Track Your Progress - You Never Know What May Come of It

As a pole student I have always been told to track my progress.
It sounded like a lot of work I wasn't too interested in.
Now I understand.

Over the last year of learning pole there are so many goals I have set and accomplished.

(Abs in top photo: August 2013. Bottom: December 2013) 

(Splits Left: July 2013, Right: November 13)

 

I wish I had taken more photos and written more notes and moves down.
Tips for myself and for my future students

I was often too shy to ask a teacher or another student to take a photo,
often afraid of feeling show-offy or not wanting to blast my FaceBook page with "look at me" photos.

I'm telling you right now to let that go.
You have no idea what this may bring yourself and someone else.

You can visually see your growth and your challenges.
You can remind yourself of how far you have come on your days that you are feeling lousy.
And you never know what your progress can bring another person.

Who knows? Maybe they will start pole after being inspired by you and it may change their life for the better forever.
Maybe your helpful tips may bring friends and students someday closer to their goals.

Keep track, don't be shy, and be proud.
What you can do, most people can't.
<3

Being a Poler with an Injury

To preface:
Everyone is different.
Every injury is different.
Every person's pole passion is different.
This entry isn't about the ways polers get injured, but rather what happens inside of them after.

This entry is about what it's like to be a poler with an injury.


I say "poler" with an injury because even though we might be off the pole because of our injury, being a poler is a part of our identity. This is a crucial element to understanding the mental and emotional aspects following an injury.

I will be the first to say I am lucky. I have been doing pole for about a year, doing rather tricky aerial moves, and all of my injuries have been relatively minor and have not kept me off of pole for long (/"long").
I am lucky because recently I injured my shoulder and not only did it not hurt when I did it, but I was only out for a month. Well, I say "only" a month if I'm comparing myself to other polers who have been out for months or more from an injury, and I know there are some who are so injured they may never pole again.  I say "only" out of respect for those who have been injured more than I have.

If I wasn't comparing myself to them, I definitely wouldn't say "only."

Being away from pole for days kills me.
Being away for weeks -- it takes a bite out of you. 
Being away because you need to/have to/must is even worse than if you are sick or have been too busy. (Though any time away for me is just difficult no matter what.)

If I am sick, maybe I'll do something simple here or there for a short session.
When I'm injured, and I know I have to stay off the pole, it's different.
(I usually don't because I'm stubborn and hate being away from pole).
But this time I really couldn't go near it.
I needed to stay away because I would risk damaging myself even more if I didn't.
This threat doesn't always scare me but there was something about this injury that I knew was on the brink of serious damage if I pushed it like usual.

I have a pole in my house. When I was injured I would see it every single day and know that if I tried any little move I would try more and more and end up injuring myself.  So I closed the door to that room so I didn't have to see my favorite thing in the world. 

Every day that went by that I wasn't doing anything for pole I just kept realizing "you aren't progressing. You are stagnant. And you have to deal with it." Not only did I feel stagnant, but I knew that I wasn't getting stronger, and not only that, I felt I was getting weaker.

My FaceBook and Instagram is filled up with polers, pole associations, pole competitions, tutorials, routines, pole friends, etc, etc, etc. Knowing that everyone was out there improving while I was staying in place was lowering my self-esteem.
 I wanted to be progressing and getting better. I know the improvements that can be made every single hour on the pole and to know how much I was losing ... was just depressing.
I had no idea how long it would take my shoulder to heal either. Days? Months? Would it ever be the same?

Maybe this sounds like a bunch of cry-baby "deal with it" babble for some people,
but for me it really matters. My identity and my heart and my mind were not at ease.
Injury matters to everyone - but when it means you can't do what makes you whole, it digs in deep.

Realizing that if I didn't heal quickly I could easily be surpassed by people doing pole a fraction of the time was not a pleasant thought either.

I can't imagine what it would be like to be out for longer and I pray to the Powers that Be that that will never be a reality for me.

Pole is a constant risk. You can get injured at any point in time doing anything and not even realize it when it happens.
This is a dangerous sport, and I love it dearly.

This blog isn't to declare that I have had some serious injury or set back, or that I am mentally damaged forever because of my injury.
I know there are people who have struggled longer and harder,
but this blog is just to shed light on that spot in everyone's psyche who has been through something similar to this.
We put ourselves at a constant risk by doing what we do, and we realize this from time to time, and it will never stop us because this is who we are. It's in us.

An amazing performer and aerialist I know has been injured for quite some time after a car wreck a long time ago. She has been finding other ways to get back into her identity, but she injured her shoulder recently as I have and has had to stay away from her normal activity as well.  I asked her to write about her experience as an aerialist with an injury:


"I've been dealing with a shoulder injury for about 2 months now. My shoulder started hurting right before I had two performances, so I was not only rehearsing a lot more, but I wasn't willing to listen to my body and take the time to rest.

 The week of my shows (two in one night) was when I really hurt it badly. I did five straight days in a row, when I'm used to training on lyra only 2 times a week. Then, caught up in the adrenaline and the rush, I went back to practice the day after my shows even though I was so exhausted I felt dizzy and nauseated even on the ground!

  I realized the next morning how badly I was hurt and continued to wake up in pain every day, despite not doing aerial or upper body workouts at the gym. The psychological pain is harder though. Aerial is my passion, it consumes my thoughts every single day and I get more confidence from doing it than any other activity. To lose this from my routine resulted in a very, very rough month of depression; between the physical and psychological pain I ended up missing quite a bit of work and felt very socially isolated, since a lot of my friends are from aerial class.

This is clearly very unhealthy, and I was scolded by those close to me about the need to seek balance and learn how to handle physical setbacks better. And they are right. As athletes, aerialists, pole dancers, we are doing much more with our bodies than the average person so we must not only be more tuned in to what our bodies are telling us, but we must also be mentally prepared for downtime, rest, recovery, and hopefully not too often, the occasional overuse or sudden injury. 

Mine was diagnosed as bursitis by my doctor a couple of days ago, with a prescription of more rest, Aleve, cortisone shot, and starting in a few days, strengthening exercises for my back to help stabilize my shoulders. I'm happy to report  that I've been able to adjust mentally and being instructed to continue to take it easy didn't leave me feeling desperate like it did before. I have to say that being able to workout at my normal gym makes a big difference, the two weeks I couldn't do that at all were the worst. But what has also helped is identifying some non physical activities I can focus on in the meantime."

     --  Instagram: UpsideDownGirl (she's amazing)

For those of you who are injured, I sympathize and I can empathize somewhat as well.
What I held on to was the reality that time away can be time to rest and come back stronger and better. Hang in there - you have a passion that most people will never even be able to dream of <3 <3 <3

Proud of that Performance Still?

I was talking to a pole competitor and one of my best friends, Linda Crane, and we confessed - well, confession makes it seem like it was a long and difficult process. What would more accurately describe it as: we very clearly, openly, with no hesitation, already-thought-about-this-a-ton said that we honestly were no longer proud of our previous performances.




This is not to say that we are not proud of getting out there and doing it. It's not to say that we are not proud of the effort we put into it. But it's just how we feel looking back. Let me explain:

Now, I have only had one performance. The process through that was not something I would give up. Well, I might not have been to sad to give up the injuries, many hours working on things I didn't even use, and the frustration and anxiety that went along with it. Even if it is "part of the beautiful process" (which I do believe it is), but it is still not fun to go through at the time. Anyway, the performance was difficult. The first time I did the first 40 or so seconds I was on the floor panting like someone had just pulled a lung out of my chest. It was exhausting, and very fast, and very difficult. Eventually I got to a point where I could get through the whole thing, improve it, and at the end I even added another difficult move because I had already gotten my routine down. I was proud when I could get through the entire performance more than a few times before my showcase.

However, there is a dilemma all polers who have performed are aware probably aware of. There's no word for it really, but essentially you just have to force yourself to stop changing the choreography. When you are deciding to do a performance, you have to set up a choreography and make it flow, perfect it, and get through it, but in all of that time - you keep learning. You discover new moves, new combos, find new songs. A ton of things arise in the process of you working on a performance, but the problem is, you can't really allow yourself to put in new things. If you change your song, it is a larger difficulty than adding in a new move, but even adding in a new move, especially if you keep doing it, can eventually put you in a position where you are no longer perfecting a choreography but just adjusting it. I believe, perhaps not for very experienced performers, but that there is a process with a performance that comes from something like:
1) Finding a song
2) Trying to put together a choreography with it
3) Changing some moves as you better learn the song and discover smoother transitions
4) Trying to perfect what you have made

If you keep adding moves, you may not be working towards making a good performance an even better one. Perfecting details come with practicing the same thing over and over again. So you have to force yourself to just stop adding new things so you can "perfect" what you have already developed. The unfortunate thing is that this may not show off just how skilled you are, especially if you have had the same choreography you have been perfecting for such a long time (which means more time that you have learned more tricks and gained more strength).
It is probably more possible for confident and advanced performers to always be able to change their moves even days before a show, but I still say that can't be without some difficulty in some form, and they probably don't think it's wise to change a lot of them either.

Back to my original point: I was proud to have completed a difficult routine, but am I proud of it even a month after? In one word: No. Some will probably say I'm being overly critical of myself, but looking back, the more you watch your performance, you can see in every handful of seconds something you wish you had done better. I promise I don't sit and watch my performance and scrutinize it. I'm not here trying to express that, but what I'm saying is that I know at least one other poler who watches old routines and cringes at small things that we would never allow ourselves to do now. I am sure that even from my one performance that I have experienced this from, many others have experienced this even when they haven't messed up or fallen in a routine either. There is just something about it that yes, we are always our own worst critic, but you cannot help but kind of be disappointed in yourself. It's sad, honestly, and even fully acknowledging the logic behind these feelings and saying "This was your first performance, of course it wasn't the best," "Just getting through it was hard enough, be proud," and telling yourself "You did a lot of cool shit and didn't fall or slip, so be happy about that," you can't help but know that "I could have done better." There is always of course a chance to do better in the future, but that small knowledge of "I could have done better" is just there anyway.

Like I said, we are our own worst critics, and we probably see ourselves worse than others do, but the truth is just what it is: it's hard to be proud of old performances, at least when you are a pretty inexperienced poler, and I wasn't really expecting to feel this, at least not so soon. I knew I would look back eventually and be like "oh, small potatoes, first performance, whatevs" but it's just a part of you and it's hard to want to distance from it. To not want to show others. Where does this mentality and series of thoughts originate from? That's a whole other blog entry worth :P

My point in this entry is not to evoke from others "You should be proud!" or "don't be so critical" or "that performance rocked". Even though all of these things still mean a lot to us and make us happy to hear (even about performances we no longer like), the point is just to openly admit that this is a part of the poling experience in growing and learning, and that it's kind of sad, but it's just the reality of the situation.  I believe sometimes it's just important to let others know that you are probably going through something similar, and I believe there is comfort in that. I accept the reality of the situation as just that, and thought it was worthy of attention.

Some Videos of Tricks I've Been Working On

I recommend pausing the video after each one is done because they will start to play the next one on my YouTube channel automatically.


Allegra on spin pole: 

Post by Lindsay Millspaugh.

Here is a link to the Iguana Pole Walk Jenyne Butterfly is unbelievable at:


https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152441991537119&l=8304207280824670924



 A definite new fav, Spin pole Genie to Remi drop:




 I love this one, but needs to be cleaned up,
Butterfly to Tulip splits:



Another one to smooth out, Cross ankle release to brass monkey to Janiero on spin pole:



Definitely the hardest and needs the most practice,
 Flare/Fan Legs to figurehead, to shoulder mount on spin pole:


 V-Spin to Jasmine to Holly Drop (I need a taller ceiling ;) ):

The Critique Sandwich

Pole is a hard thing to teach.
Yes it's fun as hell, and watching your students face when they know they just nailed a move for the first time is probably one of the best feelings, but the mental and emotional intricacies are heavy.
I haven't been teaching for very long as of now, but I have already picked up on some key things.
The critique sandwich is my biggest one.
This is essentially:
1) What you did well
2) What wasn't good/What can be improved
3) Another thing you did well

People are sensitive, especially young women new to pole, and adding in other factors like other students getting a move while they aren't, and feeling self conscious, frustrated, etc, all come into play.
Sometimes it doesn't always seem time efficient or truly humanly possible to always make this critique sandwich happen, but if I give any criticism or feedback, it's 30% what can be changed to improve, 70% "you rock" comments.
If a student doesn't feel good about themselves, they won't feel good about their future or if they will get the next move. They may not even come back to pole if they had a bad class.
Positivity as a teacher is exhausting and difficult to always make sure you are expressing that it is genuine, but it's the most necessary part of it.
Even if I have a student that literally can't do a single thing I teach them, I encourage them for trying over and over and explain how they will be stronger and more knowledgeable the next time.
I have gotten to a point where I don't need to hear this extreme positivity, because I have the confidence in myself from my past that I can and will continue to excel, but sometimes when I am being taught by someone who doesn't recognize my hard work or only has things I can fix to say, I take them gratefully to improve, but I almost feel still some disheartened feelings by a lack of encouragement.
My favorite teachers are those who scream and shout when I finally get a move or congratulate me the next time they see me right away on a move a just posted online I finally achieved.
You can be an amazing teacher and still be uplifting and sweet. In fact, the ones that are the best teachers should be because then students will want to go to them and continue to learn.
It's remarkable what the phrase "that looked great" can mean to a student who is trying.
I'm working hard to not forget that.

Liquid Motion Workshops (by Jeni Janover)

This week our studio (Boulder Spirals) had the privilege of learning fluidity and transitions in floor work by the amazing Jeni Janover. The description of the workshops by the makers is below:

"Liquid Motion® is a traveling workshop series comprised of two- three 90 min workshops. Our goal is to open your creative mind and guide you into a world of endless possibilities. It teaches you, and your students, the fundamentals of movement through basic dance theory and inner confidence, using our most natural instincts, sensual and sensuous dance. We use these two approaches because they are imbedded in us from conception; subsequently, it is the quickest way to the end result of fluidity, passion and beautiful movement. Liquid Motion® will teach you to move in ways you never thought you could. We simply teach you where movement comes from, and give you a window into where you can take it."

I signed up for all three but unfortunately due to the beyond horrible drivers in the world I was late to the class as well as the appointment I had set before the class.

However, for the two classes I did take I already feel completely changed and feel I have learned basic steps to progress my transitions and floor work for future choreography.

I would love to show and explain every part of the workshops but I truly could not convey or teach it properly enough to where you would get the truly altering benefits I got from taking the workshops. I also respect the makers and their hard work and would not want to give away for free what they have worked so hard to develop.
If you ever get the chance to take them - DO IT. Or request for them to post videos or come to your studio to share their secrets ;)

FaceBook for Liquid Motion:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liquid-Motion/147589188675606?id=147589188675606&sk=info

First Pole Performance

This blog contains the photos and videos from the first pole performance I have ever done.

I practiced for months for this routine down to the very ways in which I would turn my head and angle my body. There are of course places I could have improved upon and things I wish I would have done looking back, but I am super happy to say I am proud of the result :) Also these photos are just amazing.
I am also EXTREMELY grateful for all of the love and support I have received before, during, and after this performance.
My lovely friend Linda Crane, who also happens to be one of my favorite polers of all time, helped me create this routine and pushes me constantly to the places she and I both know I can go.

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtIyzp4iBw

And here are the photos:

The first 5 are from Nina Reed Photography (NinaReed.com)
And the rest are thanks to Eleanor Williamson Photography

Let's Talk Pole Grip Aids

When I first started pole I never wanted to use grip aids. I believed that I would gain the strength to not need them and I wanted to never have to depend on them.
That was hocus pocus.
The first grip aid I tried was Mighty Grip. I got it for free and I was willing to test it out. I loved it - for about a few minutes.

The powder was helpful with the slipping for about the first grab, and until I used too much and my hands kept getting sweaty. After you apply it, it turns into this almost slick slikiness on your hands that I think is supposed to make a slight tackiness. It didn't seem to help much and I pretty much gave up on it.

Next I tried Dry Hands.

Dry Hands is one of my favorite because it works quickly on sweaty hands/sweaty grip, it's not too strong, and it's not too weak, and it's easy to buy/find in studios.
However, I came to realize Dry Hands wasn't my thing either. Or it least wasn't all I needed. I had to constantly reapply, and I even tried using it with Mighty Grip and it didn't do much.

I later got iTac2 for free.

 

I had high hopes for this. I heard it can make you climb up walls. I put some on my hands at first, and I slipped straight down the pole. My friend told me to put it on the pole. It helped, but it wasn't great, and it could still be super slick. I know I can't put grip aids on poles in competitions so I stopped using it. Someday maybe I will love it, we'll see.

While on FaceBook I saw a discount for Poletice, the powder. It was offered at a discounted price so I decided to try it. This was better than Mighty Grip to me because it didn't leave you with that tackiness after it comes in contact with your hands. It's essentially just a simple powder. I might start using this for class when my hands are sweaty and I don't want to use something stronger.

I have a showcase coming up, and with all of this I was frustrated and afraid of my sweaty grip. I was sure I would slip off the X-poles at my performer showcase for my studio. I was thinking, "There has GOT to be something that I can use since so many performers can make it through whole performances and no way all of them are using the same thing." I looked up more grip aids and remembered hearing about Tite Grip.

I was THRILLED as hell when I first used it. I didn't slip once, I felt strong and secure and was no longer afraid of sliding down the pole (well, maybe only like 5% compared to the 80% I felt before). Tite grip is an antiperspirant lotion that you rub over your hands. You are supposed to put it on 30-60 minutes before your performance. It draws out the moisture and keeps it out. I won't use this for class, unless I'm getting no grip with Dry Hands in Spin Pole class, but for performance - I am SO excited about this product. They have a new formula that supposedly makes your hands not as "white" with residue (which is minimal and not very noticeable) called Tite Grip II, and it supposedly smells more like lavender. I decided to stick with the classic version. Needless to say, I'm super happy I discovered this in the nick of time.

Finally the one I want to talk about is Dew Point.

I have been practicing my choreography on X-Stage chrome poles and one of the two poles in particular - I slide down it like I'm fighting a waterfall. I fought it over and over but after getting through an initial spin pass I am just too exhausted to give that extra energy just to climb up the pole. I put on some of the extra strength (red) dew point on my inner thighs, inner knees, and the tops of my feet. My problem was solved. I didn't feel any stickiness or see any coating on my legs, but when did a superman on a stainless steel mounted pole, I was so stuck. That stuff is intense! I will only use the red for a chrome X pole, but it worked awesome.

The general idea that I have learned is:
Try many grip aids. What works for your teacher or your friend may not be good enough for you. Everyone's body acts and behaves different. No matter how much do you do to avoid sweaty palms - not use lotion, wash your hands after you lotion your face, cut out caffeine, drink a lot of water, etc - sometimes you need to have a little extra. Some people are in love with iTac and Mighty Grip, and some people only need a drop of Dry Hands. I urge you to try all of them when you have the chance - it will save you a lot of fear around performance time. I have apparently sweaty hands regardless of my efforts and Dry Hands wasn't enough. I now use Tite Grip and put it on 30 minutes before I do my performance, and I put dry hands on right before for that extra help. For the ridiculously slippery legs I use Dew Point. I feel more confident now and am not as afraid to try intense moves halfway through a performance when I know I'm sweaty. Tell me your experiences!!

<3 Lindsay Lithe

Rhomboids? Or Maybe It's That You Have 4 Ribs Out.

So a precursor: I love blogs, but sometimes they are just too damn long! I'm going to work on being concise in my writings.(This is definitely not a jab against other bloggers, I just like short reads :P )

A handful of months ago I had some serious back pain. Like the wind was being knocked out of me by a sledge hammer whenever I would come out of inversions. Breathing was hard, sneezing was a terror, it all just hurt. I learned that it was my rhomboid muscles in my back. I got acupuncture for the first time, got some massages, and started going to the chiropractor a couple times a week. Eventually it went away and I was generally okay... for awhile.

I've unfortunately gotten pretty used to my upper back pain from pole and didn't do enough about it, and more importantly, I didn't want to stop poling. Stupid as hell, I know, but it's pole, so you know what I'm talking about!

Well, I'm injured again. Breathing, sneezing, inversions, they are all brutal. I went online to see other polers experiences, and on Studio Veena I found a woman that said it was actually her ribs and not her rhomboids that were the problem. She posted a link to a video about a woman explaining some of this theory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHeYa-8rGQ). This woman doesn't think it's a theory at all, and I think she may be onto something.

So I went to the chiropractor - 4 ribs in my back were out of place. He explained that painfulness breathing, it's the ribs. The tenderness is the ribs. Rhomboids do play a part in that when they are sore and tense they pop those ribs out of place, and rhomboids and the rest of your back muscles have knots often which need to be massaged out, but the ribs are a HUGE factor we don't ever talk about.

He popped them back and I feel a ton better. One is still pretty tender and I will go in soon for another adjustment, but for you polers with upper back issues, go ask a chiropractor if it could be ribs.
Good luck!!!

How Your Life Changes As a Poler

I did sports for the first half of my life. Gymnastics (mom wanted me in the Olympics), soccer, volleyball, field hockey, basketball, lacrosse, but nothing took over my identity like pole.
I have been a determined and very hard working student my whole life and this has been my primary identity. But now, I put my poler life/identity first.
My life has also changed drastically since I got into pole.
Now:

1) I don't put lotion on my hands or legs unless I use the smallest amount and I'm not going near a pole in hours.
2) I have to really think about when I'm going to shave and if I can put lotion on after, all depending on when I am going to pole. (For someone who showers every morning and often wants to do pole after, I have to often go out of my way to shave at night now and only put a minimal amount of lotion on).
3) I actually care about what I eat. I work really hard to feel good throughout the day so I have energy, and I also work hard to make sure that when I do a good workout, I'm not countering it by eating cake. Also, when I'm wearing booty shorts and a sports bra most of my day, I now care what my body looks like and I want to help it as much as I can by eating well.
4) I never thought I would be the person to wear my sports clothing more than regular clothes. More often than not it seems I'm in booty shorts, a sports bra, legginings, and a hoodie. I still can't believe this happened.
5) Every chance I get I am looking up pictures or videos on pole tricks, often instead of doing homework. People in class must think I'm creepy as hell for watching women in very little clothing spin around a pole all the time...
6) I have 50+ new friends over the last however many months from the amazing pole community. My circle of friends doesn't really ever expand, and when it does, it's maybe like one person.(I have met the best people in this community though :) )
7) I feel more confident. I talk and move differently, and I feel different. I feel stronger and more powerful and more proud. I am more outgoing with people I don't know and speak up more, trying to break the unfamiliar stranger boundary. Greeting new people who come into the studio helped me break this awkwardness between unknown others. Sometimes I feel maybe people are put off by how I talk to them so willingly. :P
8) I actually put time into things that make me happy. Usually I wrack my brain and emotions over work and school, but now I care little about them and spend time being happy :) Pole makes me happy, and no matter what, I make time for it everyday in some form.
9) About 4/5 or so inches of heels was my standard, and now it's about 5.5"-6+". I own more heels now with ankle straps, patent leather, and thin stilletto heels than I thought I would ever have.
10) I no longer even think about my booty showing in small shorts because this is how most everyone in the studio is dressed. What is "showy" clothing has a totally different meaning now. I've gotten in trouble at work for clothing that is apparently "revealing," I almost said "you should see what I wear at my other job. Be happy I have pants ;)."
11) I discovered Atlantis. The pole world, before you know it, is a thought once every few years like "I want to take a pole dance class." But when you open the door to this world, it's unbelievable what there is. International Pole Stars, movies, thousands of YouTube videos you didn't know existed, businesses like studios and pole clothing places you never believed were around suddenly appear. It's like going through the wardrobe to Narnia, and you can never look back.
12) I thought I knew what pain was. From Superman's, cross ankle releases, and elbow grips, wacking my foot into a table is nothing. And I'm not even talking about the lasting physical injuries yet. Bruises everyday, rhomboids so strained if feels like you are punched in the back when you sneeze. Your shoulders and neck start making weird popping and crackly noises. I learned that you can actually get muscle knots in your legs (WHAT?!). Feeling a ball in your leg from leg hangs is just, wrong..
13) Caffiene. I have worked at coffee shops for 3 nonconsecutive years and drank caffeine every single day and have since I was about 15. Suddenly I have to completely cut it out and that part of my identity is wonky. Not drinking coffee and being a Barista in Boulder? Super odd... Kinda annoying. But, if it makes my hands sweaty and thus more difficult to hold the pole, so, goodbye coffee. I can't believe I ask for decaf now. Who am I?! (-end existential crisis).
14) I have to think about what I eat and when I'm eating it more than ever. You can't eat a big meal before pole, even if you are starving. You will hate yourself if you do. Especially when you do spin pole. After pole of course, are ravenous and want to eat everything but you need to slow down the Hangry Beast so you only grab healthy foods. Okay, here is a protein shake (never though I would eat) and some vegetables and more protein. I can eat pounds of those things, and guess what, still starving!!! Always starving. Food in my purse, Cliff bars in my backpack, almonds all over the place. Always hangry (hungry+angry), always wanting more. Don't get me started on how much my groceries cost now that I actually eat 10 times a day... (Sorry boyfriend, I love you :D)
15) Soreness. Holy crap, soreness. Places you didn't think could be sore - shoulders, forearms, elbows, the sides of your hands. Every morning after a hard night of pole, even just an hour, you are achey. Morning showers like Shimmy said before, truly are the magic to start the day. Warm water loosens tight muscles, and this is necessary before anything else can happen. Epsom salt baths, ice packs, heat packs, tiger balm, arnica pills, arnica lotion, advil... I use these on a daily basis now. Before I didn't know what most of this was! Also, you are out for days from soreness when all you want to do is get back on that pole and try again!
16) Body Work. I used to think chiropractic work was a joke and that acupuncture was freaky and unhelpful. I thought massages were just for relaxing. Yeah, well, now I got to the chiro at least once a week, I would give anything to have more money to go to accupunture, and my massages are extremely painful as she digs out my shoulderblades with her body weight going into her elbows and down my back.
17) Money. Pole is pricey. I thought I was a spender before, but after spending nearly $300 at a studio easy in a month and trying to buy cute pole shorts which are at least $30 each, I am broke as shit constantly.
18) Motion sickness. I love spin pole, but wow, you screw up and look the wrong way for just a few seconds and the rest of your training session is shot. You feel nausea, want to pass out, and die, all at once. Apparently over the years your motion sickness sensitivity decreases, but it is seriously something I do not want to have to repeat in order to desensitize it.
19) Flexibility. I couldn't give a shit about my splits of flexibility, in fact, I didn't even think about it, before I started pole. Now it is my daily nemesis. I am constantly stretching, trying to keep my muscles warm, sitting funny trying to be flexy, and constantly finding new ways to be flexier.  This is probably the hardest part about pole for me because of how long it takes alongside gaining strength and getting a six pack ;)
20) My pole stuff. Sure, I may wear some booty shorts and a sports bra and that's it, right? Pole is pretty simple? Wrong. My bags and car are full of high heels, grip aids, shirts, legging, leg warmers, Tiger Balm, arnica, ice packs, hair ties, casual shoes, water bottles, Cliff bar wrappers, etc. etc. etc. I can't even imagine having to haul around x-stages or portable poles in my car all of the time like Shimmy.
21) Parents. My conservative, white, Republican, Lieutenant police officer father and my fun Prom Queen Mother flipped on me! My father is the one being supportive of pole and talks to me about it, but my mom doesn't ask about it or encourage it. Pole kind of changes the way people relate to you. People I barely know and certainly have never talked about pole to ask me about how to get into it, what I can do, and of course, "it's not like stripping, right?" Right. Hahahah.

And end here. We all have our stories and I could go on and on, but after thinking about the changes in my own life the last year, I just had to put it all down and see who else knows what I'm talking about. <3

Bow and Arrow and Janiero

First Machine Gun Split

 

I achieved my machine gun split yesterday. This move was actually trickier than I thought, and like usual, for different reasons than I imagined. At first I thought I would have the split thing pretty easily, but I did discover that I do need to be more flexy for this to be easier. Time to work on my hamstring flexibility more! (if that's even possible).
This move was annoying because I felt the two tutorials I watched were missing something. Maybe it is possible that you need to bear your entire body weight on a weirdly bent arm so really only your hand is holding you up, but I only got it when I leaned my body into the hole instead of tried to hover around it.
My foot was also sprained so I didn't really pull on my top leg at much, but this move was weird. It's definitely not one I think people can get with one go. I did this in maybe 7 tries? I started and got it in one day luckily, lost some sleep for it, but I am still proud :) I enjoy learning tricks that I can later perfect so I feel proud and can just continue to improve my form and style.

Colorado Pole Competition

I went to my first pole show tonight. This was the first annual Colorado Pole Competition! I am dying to be up there next year and I really want to work hard to get there. I saw Estée Zakar for the first time and was blown away. I want to be her. Our styles are similar and she's gorgeous and strong. Oddly enough she went to the same schools and got the same degrees! Maybe we will be more connected than I thought!

Yogini, Lunchbox, Superman Leg-grab!

Finally!!

I'm on the Boulder Spirals Newsletter and Schedule for the First Time!

http://us6.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5eb56af319abc4c2d5f0d320c&id=4898e5a34a

Whoop!

I Am Posting to Remember This...

Because someday I will want it, but I'm too lazy and care too little at this moment to do anything ...

For dry non-sticky pole legs...

http://www.liveituppolefitness.com/grip-enhancer-solution-dry-skin/

Finally Got My HandSpring!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=oCI8QfKyl8o&ns=1

I am so freaking glad I finally got this! And before the weekend which was my goal! I started trying Monday! :D I am so grateful for my teachers. If Sasha hadn't spotted me and made me go all the way around in my handspring, like if I over-spun which I was afraid of doing, I would have still been too scared. :D

GOT MY AYESHA!

Since I started pole I soon realized that the move I wanted to accomplish was the Ayesha. I felt I didn't have the strength necessary to learn this move, but after I started learning the elbow grip and my caterpillar I decided I was really going to do my best to get it.
I had Logan over and he helped me take pictures and I finally got it!
At first I was having a difficult time letting go of my legs because I wasn't sure where I wanted my weight to be, and once I started realizing I was secure I was letting go with my legs. I was having a difficult time also finding if my legs were too high at first but soon could easily bring them up and down. I'm so proud for this stepping stone.
Don't get me wrong, I clearly need to work on form, ease, and alternative movements in this position, but for me this was huge. :D
And it also came with many well-earned bruises :P

I always feel like I never have enough time for pole but this blog is already making me realize how much I do have which makes me happier :)

Some work I did today after pole when I wasn't feeling too hott... This helped.

1) Basic Butterfly (elbow grip)
2) Inbetween an extended and basic butterfly
3) Extended butterfly with split grip
4) Jade Split

Ab Progress 8-21-13

Working on evenly defined abs. I've completed the second week of the Gauntlet and I feel I can already see changes :) 

First Entry. Where I Am and Where I Want to Go.

During the first part of my teacher training for pole at Boulder Spirals this weekend, Sasha encouraged us to start a journal of our journey.
While I have already begun my pole career, I know that only having done pole for 7+ months there is so much up to achieve.
Teacher training is only the first step to me. After there are classes, more learning, more training, and hopefully, someday, my own studio.
While I see my ultimate goals far off for various reasons (school, lack of money, lots of pole to learn still myself) for this to eventually happen, I dream.

Training is going well. I was not prepared for what I felt was coming but I feel that is almost better, like a life-lesson in itself. I will not always be able to know what's coming up in my next class, or how I even want to warm us up before we begin. I will admit, however, that since I desire and am often good at whatever I try, to have frustration and not be amazing all of the time here can be difficult. Which I know is an annoying lesson itself.

Today I talked to a new guy at work and he told me he knows of a friend in Indiana who is 26 and owns her own studio. He inquired for me about how she approached this fantastic dream I have in her own life and she gave me plenty of useful tips. Small and vague and not something I can put into action now, but it's all stepping stones for me. I'm already thinking about how I want my studio to look, and thus far this woman has inspired me in more ways than one...

This is the woman's studio who gave me advice. (Credit and appreciation to Danielle Violet Carroll and her studio Violet Expressions). It's nice to not only look up to the beautiful international pole stars I want to be, but to see a young woman who I feel is closer to me that makes me believe more in my dreams manifesting.

I am sleepy and feel I am not babbling, but this is entry one of a, hopefully, very long tale.

<3 Lindsay