat myself to a pole class. Of course, being naive about pole, I had the same misconceptions about pole that most outsiders do. I was quite surprised to that pole is so much more.

When I was signing up for my first class, I noted that the studio website said that classes were female-only. At the time I didn't ponder the reasoning much, and just figured it was to keep people away who wanted a "show." My pole journey went on without thinking about the restriction, until one day our instructor asked us if we would mind if a male joined us in our Burlesque class. My gut reaction was, "of course I don't mind." The class started and I thought nothing of the male dancing along side us. He was there for the same reasons we were, to learn an art form.