Favorite items for sore muscles

This entry will be simple. I just want to tell you guys what I do for my soreness and tight muscles.

Meet my torture devices!

Divine Dancewear: Anthony's Shoes by Tony's Shoes

Anthony heels - glitter painted

I recently received my pair of heels made by Anthony's Heels, which is a sub-section of Tony's Shoes. I had never heard of Tony's Shoes before and wanted to give them a try. I ordered a pair of their red 7" heels with clear strap. They arrived in a timely manner. I tried them on and they fit me perfectly. They are very comfortable and the strap isn't too tight like some heels are, on me. I truly love them. The tread on the heels is a finer tread, much like Ellie, so they glide on the floor really easy. I can do pirouettes with ease in them. I do not get skid marks on my floor just by walking, which happens with some of my other heels. They will mark the floor in heels slides, but that would be the case for most heels.

I truly love these heels. They have become my go to heels for pole practice.

My experience: Reflections Heels

*Disclaimer: This is my experience and may not be the experience of others!

In the spirit of reviewing dancewear, I feel I should pass on my experiences, both good and unpleasant. Keep in mind, this is just my experience and there is no guarantee the same experience would occur for others who purchase from this manufacturer.

There are several heel companies out there that I hear very little about and want to try their product, so on March 25th, I ordered a pair of  6 3/4" sparkle heels in light pink, from Reflection Shoes. What I received was the same pair of heels, in purple, on May 20th. The 3rd party vendor was extremely helpful in this order delay. I expected a 1-4 week time frame for the shoes to ship, per the 3rd party vendors website. When 4 weeks came and went I inquired about my order. They let me know that the heels would be on their next shipment. It took another several weeks for the heels to arrive at my home.

Rhinestone heels

You know the saying "diamonds are a girls best friend?" Well, how about rhinestones, glitter, or anything sparkly? I am a bit like a raccoon. I love shiny objects. I can't help it! It's engrained in my DNA or something. 

That being said, it shouldn't be surprising that I would want a few pairs of crystal-covered heels. I found these beautiful heels by PleaserUSA. They are part of their Bejeweled and Day and Night collections. They are not really for dancing so much as for a night out. The straps are a soft suede material, which would not be good for pole. I cannot express how much I love these heels. People ask me "what would you wear them for?" My response is "I'll make a reason!" They are so unbelievable sparkly! They are also very comfortable. A must have!

BEJEWELED-609DM

Should I use a grip aid?

This topic comes up A LOT, and it always brings up mixed feelings, depending on the person expressing the feelings. I used to advocate on the side of not using grip aids, as a beginner, with the idea that they could become a crutch. I have now had a change in my feelings, due to my constant fluctuations in body chemistry.

No grip? But Why?

Everyone will have grip issues at some point in their pole journey. Some more than others, but here are a few things you should consider when you are having grip issues.

Are you properly warmed up?
The body sticks better when it is warm. Your body should start to produce a little bit of sweat as you start to warm up. That little bit of sweat actually adds grip to your body. Do at least a 10 minute warm up when you pole. In addition to helping you stick, it redistributes blood flow, slowly, to working muscles and your skin. This helps you body gradually adjust to the workout and decrease your chance of injury.

Divine Dancewear: Highest Heel

So most of us are familiar with Pleaser and Ellie heels, for our pole shoes, but did you know that there are other brands? I didn't until about a year ago. Today I want to introduce you to:

The Highest Heel: 

I have their Amber-201, in red. They are ADORABLE! We all know about clear platform heels, but colored? My favorite color is red, so when I saw red clear platforms I had to have them!

Photo used with permission from The Highest Heel

June Pole Blog Hop: Wish I knew...

Things I wish I knew before I started pole dancing.

This is such a huge topic for me. It seems that a huge portion of this blog is dedicated to informing others on things I wish I had known when I started poling.

The first thing I wish I had known is, that the 50mm pole I learned on was not for me. I struggled on that thing for 2 years before I realized I didn't HAVE to use a 50mm. I knew there were other diameters, but for some reason I went with what I knew. I will avoid 50s at all
costs now! LOL

#2: I'm not the only one with sweaty hands! I remember having sweaty hand issues in high school, when I was paranoid my flag would fly out of my hands in a performance. None of the others girl seemed to have this problem and I didn't get it. I now know I'm not alone, and that there are products made specifically for that problem.

#3: Not everyone will react to a pole in the same way. I had to try every finish out there before finally settling on one that worked for me. What worked for others, didn't work for me.

#4: Use grip aids if necessary. I didn't even know about grip aids when I first started. It wasn't until I found StudioVeena that I found out what grip aids were and what they could do.

#5: Pole shoes are addicting...

#6: so are pole clothes...

My goal with this blog is to save you as much frustration as I possibly can, in your pole journey.

Want more June blog hop posts? Here you go!

Pole Sleeve

My pole sleeve is here! I am here to tell you guys about my pole sleeve experience. I placed my order, in February, for a pink pole sleeve. Victor let me know that the pink would be ready in March, which I agreed to. He did answer my questions when I would call him for updates, and he gave me an email and tracking number, when my sleeve shipped. It arrived quickly after shipment. In the package was: the pole sleeve, a carrying bag, and an adapter for your air source.

Pole Gloves to the rescue!

I have had sweaty hands for as long as I can remember. In high school I was on color guard and the short flag/pep flag team. I remember ALWAYS being paranoid about the flags slipping out of my hands because my palms were always sweaty. I couldn't understand why the other girls didn't share my grief. Now that I have joined the pole community I have discovered that I am not the only sweaty hands sufferer!

When I first started poling, I again ran into the issue of not being able to hold on to the pole well. I was constantly wiping my hands and drying them with the fan. Over the years I have tried literally EVERYTHING to stop my sweaty hands. I was always terrified of going into a spin, losing my grip, and whirling on my butt into the wall.

I've tried:

• Tite Grip
• Dry Hands
• Dirty Girl Poletice
• Certain-Dri 
• Drysol - prescription strength antiperspirant

I even tried adding tack with:

• Camers Firm Grip 
• Mighty Grip 

Shifting X Pert - troubleshooting

So, this problem comes up often. You're practicing a spin on your pole and all of a sudden, you feel it shift. You look at the pole like, WTF?! I could have SWORN I had it in stationary mode. You check the screws and they all seem tight. Not everyone knows that there is another set of screws that could be the culprit, right under the adjuster cover. I did a video on troubleshooting this issue. Hopefully it can help you, if you ever run across this problem!

Discoveries Dance Instructor Training

Photo used with permission from Discoveries Dance

After spending the last 2 years slowly prepping for my ACE Group Fitness Certification exam, I finally took the test and passed. I cannot express how good it feels to be done with that exam! Now that that is complete, I can move onto other fitness endeavors. Part of the reason I got my ACE fitness cert first was that several pole teacher trainings count as continuing education credits for ACE. My main goal was to do a pole teacher training, but insurance companies sometimes require fitness certifications for coverage, so I decided to get the ACE certification, then move onto the pole teacher training.