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Fitness questions
Hi everybody!
I have a question regarding pole dancing. Is it an effective weight loss/healthy body maker?
I have tried lots of things to get me in a little better shape and I’ve lost 10 kilos this year- but still have another 20 or so to go. But my problem is I haven’t been able to find something I enjoy doing and doesn’t make me feel uncomfortable/stupid/fat that I want to stick to until I discovered Pole.
I have a pole at home, 50mm Chrome, and have been doing the 30 Day Take Off and am on day 23, but I want to know whether I should try to incorporate some other sport as well.
Before I was doing pole I was doing Zumba Wii a few days a week and resistence bands once a week and I enjoye that but I haven’t done that since starting the 30 Day Take off as I didn’t want to over do anything (I’m new to exercise).
If anyone has an ideas, comments, opinions or (even better) results about pole dancing for this reason please let me know!
Ps I eat okay. Could be better though. I gave up McDonald’s in January and as a result I eat very little take out and junk foods at the moment. Though u spose I could eat more veggies and fruit and drink more water.
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33 Replies
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pole is good strength training. But you also need cardio and of course your diet is important. It all goes hand in hand 🙂
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Diet is 90% of weight loss. I know many women who have lost and toned up JUST with pole, but you have to do it more than once a week and you have to push yourself. I also would look to take a Zumba class instead of doing it at home as we will push harder in a class than by ourselves.
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I’m not likely to function better in a Zumba class. A couple of reasons – I can’t afford it, I’d be embarrassed to go by myself, and I wouldn’t be able to track myself.
The Zumba Wii game makes me want to get 5 stars, tracks calories, progress and weight loss. I also can do classes- there’s short, medium and a long class. Short class is about 30min
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I agree with Chem about diet being a huge part of weight loss. Exercise particularily cardio is also an important tool in weight loss. So if you can get treadmill time in, running, kickboxing and/or a live Zumba class in 3-4x a week, you will see better results.
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Agree with everything previously said about diet. Also, drink LOTS of water.
I actually push harder on cardio without an audience. If you Zumba on the Wii, do it. A heartrate monitor is a good bet, but the “talk test” works, too. It should be moderately hard to talk. For me, maybe 4-5 words per breath. Either way, consistency is your friend. Good luck! -
I started paying attention to what I eat and bought my 45mm Titanium X-Sport for my home last summer. I've lost 40 pounds!!!! I do pole 5 days a week, I find I just respond to it so much more than anything else. I know what you mean looking for the "thing" that you'll stick to. My experience has really worked out. Now, I'm at the point where I'm strong enough to incorporate other forms of dance, and I've joined a stripper gym that offers poling and other classes that I'm taking for floorplay and flexibility. But poling by itself and eating right (for you) can work for weight loss.
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CloSmo, I actually been wondering this question myself! I just started poling again and did the 30 day take off program, it was awesome 🙂 by the way 🙂 I been doing cardio in between time. But I can also eat better and trying to get into the habit. I told myself I can eat out once a week, so far so good, and i gone down on my pop 🙁 Which is better for me, in the long run. I do want to incorporate more stuff as well, but I agree I don't want to over due it, but since i never worked out constant in my life time, i figure i can do two hours of working out, helps me sleep better! I'm glad i'm not the only person on here who has been thinking the same question!! Keep up the good work https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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Pole does work for weight loss. I lost 50 pounds. But, I did other things with it, mainly to build strength and endurance for pole. My first…I'd say 6 to 7 months, pole, diet change, and cardio had been working just fine. But I've met my threshold, I'm not losing anything anymore and I can't figure out what more I should be doing.
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That diet thing…yea its a killer..https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rambo.gif There's really no denying it
I've been poling ~6 months???
I haven't "lost" anything but I haven't really "gained" either. I can say I definitely think I am stronger than I have ever been..People tell me I look better than last summer (8lbs lighter) because now I am tone. I was killing myself with dieting and running last summer. I got burned out. I know I need to add cardio again if I expect to lose any amount of weight noticeably in a short time but I like to pole better. I don't have to force myself to pole but to "workout" I gotta beg myself all day.
I figure it this way, something is always better than nothing. There's an eventuality with weight vs ability in this. As I want to advance I'll have to build the strength to be able to do the moves. The muscle gained will increase my metabolism by default I'll lose weight.
I could be wrong. I only just started. We'll see. Good luck
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Hey!
you are definitely building muscle but you need to loose weight the right way.
Try signing up with toneitup.com . I signed up with them a couple years ago and lost weight. They also have videos on youtube for you to do. I think with pole and this you will do so good!
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Villainvixen- what other things did you do??
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Thank you to everyone who has replied!
I assumed there was some cardio involved – maybe my misconception came from the “dancing” part of the word.
I’m big, so I assume for right now all I would really need to do would be pole but I would plateau pretty quickly. I guess short class of Zumba, pole and resistance bands it is.
I was actually starting the couch to 5k- I stopped because it has been raining but I might start that up again.
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Moonlite- I was on Tony Ferguson but stopped that and increased all my exercise and started eating better. People keep saying I’ve lost more since I stopped TF (2 months ago) but there has only been a 2 kilo difference in that time so I assume toning up a little is helping (though my belly is still wobbly!), especially in my calves, I can notice my calves are more toned
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Another personal perspective on diet. I can get to a place where I can work out enough to eat pretty much whatever I want. But I will be at the top end of my weight and rather soft looking. For me to be at the low end of my weight and lean looking, my diet has to be well under control. And for me being at the low end of my weight makes a difference in the impact I feel and the control I have in advanced inverted moves. Pole feels easier to me at 120-125 and leaner muscles than it felt at 140 and with bulkier muscles.
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Also I think it’s important to have a balanced pole diet. This is how I plan my serious pole sessions and I think it’s a good flow:
Warm up time- range of motion and muscle activation exercises. 10 minutes-1hour or more depending on how long and intense the pole session will be/what the goals are. (for me an hour+ warmup usually means back bending goals for my pole session and/or a multiple hours long pole session).
After the warmup, a very intense, upbeat cardio pole freestyle. Spins, transitions, sweat.
Pole moves. Working tricks. Practicing old tricks a few times, breaking down new tricks or executing them repeatedly to get them comfortable. Pole should be hot from the first freestyle.
Strength drills. Sometimes the lines between the tricks work and drills get blurred for me and the meat of my session is a mix of the two. Don’t tire yourself out completely on strength drills before you work new pole tricks…just tossing that out there…bad things lol.
Slower, controlled, lighter intensity cardio and flexy freestyle.
Cool down stretching. If you want to do deep stretching…now is the time.
Just a basic structure I think probably a lot of people use…
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Thanks for that!
Though I’m a bit nervous of that for me considering I can’t do things such as the pole hold consistently yet. Would it work for anyone do you think?
I feel a bit silly asking so many questions.
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Actually I do have a question regarding food if anyone could help while we’re talking fitness. A typical day of food for me is this:
Breakfast: a serve of yoghurt and fruit/toast ( english mugfins erc) and spread with a glass of milk or juice
Snack: If I have one- yoghurt/musli bar/ fruit
Lunch: usually a sandwich/roll with chicken and salad with a can of soft drink (used to be a bottle trying to cut down)
Snack: if I have one is same as previous snack
Dinner: is a lot of variation actually, sometimes I have a cuppa soup with or without a bread roll, or one of those frozen meals – lean cuisine or whatever.
Very rarely had desert
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Agree with all the above comments I will say though that I am the closest to my high school weight and strength than I have ever been before do to pole… I was doing cardio kick boxing and zumba and both did not get the results that pole did… maybe it has to do with the fact that I am obsessed and therefore more consistent, however if you love it go for it!
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Poledanceromance had some great tips. I also love the idea if "high end of my weight" vs. "low end of my weight," I haven't thought about it like that before. It's so easy to get hooked onto that low number that I want and not an acceptable range!
CloSmo I just had a suggestion for you re: soft drinks. Have you tried flavored seltzer water? It's carbonated, so it satisfies that part of the soda itch (I don't know about you but I've found what I usually crave is the bubbly texture of a soft drink, not so much the sugar or flavor). It has some flavor to it but the flavor is really subtle, like someone just barely squeezed a lemon into the water rather than made lemonade, but still enough that you can taste it. And there's no sugar or artificial sweetener, and very low sodium. So really, it's a no-guilt drink, and good for people like me who don't like drinking just plain water and don't want to drink soda but still get the craving.
Your typical meal seems pretty sound to me – I would recommend that you do try to get those snacks in as often as possible, to avoid blood sugar dips and spikes (which lead to energy dips and spikes, and cravings for simple carbs like sugar) and to make sure you're not *too* low on calories.
The foods you're choosing are good – look for ways that you might shave off a little here or there, like low-fat or low-sugar yoghurt, whole grain bread/rolls/tortillas, vinaigrette salad dressing vs. creamy styles, fruits that are high in water (melon, citrus fruits, grapes for example) rather than starch (bananas are main culprit). I believe we really can eat pretty much what we want, but there are ways to make every choice a little healthier.
One thing I like doing is making a DELUXE salad. I noticed I was getting pretty bored with just greens + dressing as a meal option, and I'd be hungry again in no time if that's all I had for lunch. But I've started copycatting some of the salads I've had at restaurants, adding strips of meat, fruit, nuts, goat cheese (not a health food but mmmmmm so good), extra veggies, homemade dressing, etc. So I end up with this huge and satisfying meal that's still pretty healthy, easily packed to take to work, and I don't really have to cook or clean up or do anything special to make it. (When I use meat, it's usually leftovers from dinner.)
I do need to get more cardio in, though, and this thread has been a helpful reminder that I've been slacking on that part of my exercise. Ugh. I really dislike most cardio activities. I take no joy in getting sweaty and worn out, and my mind usually goes to really negative places when I try higher-intensity things ("Oh my god, this so sucks. Why are you doing this? Let's go home. This is the opposite of fun. Get me out of here. I never want to do this again." etc.). So, not exactly motivational. :\
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Thanks Pankake!
Everyone has been so so helpful! I thought I ate fairly healthily- I mean I have bad days, I’m an emotional eater and a bored eater (unfortunately!) so sometimes I’m a HORRIBLE eater but I’m getting better at quelling that.I like the idea of substituting what I like eating with something slightly healthier. As stupid as it sounds, I’d never thought of that.
I like Zumba, it feels just like dancing around in the house in my underwear, except I’m wearing work out gear and I’m following a routine!
As for the high and low end of my weight I’ve never been healthy. So my high end is 110kilos and my low end is 96 kilos or so (bad I know) so I would like to get down to about 75-80kgs which is going to be a lot of work 🙁 wish it was as easy snapping my fingers!!!
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Glad to give you a new tip!
Everyone has their horrible days, I think. For me, I start getting crabby when I've been dining out too many days in a row, because I always eat more at restaurants than I would at home, and then the food I bought to make at home goes rotten while I'm out spending MORE food money on restaurants.
But you're talking to a girl who will eat Nutella right out of the jar if she has a chance 🙂 I think we can all relate to being horrible eaters at least some of the time, and I think it's pointless for anyone to beat themselves up over it. I'm generally not an emotional eater, but I do eat when I'm bored or feeling lazy, and I'm an expert at talking myself into eating things I know I shouldn't have. One of my worst faults is that if I do have something "bad" in the house, like brownies or sweets, I will scarf the whole thing at once using the logic "I'd just have eaten it anyway, it's the same amount of calories whether I spread it over a week or eat it all right now, might as well get it over with and get it out of my sight." And my brain never second-guesses such reasoning. 🙂
I envy people who enjoy things like Zumba. I've tried so many times to like it, but never had as much fun as the commercials promise. Maybe because, other than pole, I'm not really a dancer in general, dancing around my house in my undies is not something I'm prone to do, with or without Afro-Latin music, haha. There's something about the "let's party" vibe of Zumba that actually turns me off. My cynical side comes out, all the enthusiasm and THIS IS FUN RIGHT??? seems so fake to me and I just can't get into it.
I used to do the elliptical for all my cardio but ever since I discovered pole, you couldn't pay me to get back on a cardio machine. SO. BORING. The only trouble is, I'm not poling often enough to make up for the time I used to spend ellipticalling, and I don't get as much of a calorie burn from my typical pole workout – I used to burn 500-700 calories on the elliptical each time. My other main exercise is yoga, which also isn't a calorie-burner, though I've started going to hot yoga so I at least work a LITTLE harder at it. I'm just a low-intensity person in general so it's tough to find something that actually makes me WANT to dial it up. I have options, I'm just not taking advantage of them.
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Hi ladies
CloSmo – I see you are currently exercising – how much exactly? Looking at your diet, my initial reaction is that you are not eating enough, especially not enough protein, and you are having sugar in almost every meal (fruit, soft drink, fruit toast, spread, muesli bar, yoghurt – assuming it isn't pure greek style that is). Sugar is a killer when it comes to dieting alas, and while fruit is good for you, you aren't balancing it out with proteins (other than the little bit in yoghurt and milk) and vegetables. Also, I agree with Pankake, get more snacks in – eat more often. Can you look at changing a snack – eat some raw carrots, green beans, and a hard boiled egg – or something like that. Have some hummus in there, also some lean meats. All your carbs are in complex or sugars, try get vegetables in and increase it. Get some tuna or sardines into your diet if you can – you also don't have any good oils going in that I can see. The frozen meals you can buy are incredibly high in sodium usually. I can see you are paying good attention to portion control, and well done, but if the type of food you are putting in isn't able to give you usable energy, then your body will hold onto what it can and store it.
Also, try to eat a bigger lunch and breakfast (or more snacks during the day) and a smaller dinner. You want your energy to be there to be used, not sitting in your body to sleep on 🙂
I am definitely the same – when I am at the 'high end of my weight' vs the 'low end' (I also love this terminology). I went through a body sculpting phase, and also times where I have had to 'lean down' for competitions to be under a specific weight. Those times for me though, I had to eat like food was going to run out. I am not a naturally small person by any means, so I had to create a stronger metabolism for myself by fueling. I can tell you what I ate for when I was competing if you like, but each person is different.
Stop worrying about kilos – trust me, if you are now looking at pole or anything strength based, the weight aspect will be variable as you build muscle (which will eat away at the fat) but is much heavier. I am 'heavy' for my size and appearance – most people don't believe my when I tell them what I actually weight, but it is because I have dense muscle – I had to stop worrying about the scales a long time ago, and now if I want to keep track of anything, I use a tape measure.
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Closmo,
I do lift kettlebells, I walk/jog, aerobics, and pole. As far as diet, I lost 50 pounds switching to just serving sizes. I just to have pretty big portions or second helpings of things. This is no longer working. I'm told my diet needs to change again. I just don't quite know how to change it more than I have. Any thoughts?
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Unfortunately Vixen, bodies plateau – well done on the gains you have made, but yes, there comes a time where just portion control isn't enough 🙂
What is your eating like now? How much are you exercising?
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Hi Koidragon,
My exercise (before pole) was doing Zumba wii for 20-30 minutes 3 days a week (or so) and around 50 minutes of Resistence bands 1 day a week. Though I didn’t have a schedule and my time varied each time I did it depending on how late to work I was running.
Since I started pole I stopped the two things above because I didn’t know how intense it was, but I was doing the 30 Day Take Of every day until about two days ago when I pulled something in my shoulder and its restricting some movement and causing pain. Will have to see a chiropractor or something to fix it.
I was also trying the couch to 5ks problem which was 30minutes of interval running and included 5mibure warm up and warm down- I did that most days for a little while until it turned into winter and was raining all the time
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