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!!!
Friday, October 4, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
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
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
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
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.
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.
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