[Piaketz]

Ewa I really like your idea of working on combos instead of just straight up tricks. That's a really nice point. Thanks for the advice! We really need to cut down on our chit chat til we're done with working out!

Tara you are welcome to pole with us any time. We might make it out to Maui early next year so we'll be sure to come buy your studio for some lessons!!! We need fresh tricks 🙂

[Piaketz]

Thanks Holly. Those are pretty good tips on saving time. We did ok last night, but maybe as we get better as poling as a group we can come up with a routine warmup that isn't too long. There are 5 of us (2 poles though), which is a lot, but we all do a lot of things throughout the week so it's a good idea not to spend too much time on conditioning. Ok I will message Amy if she doesn't get to reply https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif

[Piaketz]

Tarah, no worries luv https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cool.gif No doubt that there are some doctors like you said… I've met a few and I've always felt like punching them. But I get your point that everyone should be discerning on who they trust https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif

[Piaketz]

Lol I meant most doctors are NOT as bad as you think…

[Piaketz]

Hey Tarah, I take offense at your statement "first of all, most doctors tend to be against anything that is natural, mostly because they have limited education, and treat everything with drugs"! That is simply not true!!! If anything, I try to take my patients OFF medication whenever possible and I think most MDs of my generation try to at least. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gifI'm the first to admit that I don't know everything in the world, and I like going natural if possible and am in no way against natural or homeopathic remedies. I always endorse cranberry for UTI and rarely give out cough syrup (I tell my patients to make ginger tea with honey and turmeric, I swear it's better than Robitussin and only give Robi if they absolutely ask for it) and I go to acupuncture regularly. But just because things are natural does not mean they are always good. Think about it this way, marijuana is natural, and it makes people stupid and fat!!! Lol! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif Anyway, it's that kind of attitude that causes a distrust between patient and doctor when it really should be a partnership. Most doctors are as bad as you think and do want to help their patients in earnest, regardless of "Big Pharma", and I wish you would not endorse that kind of thinking! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif

[Piaketz]

I don't think color matters as much as the lighting. I prefer a soft light (so I don't see my cellulite in the mirrors haha). In my pole room I have a few small funky glass lamps on the floor and sometimes I turn on my Mipole. I also have cute floor cushions handy, a small table for my laptop. And you know how ballerinas mount their old pointe shoes on the wall? Well, I've mounted my stilleto boots and clear heels. I can't dance in them, but they sure do look pretty in my pole room! 🙂

[Piaketz]

Awww hun, I'm a medical doctor, and I start and stop all the time too because of my crazy schedule so I feel what you're going through. I've been poling maybe 3 years, but have not been actively poling for the past 1 year. I feel like I've regressed a lot with my pole skills though the muscles are still there because I still do other things like aerial regularly. My advice is to see where you're at and go from there. You can try to go to an open level class and honestly evaluate yourself and see if you can still try inverting or not. Just remember that these levels are really just numbers, and there is no shame in dropping down or taking a class again. Do you have a teacher who knows you and your abilities well? If so, ask them which level you should be at. If you don't have a teacher who knows you well, I'd say better safe than sorry and take yourself down a level from where you were and rebuild strength from there. It's always good to review or relearn things. You don't want to injure yourself. And if you can take other classes (yoga, pilates, etc) that will help you build muscles, that would help too. Goodluck! 🙂

[Piaketz]

Ah no wonder! I go up really quickly when I try the wheel. Thanks for the tip Heathalynne!

[Piaketz]

Wow, such great info, everyone! Thanks!

Miraine, I really like the way you explain. Good stuff! 🙂

Veena wow so cool I feel like I got the answer to my prayers right after I asked haha!

[Piaketz]

Oh I just got my DVD! It's a lot of fun. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif I don't think I'll ever get my booty to move like that but it's fun to try. And I can feel my muscles working.

FiyaStarta, could I make a tiny suggestion for your next booty DVD? Please don't wear all black! I can't see some of the moves too well coz all of you are in black pants and sometimes I can't see the proper way to shake too well because your pants sometimes blend in with the black floor/wall.

Still love it though!!! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_heart1.gif

[Piaketz]

Congrats Tarah! I went and "liked" it earlier coz I saw it on your Facebook. I'll be sure to take a class if ever I find myself on Maui!!!

[Piaketz]

Ok FiyaStarta, I'm ordering as I type this. I watch your vids and they're so much fun. If I get my @$$ to shake even 1/8 as good as yours I'd consider that mission accomplished! And if I don't, well I'm still up for a great workout with you 🙂

[Piaketz]

OMG FiyaStarta!!! I want it… I looooooove ittttt!!! I'm just really worried my flat butt can't handle it. I might need to go get those Booty Pop padded panties I see late at night in home TV shopping just to look half as good.

[Piaketz]

It goes away, don't worry. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and when I started silks my finger joints would hurt so much the next morning. I thought I was flaring up. But I just kept doing it and it doesn't hurt anymore. Took a few months for my fingers to get used to it… I think it's because with silks you're gripping a smaller diamater than pole, so the finger muscles are worked differently. Don't forget to stretch your fingers before and after 😀

[Piaketz]

Lol Rosemay, glad I could be of help. It's a special interest of mine, suffering from it myself.

Not sure how much you want to put on your body, but here's a little graph we use to estimate burn surface areas called the "rule of nines". Sorry it's so morbid, but this will at least give you an idea!

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/burn_percentage_in_adults_rule_of_nines/article_em.htm

[Piaketz]

Funny, I've recently had a long discussion about aluminum products and hyperhidrosis with a colleague so I thought I'd share… just please bear with me, it is a bit lenghy. And I'd like to say that in no way am I affiliated with any of these products, nor do I recommend/not recommend them. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

In the US, 20% Aluminum chloride is available under the brands Drysol, Xerac AC and Hypercare. One of the UK brands of it is Perspirex, as Babb13 had so kindly shared her positive experience above. In the US, they're unfortunately all prescription. The good news is that most doctors have no qualms about writing a script for them as they're quite benign. Honestly, I'm not quite sure as to why these even need a prescription… the only reason I can think of is that some people can get a burning sensation/peeling dermatitis, in which case all you have to do is stop using it and put some hydrocortisone cream, then either ease up on your usage or quit altogether. If you don't have insurance, these cost around $15-$25 for around 30+ ml, Hypercare being the cheapest. But if you have insurance, these cost just around $5. Drysol is also available on Amazon.com, usually for a very jacked up price. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif

The difference of the OTC (over the counter) products is that aside from having a lower concentration of Aluminum, some of them contain moisturizers or emollients to make them less harsh on the skin. As pole dancers, we don't want those extra moisturizers! Drysol, Xerac and Hypercare contain less of those extra ingredients.  Some liquid brands that I've seen while shopping around for myself include Dermadoctor Total Nonscents Antiperspirant (Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex Glycine 11.25%) which costs $28 at Sephora, Maxim Prescription Strength Antiperspirant (Al Chloride 15%) which is $15 on Amazon and Certain Dri (Al Chloride 12% and 25%) which is the cheapest at around $6-10 at Walmart. TIte Grip contains Aluminum chloride too, but for the life of me I can't find the concentration online. I think that's because it's part of a "secret formula", though I think Tite Grip is on a league of it's own because it offers some amount of tack too. Maybe one day they'll make a "clinical strength" too… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif

Now don't be intimidated by all the chemical names in antiperspirants containing Aluminum. There are a ton of them, chemgoddess had graciously named a few and even linked us to their wiki. The different chemical preps are just different ways of manufacturers to help get them into liquid or gel states so that you can get them on your hands or pits or wherever. Some forms are more dessicating (absorbs moisture) which certainly helps some, but it's the aluminum part that's at the meat of all this. We just have to be smart about reading the labels. If you know of other great products, please share! There are probably a ton of other products out there, and it's great that we have forum's like Veena's where we can share info https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif

Aluminum works by reacting with your own sweat to make a little colloid plug that physically block the sweat ducts. Unlike other antiperspirants that just wash off, you can actually build it up so some people can end up using less over time. Knowing that principle, there are a few added tips I'd like to give all of you to get the best use of this: 1) apply it at night, so that it has time to settle in and you don't go around touching stuff and rubbing it off; 2) make sure your hands are wiped dry before you put it on so you don't dilute it with excess sweat; 3) and most importantly, you should put it on in a patting or dabbing motion rather than just wiping or rolling it on. This really helps it get in there to block the ducts.

Also, as pole dancers, it will be helpful to know which other products that have different actions we can layer on top of our aluminum antiperspirants. This is useful to know when we try to make all our little "recipes". Example, Dry Hands' active ingredient is silica, which is a dessicant and draws out moisture. If your aluminum antiperspirant is not enough, these two would go hand in  hand.  Mighty Grip and iTac are grip aids. They do give you added tack, so this can be used to your advantage over your aluminum, but they won't keep you dry when used alone.  Doesn't really make sense to layer 2 aluminum products on each other (ie. Drysol over Perspirex). The only time you could theoretically do this is with Tite Grip as it has other dessicants aside from having aluminum. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif

If you're wanting to experiment with OTC products yourself, I suggest trying out the lowest concentration first before trying higher doses, as you'd like to avoid any burning/peeling which would put you out of poling for a few days. Once you have an aluminum antiperspirant you lile, try it one night, see how it goes and make sure you don't get red, and if all goes well, use it daily until you're satisfied with how dry your hands are. Once you reach that state, ease up and go every other day, and decrease as much as you can until you're at a good balance of being dry and using as little as you need. Watch out for any signs of peeling or redness and ease up or quit if that happens. Everyone is different so you will most definitely have to play around until you get there. Don't throw in the towel just because it didn't work for the first few weeks. Expect it to be a work in progress.

Now, all that being said, a lot of people nowadays like to shy away from certain anti-perspirants due to concerns about Aluminum causing Alzheimer's. If you are one of these people, then these products are not for you, I am not here to argue. But for everyone else who is interested in trying these, just know that the studies linking Alzheimer's with aluminum have so far been only "circumstantial evidence" as like they say on CSI. The Alzheimer's Association takes the stand that antiperspirants are safe for use.

This friendly bit of medical advice brought to you by Gummypia, M.D., P.D. (medical doctor, pole dancer, haha!!!)

[Piaketz]

Lady Throttle, at any rate, you'll be made to feel welcome if you end up either in FFG or Samadhi (or both) if you end up in Oahu. The girls at FFG are sweet, and the people at Samadhi are friendly so it's easy to make friends in either place.  But like Corby said, just getting involved in something is a great way to meet people here. There's just so much to do, everyone eventually finds something that they enjoy and makes friends in the process. 🙂

[Piaketz]

Tarah – Yes, it's sad what's happening to FFG, it's still somehow surviving here in HNL. How's it going in Maui? Found a new spot to teach yet?

Well, if you ever visit Honolulu, you should try a class at Samadhi! Not too sure about aerials in Maui, tried googling it and found this: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Esti-Aerial-Art/132070556808090 Looks like thestudiomaui.com has aerial yoga but I don't see the beginner's aerial dance like it advertised in the FB page… maybe you can contact the teacher and ask. I forget where you live, but looks like this is in Haiku. And there are workshops on the Big Island in April and July at Kalani Retreats with Wailana and Andrea (our teacher… she's amazing, you'll love her. She was the original Hina in Ulalena, maybe you've seen it?): http://www.kalani.com/workshops/listings And if you find yourself in Kauai you might want to give Anabelle d'Artois of Cocoon Aerial a call… http://www.cocoonaerialdance.com My pole friends and I are going for a weekend trip this Feb, and we booked some classes with her. So excited about that… she'll be rigging the silks up in monkeypod trees! 

Trixie – I love the Big Island too! I've been there several times for work and for play. There's just so much to explore over there! Hilo side, Kona side, the volcanoes, the mountains… you name it! Entertaining in Honolulu just really breaks the wallet. People who visit me always want to go party in Waikiki and I hate hate HATE going down there! It's so congested and all the prices are soooooo jacked up! Like you, I enjoy the slower, more laid back sort of lifestyle 🙂

[Piaketz]

I moved to Hawaii from Chicago in '07 I think it was… Didn't have any friends, joined Fit for a Goddess, made a lot of friends there who I love dearly and hang out with at almost a daily basis.

As much as I like the studio and all my friends who I've met through there, I have to say that as a business, it's declined through the years. They used to have a handful of studios peppered around the island and it's now dwindled to just one, in Honolulu. The Pearl City and Kailua one closed down, so if you don't live in town, it'll be a drive. My experience there is/was very teacher dependent. Some teachers are excellent and more than stellar, and some are uh… not so much 😛 Well, I guess it depends on your personality and whose style you mesh with.  I'm not sure what level you are, but after you reach a certain intermediate level, the classes start changing dates and times depending on teacher availability. For someone who needs a consistent schedule, this is not ideal. But if you're a beginner, or early intermediate, it would work well for you as their schedules are kind of set. 

Nowadays, because of the everchanging schedule issue, I find myself at Samadhi more (hi Corby!). Check it out: http://www.samadhihawaii.com . I love it!!! If you're looking to make solid friends and have fun working out, this is a great place. Everyone is cool. 🙂

Oh and I used to teach intermittently at the med school. Whenever I'd come to do a lecture, I'd wonder how they could study, the JABSOM campus is right by the beach! If I'd gone to med school there, I would have been cutting class all the time! I used to stare out the windows before my lecture and watch the hot surfers, and I'd be like oh sh!t wait, I have students to teach haha!!!

And don't worry about missing your friends in the Mainland… they'll come to visit you! I swear I get so broke sometimes when people visit in droves coz I have to take them out to dinner. Skype is great, Facebook is great, but most of the time you won't be sorry you live in paradise ;P

[Piaketz]

I have hyperhidrosis of the palms and soles too — I feel your pain. My dermatologist wasn't as pessimistic as your doctor regarding pills. I came to him curious about botox, and told me he'd only consider it for me if I failed the pills. I take the pills only during the days I need them, and he started me off on a very low dose and had me work my way up to a comfortable dose where I feel improvement but have no side effects. So far the only side effect I've felt was a slightly dry mouth, which only reminds me to hydrate more 🙂 The pills aren't perfect, and I still do have sweaty hands, but it improves around 50-75% when I take my meds. I can do more things when I use them in conjunction with Dry Hands or other topical antiperspirants. I'm happy enough with my results that I no longer want botox. Maybe you can find a doctor willing to work with you on that? I show my doc pics of me on the pole/trapeze/silks/lyra and it makes him laugh, but in a nice way. He isn't dismissive about my hobbies as he knows they're quite important to me 🙂

[Piaketz]

This thread is hilarious! Love it 🙂 I've had a few funny reactions too.

My parents took it very well. My dad totally understood what pole was about. But for a few months my mom thought my girlfriends and I were skipping and prancing with ribbons around a maypole and tying a huge bow at the bottom when we were done. I figured out that we weren't talking about the same thing when she asked me what new patterns we weaved around the pole. It was kind of funny watching her face of realization after my dad explain it to my mom. They bought me a pole for Christmas in 2009 though, and they have a framed 8×10" pic of me doing a gemini on their mantle right beside graduation pictures of my sister and I 🙂

My former boss is a sweet, gray haired, middle aged lady who wears mom-jeans to work. Back when I was a clinical fellow at the med school, I showed a clip of myself doing a few spins on Youtube to another fellow in the computer room. My boss suddenly walked in with a residents and a med students that I was precepting. We both started panicking because first of all, we weren't supposed to be watching Youtube on faculty computers. Secondly, I wasn't sure how my boss and my students would react to seeing me in a sports bra and booty shorts working the pole!

Boss: "Pia, is that you?!?" https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_surprised.gif
Me: "Dr. M, let me explain…" https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_confused.gif
Boss: "You don't have to explain anything! We all can clearly see what's going on." https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif
Me: *totally mortified* https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_pumpkin.gif
Boss: "That is so awesome!!! I wish I could do that!" https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
 
I almost died! I thought I was going to get fired or suspended or something!

[Piaketz]

There are pole dancers in The Next Episode by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. I don't know who they are though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZXc39hT8t4

This is my parrot's favorite song. Whenever he hears it, he starts bobbing his little head along with the music. 🙂

[Piaketz]

Well, my joints bend in weird ways sometimes, and when that happens I think I look like a gummy worm, hehe! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif  Pia is my real name, hence, gummypia.

[Piaketz]

Oh girl, I'm sorry to hear  you went through a bad flare. I was out last Monday too, my leg was acting up. I have silks and lyra today and though I'm better, my fingers are feeling stiff and funny so I'll still go but will take it easy. Having RA we all have our bad days, but they go away in time. Don't be hard on yourself. If your joints don't work, they don't work. It's not your fault, and you'll bounce back in time. And be careful, forcing yourself to do it might cause you another kind of injury. I know I've done it a few times because I was just too stubborn, hehehe. When I'm totally out and can't do stuff, I go online and look at inspiring videos, or listen to songs that I think would be cool to dance to. And uh… I go online shopping for pole outfits. 😛 You can still always stretch and work on your flexibility when your hands are bad. 🙂

My teachers all have been very understanding, and when I say I don't think I should try a trick, they are ok with it. They know I work hard on my good days. But aside from telling your teacher, have you told your fellow classmates? I used to be embarrassed when I couldn't catch up before when I didn't know the girls so well. But now that I've explained it, everyone just takes it in stride when I sit certain tricks out. Most girls are very understanding.

I have super sweaty hands, (not my whole body like you). I actually went to a dermatologist about my sweating, and he gave me some pills to take on the days I will need them. The pills are not perfect but they help (I don't want to do Botox). I also get pain in my fingers and can't grip well if the pole is too cold, so sometimes I wait for the other girls to work on them and warm them up so I can go haha! At home sometimes I blast my hairdryer on it. Don't know if pole temp is affecting you? At any rate, I still like the 45 mm poles more for my own safety coz they are easier to grip. I know you want to work hard on the 50mm 🙂

The main thing is not to stop, and just keep on going! 🙂

[Piaketz]

Same here. My studio doesn't offer it and I've been wanting to learn.