Staying Active as an Adult
Working out is something that gets harder to do as the years go by. As a young child you have so much energy and always want to be running around and playing with your friends. While you grow up, you find a sport or two that you love and focus on that. Maybe you play for your school team or a competitive travel team. Then, as years pass you get other interests or responsibilities as an adult that take you away from all that activity. For me that was soccer, I played starting when I was 5 and all through my childhood and ended with intramural teams in college. In the beginning it’s all about having fun and learning something new. After a while it’s all about perfecting your skills and things get much more competitive. While it’s still fun, the focus is more on being better than you were before. For me, I got to the level where I wasn’t really having fun anymore, but I continued to play because it was all I had ever known. Why would I give up something that I was really good at? After a couple concussions in high school I realized that I should probably take some time away from the sport because I didn’t want to ruin my opportunity of ever playing in the future when I went too far when I was younger. I took senior year of high school and my freshman year of college off but ended up missing it. Not all the running per say, I always avoid running like the plague and didn’t miss that for a second. While I was still exercising a little, and walking to all my college classes was plenty of work, I still noticed my body changing. I wasn’t the super fit athlete that I was just two years prior. I missed it, so I decided to play for an intramural team in college. I had a blast again! It was more about doing it because you wanted to have fun than be super competitive about it. Then, college was over and the opportunity to play was lost. I slipped back into a less active lifestyle. I knew that I didn’t want to go to a boring old gym and lift or run on a treadmill for hours on end, so instead I did nothing and the longer I waited the harder it was to start again. I tried a few different things, but in the end didn’t love them enough to want to spend all of my hard-earned money on it. That’s when I found Aerial Dance. I don’t dread going to classes because I’m having so much fun in them that I don’t notice how hard I’m working until its all over and I’m sore the next day. I now get so excited on days that I do have class that I’m in a good mood all day long. Becoming a member of the Aerial Dance family has been one of the best decisions that I have made in a long time. I am excited to workout again and be active as an adult. Aerial Dance offers a variety of classes for adult women and co-ed classes on the weekends!Not sure what to take? Try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
Mentally Strong
I have battled with my mental health for years, there have been some pretty low moments in that time but within these past two years I have been really diligent about staying on top of it all and making sure that I see any signs of my mental health slipping again. In the past year I also found the love of my life, and while he has a lot to do with my continued happiness there have also been days where nothing he says or does makes me want to do anything but lay in bed. People always want to give you advice, like “oh just get up and take a shower and you will feel better”. Or telling me that if I just exercise and eat healthy, I will be fine. Well, I’m the type of person that will hear that and instantly rebel against what they say. They don’t know what I have been through or how my body feels. It’s not easy to get out of a mental funk like that. I know that I should get out of bed and I may want to but I just simply can’t get myself to do it. After finding an activity that I love to do I have had far less bad days than I have in previous years. Going to my various classes at the studio always puts me in a good mood. There have been times where I had a really rough day and didn’t really want to go to a class, but I drove my butt there and was always glad that I went through with it. All of the classes are the right balance of fun and challenging that I need to stay motivated. I don’t perfect or even achieve every move each class presents, but I try my best and am always encouraged and supported by the instructors and other students in the class. I have never left the studio in a bad mental place, and for someone like me that means a huge deal. There have been other activities that I tried and when I finished, I just wished that I had canceled the class and stayed home instead. They may have been a good workout, but they didn’t do anything to help me be in a better mood. Going to the classes offered at Aerial Dance are more like going to a specialized playground than going to a gym. I genuinely enjoy every class and all of the relationships that I am forming with the other women there. Come play at Aerial Dance! Try Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial to get started!
Pole Kisses
Is it weird to be proud of bruises? I didn’t used to think anything of them when I got them but now, I love to show them off. I think bruises get a bad reputation because they usually only happen when you get hurt, and while I can’t say the methods in which I obtain them from my various classes at Aerial Dance are entirely comfortable, I can say that I had fun getting them. I suppose I should also disclose that I bruise rather easily and have rather pale skin so the bruises that I do have always look really dramatic. My boyfriend jokes that I’ve joined a fight club and I’m obviously not doing well because it seems like I’m showing him new ones every week. To me it’s not ‘Ow, another bruise?’ It’s ‘Good thing these shoes are loose because the tops of my feet are a bit sore from climbing a lot in pole.’ ‘Hey, look at this cool bruise that I got from trying to do a straddle back in silks class for the first time!’ or ‘Oh yeah, we did a lot of inverted tricks the other day in hammock and that’s why my hips are all fun colored like that.’ I see them as the proof that I was working hard… and most of the time accomplishing what I was trying, but not always. Then throughout the week as either something touches the bruise or I stretch my muscles I feel them burn a little bit, I remember how I got them and feel the same sense of accomplishment that I did while I was in the studio. We all know that burn of a good workout when you leave the studio and the tightness of your muscles when you wake up the next day. To me, my bruises are just like that, a continuation of my progress with my aerial journey. The work certainly isn’t always easy but I love the results so very much and know that I will be continuing my Aerial Dance journey for a long time to come and most likely continuing to show off all of my impressive bruises to the rest of my family. Come try everything at Aerial Dance! Start with Intro to Pole or Intro to Aerial!
HOT TIPS!
Aerial Dance, specifically pole, has been a huge eye opener for me. It really has built a new part of me, shown me different ways to workout and actually have fun, and taught me new outlooks in everyday life. I get a sort of excitement each time I go to my class and have these thoughts: “What will I learn that’s new today?!” and “What action item will I accomplish today?!” It really is something to get pumped about, but I can also see why people would feel awkward, shy, or even embarrassed to join…but here are some hot tips that I have learned along the way that has helped me feel better in class and be proud of what I do! My first tip that really made me enroll in class: NOBODY CARES! I mean that, but not in the harsh way that you may think, but in the way that everyone is literally in the same boat as you! Some catch on faster, some gain their confidence later, but each person in your class is typically at the same level as you are! Second, once you start to build that confidence in coming to class, DEFINITELY sign up for practices – especially if you are in the beginner or immediate classes. They are really so helpful and pinpointing the climbs, spins, or grips that you are struggling with. It’s also a great way to get to know that other people that are enrolled in class, other than the same group of people you see in your set class. Adding to the second tip, but also could be a third, do not rush to buy the “grip” for your hands. Really practicing the spins and moves without it helps build your muscle and helps you to really understand your natural grip. On the flip side of that, it’s most definitely needed during some spots of class – especially Advanced pole, then I would HIGHLY recommend! So, as previously mentioned, grip-up! Use it on your hands, elbow/knee pits, and inner thighs; those are main points of contact with the pole, so you want those areas gripping as much as possible. There are also different kinds of grip and it’s good to experiment with the different options when you need it, because it may work a bit differently for others than it does you! Fourth tip, work on your upper body strength and all over flexibility. For the moves/spins that you are nailing, being flexible and strong enough to hold yourself there will help you and also make the move a lot prettier! Last tip for you: Do not be embarrassed of what you wear! Embrace your body! You are going to need those booty shorts to save your life one day – LITERALLY! Use these tips in your first pole class!Come check out Intro to Pole or sign up for a full term of Beginner Pole!
