Hazelnut
Forum Replies Created
-
he can pillage my village ANYDAY! the first man i have seen make a jade look masculine and sexy!
-
i never got around to doing august's challenge but i am DEFINITELY doing this one! am such a musical fan it's ridiculous!
Am thinking something from jesus christ superstar, just to make life more difficult/challenging 😉
No idea how to get the music either though lol.
-
wow this is the most interesting thread! it's so interesting to hear what prompted people to start, as we all know it's such a niche sport/hobby and we're all so different yet ended up here….!
For me, I was naturally slim and never did ANY exercise for years. Like, NOTHING. my maternal grandma has type 2 diabetes and heart problems, but generally my family is pretty healthy but i was never encouraged to exercise as a kid. Then two years ago my dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and found to have type 2 diabetes, and serious heart problems… and amidst all the chaos over the next few months whilst he basically lived in hospital all the doctors said to me, really forthrightly, that I had to get my act together and not just rely on "being skinny in your twenties" as that did NOT mean I was healthy and had a family disposition to all these horrible diseases…. I don't know how true that really is, but i also did a body fat percentage test and found out my body fat was verging on 35%… pretty high for a supposedly skinny chick!
So I went to zumba for a year, and loved it, but then got bored… i knew dance was the only sort of exercise i'd ever stick to so I had to find something as good… and a friend wanted to try pole! i went along with her and i was skeptical (how could this possibly be exercise?!) … i must admit, i was NOT hooked in the first class. I was "mmm, that was fun but whatever" but then i changed studios and was totally hooked!
So now I've been poling for a year, my body fat has dropped to a much nicer 25% (although my weight has stayed the same, lol) and i've never looked so toned and muscular! and i feel so much healthier. my friends even comment that i look nicer now i have shape and tone than when i was just a skinny twenty-something 🙂 i'm so glad i have found a FUN fitness which i love!!!
-
one of my friends has the wet epilator and she swears by it., but i've never tried it!
I use the wax strips every now and again and my tip would be to give them a quick blast with the hair dryer for a few seconds before use, to get the wax nice and warm. Or, clamp it in your straightener for a second, but be really careful it's not TOO hot or you'll melt the wax right out of the strip (and ruin your straightener)! I find it works really well if they are warmed up this way.
If you're really unsure, go and get it done just once and pay alot of attention to what the beauty therapist does and just copy her next time 😉
-
just checked out your blog (stalker much?!) which led me back here and i just laughed out loud and snorted coffee on my desk in my office, which in itself is awkward as i'm in a room full of boring scientists who don't pole dance, but you think yoginis and teddy's aren't playing with the big girls?!?! man it took me MONTHS to get either of them and i know amazing inverters who still can't handle it!!! 😀
-
the most interesting reaction I have had is from a really good friend who STILL, after like a year of me poling, says things like "Oh, I know YOU do it for fitness. But really, like, all the others are just a bit skanky. Not you." I'm like, er…. I do the sexy stuff for me, the fitness stuff for me, and don't really differentiate between the two, and most people are the same… thanks I know you mean well, but actually you're still insulting me and my friends with that phrase!
Just gotta have faith in yourself and keep up the pole work despite these people! 🙂
-
i can see a slight problem here though, or maybe i'm wrong – aren't you limited by the fact the pole is between your upper thighs? so unless you walk your hands/arms forward, you are going to hit a point where you physically can't move down anymore? YOu want the bend to be through your whole back, not just at the hip joints, so you need to be able to slide your bum down and get your feet to the ground.
Am i making sense lol?!
i did a contortion class with justine mclucas this last weekend and she had some really good back flexibility stuff (which i couldn't really do as i'm not very bendy)… we did alot of bridges/crabs, and also these stretches where you stand with your feet about a foot from the wall, and put your arms up above your head (hands together) and try to push your armpits into the wall while looking up at the ceiling. you're keeping your lower back/bum straight, so you should feel it in your upper back and it is supposed to help it get bendy!!!
lol sorry for the long post!
-
I inverted on my fourth class and thought I was The Shizz!!!! Until I changed instructors a few weeks later and realised it was totally wrong ie kicking like mad. I also smashed my feet and legs a few times and fell on my arse because i had no control. Not cool. Wait until you're strong enough!!!
-
http://www.zebraqueen.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=56
that's her website, she doesn't usually send overseas but I will ask her what the deal is for you! That said, if I were you I wouldn't buy anything until you've seen a doc or dermatologist – if it's the pressure of the pole that's causing the problem, I don't know if long pants will really help or prevent it. but if it's just the friction, they should help.
you may want to just get the grip legwarmers rather than the whole leggings first – she makes them like foot or knee covers to protect your joints – so you can decide if you like the material and if they actually help, before committing to a £30 purchase!
god i sound like I am on commission lol.
-
i would definitely see a doc or dermatologist about that, it doesn't sound right and you don't want to do irreparable damage to yourself! regarding your pvc pants question – there is an instructor here in the UK (I don't know where you are?) that makes pole gear out of plether/pvc/type material for people who want to be a bit more covered up and it's great – you can get legging-type pants, shorts, tops, etc, anything and alot of the new girls who aren't comfortable being in hotpants wear them and stick like glue. so there are options out there if you have to go down that route!
-
i think one of the other girls said something about this the other day but i can't remember who… but when you're putting your arm into the elbow grip try turning your wrist so you're "looking at your watch" and making the fist! ok the fist doesn't look pretty but it helps when you're learning and apparently your muscles are automatically tighter if your arm is rotated so your palm is away from you (and you could see your hypothetical watch face). it worked for me!
-
ahaha lyme lyte you read my mind! congrats on the splits i still haven't got mine!
-
here's what to do 🙂
1- buy veenas lessons
2-buy a pole
3- have fun!
seriously that is all there is to it…. the beauty of pole dancing/fitness is that you don't have to already be flexible or muscular or any of that to start. it all comes as you go along and learn. alot of us on here are not dancers/gymnasts (as in, didn't do dancing or gymnastics or anything like that before this) and it doesn't stop you at all! besides some people are stronger whereas others are more flexible, or some people rock out the stripper heels and sexy moves whereas others just use pole for tricks in a sports bra… everyone is different and dont feel you have to be a certain way or a certain level to do it 🙂 and there's lots of moms in their forties here as well!
welcome!
-
@Youngs7 : before you get discouraged that you don't have a studio to go to, remember not all studios or "instructors" are equal! I used to go to a brilliant studio, the classes were mixed ability and they always had at least two instructors to concentrate on the different groups of girls. we warmed up, cooled down afterwards, they spotted us and made sure we kept our points of contact and were safe all the time, showed us strength exercises, etc. Basically were amazing and I would never have progressed without those teachers (I hadn't discovered SV at this point, btw!) But I have been to other studios in many cities and alot of people don't do all those things, and simply called themselves "pole instructors" and the girls I met there hardly progressed at all (and weren't safe). So really…. you're not at a disadvantage just because you're not attending classes!
-
i haven't had anything like that but as RoseMay said – I definitely found when I started that although my actual strength was increasing pretty quick my wrists and joints took longer to get used to the whole pole thing. My instructor suggested those wrist ball rollers – I didn't get end getting any but I know other girls who have them; they are like weighted balls and you just roll them around in your hands and they build up resistance and get your wrists used to handling heavier objects, I guess. Alot of girls who get tendon pain use them. Can't remember what they are actually called though sorry! hope it helps a little though, just an idea 🙂
-
i've never been to one in bradford, so i can't comment on that! i go to two: pole diamonds and zebraqueen. both have their advantages… i'll send you a private message so i don't block up this thread lol! we'll have to start a wider-north england group!
-
the worst ones are from teddy's or yoginis (or stag/ballerinas) in the underside of your bicep… honestly i spend most of my time at work fending off questions as i look like someone has grabbed me and left handprints! they get better, once you're better at climbing you'll use less pressure and not bruise at all.
Then you'll start bruising in other places instead as you learn new stuff!
-
Wow I didn't realise there were so many polers from North England here! (and elsewhere in the UK!) it's good to see! maybe we should have a pole jam one weekend!
@Debss Did you go to a studio here? I have tried a few and one isn't very advanced which is frustrating and the other is good but a bit out of town which makes it hard to fit into my work schedule. I like having other polers around for a bit of banter and learning off each other and it's hard here!
-
always good to see another northerner around here! Good on you for joining up and let me know if there's any amazing pole things happening around your area – they're scarce on the ground here in yorkshire!
Group classes are great fun too and don't worry the braveness factor – everyone is scared at first and if it's a good group of girls you'll soon be giggling your way together to pole awesomeness! just be able to laugh at yourself and you'll have a ball 🙂
-
Don't worry! But i know exactly what you mean. I don't have a dance background but certainly never thought I was a "bad" dancer either. When I first started pole I knew I wouldn't be strong enough for alot of it but was pretty smug about the prospect of being able to dance sexily around a pole, and swing and spin my legs about and be all fluid and graceful right from the get-go…. OH MY GOD I was so wrong! I stood in front of it, held it with one hand to the side like the teacher said, and had no idea what to do. It felt so unnatural to have this THING next to me that I was supposed to interact with! how do I walk again?! how do you turn with this thing in the way? it's too slippy to spin on! my legs don't fit! etc etc!
it took me (and others I know too) about a month to "trust" the pole and get used to how it feels, where and how it fits in with your body angles and how much grip to use for the most basic, basic moves. so don't worry! you're really not alone.
Think of the pole as a dancing partner (ok, a really inert one!)… you wouldn't expect to be able to dance brilliantly with someone new right away, would you? it takes time to learn how to fit with each other 🙂
-
good point! tiffany is pretty damn impressive and doesnt seem too tiny.
Also Jenna I just read your blog and trust me, for a newbie you are NOT sucking, rather it appears that you are kicking ass if you're teddy-ing it up already! and dont worry about having no background in this stuff, i had never done any exercise at all before pole and one year later i'm doing stuff i never thought i would be able to! us exercise amateurs are more common than you'd think 🙂
-
No way are you too tall! I'm 5'10'' too – lol just realised how conceited that sounds, because i am in no way a role model or anything like that, but i've never found my height stopped me learning tricks. i think your body ratios (eg height to torso length, arm length vs leg length, etc) may play a role regarding how easily you can get into some positions but you'll be fine! the only thing that is annoying is if you have low ceilings you cant really climb much without hitting the roof quickly. but find a high place to stick the pole up and you'll be fine!
-
i have never been in a competition so good luck! you're incredibly brave. personally i'd be worried that if it's on a strange pole (any idea if you can get a practice on the real thing before the day?) then that combined with nerves would make it alot harder than usual. so maybe you could just alter it slightly in the middle to include a few resting moves? nobody would know the difference except you and maybe it'd make the whole thing a bit easier to prepare for.
Re: food advice, protein won't help much with stamina whilst you are actually on the pole – if you are building strength etc with weights it is obviously needed then, but your body uses carbs for energy while you are exercising. a mix of long and short carbs before getting on might help – in theory that should give you a boost of accessible energy for your muscles and also allow them to keep working for awhile. eg peanut butter and jelly on wholewheat bread!! 😀
-
Wow!!! I am SO going to do that pole squat, never seen that before and my ass has been feeling a little less tight lately so I was wondering what to do to get it a little more bootylicious!
Re: your question, I know zumba is the craze of the moment (at least it is here in the UK!) but I found when I started doing that twice a week my legs and bum toned up fairly quickly. I can't go to the gym unless it's a dance class (HATE gyms!) but I reckon that zumba (IF it's with a really good instructor and has alot of real dance moves in it) is a pretty good mix of cardio and leg/bum toning.
Also – never seen your site before and just had a look and LOVE the stuff! 😀
-
I haven't had any boyfriend issues but my parents were mortified and convinced I had found an alternative stripping career, until I showed them videos of Anastacia Shukhtorova… (however you spell that!) and they saw how beautiful a dance it can be without any sexual moves at all. Now they are cheering me on!
But boyfriends are different… I could see his point if he didn't like the idea of other people (and how does he know they aren't men?) seeing you in tiny outfits, but this is probably because he is insecure about how how much you fancy him… ie if other people pay that much attention to you, you may ditch him for someone better! But if you explain to him that 90% of the time it is a group of chicks jumping around together having fun, then he will probably calm down! So yeah, show him some shots from class!
if after all that he is still convinced you're a stripper in disguise, I'd ditch him. Life is too short to be with someone who isn't 10000% proud of you!
