AlisonDawn started this discussion ·
Does anyone have any tips on how to stay motivated when it's really cold outside?? I am having SUCH a hard time getting my butt into the garage to pole. It has been in the -35 Celsius (-31 F) range for the past week-ish and I've been curling up on the couch with tea instead of poling. :(
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Do you have a hula hoop? Take the hoop into the garage and warm up by body hooping for 15 minutes (or more) while you let the space heater warm your pole a little bit. Hooping works for me every time, after body hooping maybe do some behind the back passes or hand spins in various directions to help warm up your shoulders. Then move on to some type of pole warmup that first will warm the pole up too. Then go to your pole work. The fun part is you can hoop in your warm outdoor clothes and gradually peel them off to a pole outfit as everything warms up.
Veena ·
I was gonna ask if you have a hula hoop too!!! My pole is inside and I STILL don't feel motivated to dance in the colder months. I grab a hoop and start with those, before I know it I'm warm and feeling like dancing. Also if you don't have one get a space heater, I just can't dance on a pole if it's cold...not gonna happen. If the garage just isn't possible to warm enough try hula hoop or work on chair moves and floor work.
Hmmm I might get a cheapie hula hoop to try this. Just hard to get off my butt to start practicing when it's cold. Jump roping poops me out too much, especially since legs are the weakest part of my body for stamina.
I made my first hoop by following Veena's instructions here in the lessons. It cost next to nothing to make, everything is available at hardware and big box stores. It was fun to do;as you know Veena has excellent step by step directions for absolutely everything so it came out perfectly. And there's such a big selection of pretty duct tapes out there. I did order my gaffer tape from Amazon as I wanted some specific colors.
Thanks everyone!! I never thought of using a hoola hoop as a warmup but it sounds like an excellent idea. My garage is heated, so my pole eventually warms up, but it just seems to take my body (especially my legs) FOREVER to warm up so it will be nice to have a good warmup I can do with my sweatpants and big socks on! :) :)
Veena ·
Hooping is my warm up pretty much ever session!
Where the heck do you live, the North Pole!?!? Lol, sorry. I thought it was starting to get cold here in Ontario Canada but now I see I have nothing to complain about...
I do have the pole warmer that plugs in, and it helps a lot in my motivation if I go put it on like 20 minutes before poling and during my warm up... I feel like putting it on the pole guilts me into using it once it's warm, haha. Also I've been using Fitness Blender for cross-training, and their warm up videos are really helpful for me 'to get that all-over warmth that I need to feel ready to actually get on the pole! Plus the veena pole challenge is a great way to be accountable!
Lmao dustbunny! I live in the Yukon, so not quite the North Pole but pretty close I suppose ;) This week has been in the -15 range which is quite nice. Last year got to -50 though, so I feel like I shouldn't really complain about -35 lol Goat on a Pole - I am glad you're loving your pole warmer! It's on my Christmas list this year so I have my fingers crossed Santa will bring me one ;) I have been thinking about setting up an IG account for pole, so maybe Veena's xmas challenge is just the kick in the ass I need to finally do it!
I feel ya! I suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and that combined with the cold pretty much kills my motivation. Last night I had my pole class and it was so cold none of us could stick to the poles! Talk about demotivating... The challenge for me is not just getting warm but keeping warm because my pole and I cool down so quickly. But yeah... -35C? I'm living in a tropical paradise compared to you! :D A heater definitely helps, and so does doing something fun to warm up. I like to do Veena's hard core workout or practice burlesque/strip tease style dancing before getting on my pole. That way I can peel off the layers as I get warm from dancing. It also "encourages" me to practice floorwork since I can't get on the pole if I'm wearing all those layers. Oh man... this is the pole warmer, right? https://x-pole-canada.myshopify.com/collections/shop/products/the-pole-warmer I have been drooling over this for weeks! I hear you can use a hair dryer to warm your pole, although I imagine that is more work. I usually just point my heater at it for a bit.
Veena ·
I do NOT miss the cold winters!!!! Vegas and SF are my kinda cold now LOL
I agree, poling in skimpy outfits is less appealing in winter! You may want to try sticky pole clothing, several brands make it, or maybe do low flow or floorwork, something that you can do bundled up. And when you get warmer, maybe peel up some layers and do aerial stuff? My suggestion is, do something that you like and can be done with warm cloths on! Then, move from there, whatever you feel up to. I live in Texas so no massive cold weather but it was a little cold today so I had problems with grip.
Yup Strange Fox you can just use a hair dryer. I have a hair dryer that lives in my pole room. It only takes a few minutes to get things warmed up that way.
Strangefox - Yep, that's the pole warmer! I wannntttt! Also, I suffer from SAD too, so I feel you. It absolutely sucks. Right now the sun starts to come up around 10 and it starts going down at 2. It's only 2:50pm right now and already almost dusk. :( Where do you live if you don't mind me asking? Doing floorowork/burlesque style dancing after a warmup is a good idea. I always intend to do it, but I am so intimidated by floor work, I don't know where to start and I end up just standing there lol. LatinPoler - Tell me more about sticky pole clothes! I didn't know such a thing existed!! Which brands sell them? Veena - You would hate it here, it is so cold haha! Although I was in Vegas this past summer and it was +47C or something crazy like that and I nearly died. I couldn't even hang by the pool it was so hot. I don't know how you do it!
Dustbunny - totally going to try the hair dryer thing and let you know how it goes! :D I can't stick worth sh*t in the winter. AlisonDawn - I live in Ontario! Man, I feel bad complaining about our lack of sunlight. I don't know the exact times the sun rises and sets but I know I go to work in darkness, and I come home in darkness. Most winters I am really, really bad... I practically hibernate and usually drown my sorrows in not-so-healthy habits (mainly wine and over-eating). This year I haven't taken a heavy hit and have even been able to keep my spirits up without indulging in these unhealthy habits. I have pole to thank for that. :) You're not alone...I'm also intimidated by floor work!
