Leap Out of Your Pole Closet!
It’s not uncommon for pole fitness students to hide their new-found passion from people. Since there are many folks out there who still don’t understand that you can find a pole OUTSIDE of a strip club (shocker, I know), many fear being judged poorly for being involved in such a positive and empowering sport. They stay in their “pole closet,” afraid of being judged, or any other potential fallout. You know what I think about that. Get out of that pole closet. Roll, slide, flip, leap, I don’t care… GET OUT. I was once one that lived in my pole closet. It was nice and quiet there. I began telling my close friends, and when they saw my pictures they seemed genuinely impressed and interested. They asked questions, and to this day have been some of my greatest supporters. My family was a bit harder… they were just confused at first, but they never spoke ill of it or degraded me for doing it. In fact, once they saw it in person, they were much more understanding. The hardest people to come out of the pole closet to are the absolute strangers. Since they have no vested interest in you, their reaction can go either way. I’ve never seen disgust, just confusion and the refusal to listen to me. Most times, people are curious. “You do what?!” Then I show them pictures, and tell them about the studio. I tell them a version of my story and dispel any myths they bring up. I tell them about the blog, and let them know they can read it if they’re interested in learning more. I actually carry Aerial Dance Pole Exercise business cards with the path to my blog written on the back. I’ve told a couple people at my new job, and everyone at the credit union is already aware. The most interesting situation happened to me by complete chance. In the event she reads this and for her own privacy, I won’t be using her real name. We’ll call her Sandra for illustrative purposes. Sandra works at UW-Green Bay. I have passed her in the hallways since I first attended UWGB in 2010. Today I was headed out and as I walked by, Sandra asked me what I was doing tonight, since all this snow had fallen. I told her that the highways were pretty clear, so I might go down to Appleton for a fitness class. Like most folks do when I say I drive to Appleton, they question why. I tell them my favorite studio is in Appleton. Sandra then asked me if it was that aerial place (or something to that extent) to which I agreed. She said she had heard about it and was interested in trying it, but didn’t know anything about it. I gave her a version of my story, and we exchanged contact info so that I could someday bring her to a class with me! I just think that’s so cool! I hold no shame about my aerial pursuits. I will defend them and demonstrate their awesomeness. I will, outright, bring it up in a conversation just so I can share my experiences and let them know, in case they want to try it too. I have, in front of a large lecture group, introduced myself, “My name is Breanna, I’m in my senior year going for a Communications Major with a Public Relations Emphasis, and an interesting fact about me is that I’ve been involved in pole fitness for three years, and I just started learning aerial hoop a few months ago.” Yes, I was nervous when I first said it, but I’m glad I did. I’ve got nothing to hide, and neither do you!
Start Pole Classes!
To Those Just Beginning Your Aerial Journey….
You took the plunge–you signed up for that crazy pole class you heard about/read about. As I write this, you’ve had your first class already. You got a tour of Aerial Dance and you’re working on taking in all that amazing-ness. The instructor has started you off with some basic moves and you’re already excited/apprehensive for your next class. You could be feeling pretty solid in the moves you were taught, or you might be feeling confused and a little frustrated. I promise you, you’re going to be alright :). I am so excited that you’re here! You might not know it yet, but you’re about to embark on a journey that will change your life. It’s a journey of empowerment, self-love, self-confidence, and strength of all kinds. You might look at some of the things your instructor does and think, “Me? Do that?! It’ll never happen!” In a term or two, you’ll realize that you’re capable of a lot more than you thought. You’ll realize that you’ve got an unlimited potential to grow and to learn. You will find out that the body you have is pretty amazing. It can perform amazing feats of strength and make beautiful shapes. You’ll have the sore muscles, “pole kisses,” and pictures to prove it! I know you’ll get there, because I’ve been where you’ve been. Until you come to realize what I’m promising you is true, here’s my advice: What you’re working on now is important–get good at it. It’s really exciting to be able to do complicated moves, but you can’t learn to do those well without first solidifying your basic skills. Everything that seems boring and unexciting? Make sure you’re confident in those. I always thought Fireman, Front Hook, Back Hook, Hang Slide, standing pole crunches of any sort, and all the conditioning was boring. I know now that things like that are the cornerstones from which your pole castle is built. Hang Slides build the ever-important strength for shoulder engagement. Standing pole crunches will set you up for regular and aerial inverts. All that conditioning works on muscles that need to be strong–the stronger they are, the safer you’ll be. I’m not just echoing this because I’ve been told it so many times. I promise you, I’m telling you from experience. Get powerful in those basics! 🙂 Practice. If you’re like me, you don’t magically nail the move the first time you do it. It takes time and practice to be good at anything–pole is no different. Whether you signed up to build muscle or to enjoy a new hobby, doesn’t matter–both require some dedication. Also, you get to meet different students from different classes and different levels at practice. This is a good time to ask questions! I can’t speak for everyone, but to me, it’s also OK to watch your cohorts. It can be inspiring, helpful, or just downright cool! Besides, if you see someone working hard on something, and they finally get it, it is perfectly acceptable to start cheering for them. It’s also perfectly acceptable to cheer when you think it’s cool and/or that they did a good job. You can even cheer just because. We’re a positive and, sometimes loud, bunch here at AD 🙂 . Cross-Train. If you’re able, add some of AD’s other classes to your schedule. Learning another aerial art like Hoop, Fabric, or Silks will help your pole skills, and they’re super fun. There are other classes like Aerial Conditioning or Vertical Barre will help you work on your strength and endurance. Bendy Babe will help with flexibility. I could go on– but you need to check them out for yourself! Any and all of these classes will help you get better at pole, and you’ll a good (and sweaty) time! See? Look at all the fun you can have when you cross-train! Please, ASK! I remember being afraid to ask anyone questions in practice. Who would want to waste their time helping me, a beginner? I asked, and I got great answers, and made some great friends! I think it’s safe to say that we all enjoy helping each other out. I have found nothing but support in my struggles! Remember— EVERY SINGLE STUDENT OR INSTRUCTOR IN THE BUILDING WAS A BEGINNER ONCE. We all know the struggle you’re going through! Sometimes, a fellow student can explain it in a way that might make more sense to you. That still happens to me to this day! It’s also important to remember that all of the instructors can help you with your aerial questions, but they’re also able to offer suggestions about how to build strength in certain muscles and such related topics. So, if you have a question, don’t be afraid to ask. Do NOT compare yourself to your fellow students! This is so hard to follow–I still struggle with this on occasion. It’s so important to remember that your pole/aerial journey is YOURS and no one else’s. Everyone is different, so everyone is going to progress differently. I’ve been doing this for three years, and there are people who have started after me and have far surpassed me. I started in 2012, so it appears that Instructors Paige, Nikki, Kim, Chrissy, and Kelly W all started their pole journey after me, and are now my instructors. Even better? The first time I took Advanced, Instructor Meegan was taking it for the first time too. Guess who my instructor was for my first Advanced class back? Yep, Instructor Meegan! Full circle! My point is this: there is no particular speed at which you need to progress. The aforementioned instructors? They were able to progress through the pole curriculum quickly because it came easier to them. Though there are some things that can come easy to me, most of the curriculum requires a lot of work for me. I fight for everything, and I’m proud of everything I’ve been able to accomplish. Instead of comparing myself to my speedy instructors, I remind myself that the only thing I need
Just Checked–Yep, Still Love Hoop!
In case you were wondering, I’m still mildly obsessed with Hoop. If I’m not in a Pole or Conditioning class, I’m usually hanging around…. Literally. Or pretending I’m flying…. I have been having far too much fun. 🙂 Yep. Aerial bliss. I’m pretty certain you should give this crazy stuff a try so you can be just as happy as I am in this picture. It’s not guaranteed, but I’m pretty certain you’re going to like it :). I hear that the hoops are too high. No height excuses! If you’re comfortable with climbing to the top of AD’s poles, then you have a general idea of hoop height. A lot of people say that the round shape and “wobblyness” of Hoop is frightening. I argue that newness should test your skills and keep your mind sharp, and the wobblyness helps you make sure you’re paying attention to what you’re doing! Since the Instructors at Aerial Dance are well-trained in spotting and your aerial arts of choice–what do you have to lose? 🙂 Don’t give me any body excuses either. I’m pretty sure I’m holding on here by the sheer power of my behind…. OK, maybe not, but pretty close. You don’t need to be in any particular aerial fitness level. My Choppers into the hoop were pitiful, almost non-existent, when I started. Now they’re acceptable, working towards awesome. There is no requirement, other than the willingness to learn and try new crazy things in the air. 🙂 Fabric’s not so bad either. 🙂 I struggle with it, but it is certainly fascinating and fun! If you’d like to keep up with my aerial shenanigans, I usually try to post photos to my Instagram account. You may also stumble upon pictures of an adorable cat… See you at the studio, and happy flying! 🙂
Being a Student
So here I am trying to get in better shape. I go the Y and look at the treadmills with disdain but need cardio. Then I think “what are you doing, you own a fitness facility!!!!” And I decided that I could be a student at my own studio. One of my goals for myself it to focus a little bit more on me the next few months. My shoulder isn’t good and that just can’t be an excuse anymore, I need to work through it, and a big part of that is making the time to actually workout/train/rehabilitate. People outside the fitness industry think that all fitness teachers do is get paid to workout and it just must be so easy to stay in shape. WRONG! When you’re a teacher, you aren’t working out, you’re making sure your class is working out. The intensity you bring to your classes is focused on them so your workout actually isn’t happening much. And worse, your body gets used to a HIGH level of activity so that becomes the “normal” and if you want a workout you need to go above and beyond that. Which means making time to actually push yourself, even after you’ve been at the studio for 12 hours and taught a bunch of classes. The past year I tried to workout on my own and dismally failed. I HATE working out alone. I HATE working out in general and I was trying to force myself to do all the workouts I hated. Silly Paula! So I’m shifting focus and remembering how much I like to play. So I’ve decided to be a student at Aerial Dance. For the past 5 years I’ve avoided going to classes because as the owner I feel like people are watching me and expecting something from me (like for me to good); I’ve worried that being in a class will make my instructor feel like they are being watched and evaluated. Well, I’ve decided to get over my own insecurities and assure my staff that I’m there for me (and if I happen to have any class tips it will only make things better all around) because I need playmates and someone to push me. Last night was my first class, I took Pole Flow with Instructor Kim. Pole Flow when I teach it makes me feel beautiful and sexy and that I can move like Instructor Leah (you all know you want to be able to move like Leah…) I know in reality I don’t move at all like her, but when I write a Pole Flow and teach it, it makes me feel pretty. Taking someone else’s Pole Flow made me feel fat, uncoordinated, and out of shape. Which is SUCH a good reminder of how our students feel. And a great illustration of how easy it is when you’re preparing workouts to stay in your comfort zone of moves instead of challenging yourself. After class I was proud of myself for going. I was proud of myself for minimally whining (you should have heard what my head was saying to me!) I was proud of myself for learning something new. I was proud of Kim for giving a great class. I was proud to be part of the room with awesome girls. Today I’m excited to workout. And I’m sore. As much as it is uncomfortable for me to attend classes that push me way outside my comfort zone, it’s going to be so good for me. I’m so excited to be a student! I wonder what I’ll take next week….
New Year, Same Me
I agree with Paula’s take on New Year’s Resolutions, and the whole “new year, new me” business. The calendar year changed, but last I checked, none of us magically got a new body, or whatever else we may have expected. Nothing physically changed from 11:59pm to 12:01am… new year, same you! If that troubles you, then maybe you ought to focus on the same resolution I am: LOVE MYSELF. This is no “New Year’s” resolution for me. Those usually fall by the wayside. THIS, THIS is a forever resolution. This is something I should have resolved to do a loooooong time ago. Problem was, I never realized how important it was until now. I looked in the mirror during a class at the studio, and caught myself in a series of internal critiques. There is no need for me to be vicious towards myself! I realized I am my own worst critic, when I should be my own best cheerleader! I won’t be easy– it never is. For me, it’s a daily struggle. It’s fighting against the photo-shopped women in the press. Against my urge to judge myself against someone else, and base my opinion on any other standard but my own. It’s fighting against the urge to shamefully critique my body in the mirror. Every day, I need to remind myself that I’m not like everyone else, and that’s a good thing. It’s also a fight for health, because that’s a part of loving myself. I need to get more sleep (she says as she writes this at 11:30pm), consistently. I need to STOP SNACKING SO MUCH. I am so guilty of the bored munchies it’s not even funny. Rather than stuff my body with junk, I need to “stuff” it with things that are healthy for me. I need to exercise more often, and smarter, so my body can burn off what it’s consumed, and be fast enough to run away from the zombies :). This means more Conditioning classes, more cross-training, and more movement overall! I’m 23, and already my doctor has cautioned me to work on my cholesterol. I do love food, but I like NOT suffering a heart attack at a young age a lot more! I need to set standards for those I allow in my life and what I consider “healthy relationships.” This might sound utterly stuck-up, but hear me out. I have had three, yes three, consecutive relationships with abusive men. I had opportunities to leave and I did not take them, because I put the man’s needs before my own sanity and safety. I have been friends with people of whom I have chosen to follow in their negative choices. I have developed a negative attitude when I put myself around negative people. I know there are some cases I will have little to no control over. What I AM able to control, I need to control with my best interests in mind. It’s a new year, but the same me. I’m going to work on loving this same ol’ me this year, and every year after. I’m going to work on being mindful of every decision, asking “Am I loving myself?” I so look forward to being in a place where I don’t constantly feel uncomfortable about myself or angry at myself. There will come a day when I can fully embrace the crazy, curvy woman I am, and I look forward to that time and the journey to it!
