[Luccia O]

Oh yes definitely in! I’m gonna try for middle splits by Christmas!

[Luccia O]

This is such a great challenge! I might even get brave and post a video ; )

[Luccia O]

I have quite a few but Phoenix definitely wins. And I'm noooooowhere near close to getting it. But someday…

[Luccia O]

Thank you guys SO much this is great!

[Luccia O]

It’s disgusting that he got away with murder, although I can’t say I’m surprised : (

[Luccia O]

I'm so so sorry. I have had to deal with this a lot as I do dog rescue work. It's really hard to make these kinds of decisions. There are vets that will come to your home and do the euthanasia there, which is a lot easier than going to the vet to do it. Even though it's really difficult, I would suggest that you try to be there when it happens. It can be really horrible but at least your pet will have someone who they know loves them, holding them when they go. Perhaps if you can't handle it, you could have a friend or two come with, who might be able to be with them if it becomes too much for you. When I had to have my own dog euthanized two years ago it was the most painful thing I've ever had to go through. But being with him in the final moments, I felt the most love I've ever felt. It just filled up the room and my body and I know my dog felt it too. Even though it's a horrible thing, it can also feel good to feel that much love, to know that you were able to love an animal that much, and to know that you were able to return that love to them. When you know it is time, and usually you will know, ask some friends or family if they can go with you, and if they feel comfortable being with your dog in case it's too much for you. Your dog is so so lucky to have someone who cares so much about them.

[Luccia O]

closetgymnast – I feel you! I'm actually late to work but wanted to let you know that I have dealt with similair situatuons and it totally sucks. I actually just quit smoking last Monday and this week has been hell! But I already feel SO MUCH better. The more I exercise the better I feel, and the less I want to smoke. Sometimes exercise is just taking the dogs on a walk. You do have to be a member for the 30 day take off lessons, but I highly recommned it! It really helps to have the structure and support, especially when you are going through an emotionally challenging time. I'm so sorry you are having a hard time, this site is a great place to get your self esteem up though! I love to watch the member videos, seeing people of all different fitness levels and body types really helps make you feel like you're not alone. OK I have to run but will try and write more later. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

[Luccia O]

I love these discussions, you guys are all so inspiring! 

[Luccia O]

I love these discussions, you guys are all so inspiroing!

[Luccia O]

The rest day exercises are really great too! I never realized I needed foot exercises/stretches but when I did those they felt amazing! I'm a dog walker and so am on my feet ALL the time and they hurt a lot, but the foot exercises made them feel happy : )

[Luccia O]

Hi – The lessons will tell you exactly what to do for each day, but if you want to add other stuff that is low impact I think you should feel free. The most important thing is to give yourself rest in between, so if you worked on upper body one day, make sure not to do too much with your upper body the next day.

I add a bunch of stuff in with the lessons veena has. I usually do the veena lessons for the day, and then I will do my s factor workout/yoga/pilates/bellydance/stretching (not all every day.) I try to focus on one muscle group at a time so I don't over work my body. I usually split up my workouts so I do half in the morning and half in the afternoon. Then on my rest days I do all the stuff like cleaning and office work that I should have done the day before when I was dancing instead : ) On rest days I feel like I can do my s factor DVD, low impact bellydance, and light yoga.

Veena or someone else could probably answer you better. I could post my schedule if you want? I'm a little shy about posting it becasue it makes me look a little crazy : )

 

[Luccia O]

I made it to day 8 a couple weeks ago but then got super sick and had to stay in bed for a week and a half : ( But I did day 1 today! I decided to start agian from the beginning to do it right. Can't wait to actually FINNISH something lol.

[Luccia O]

I use the lessons at daturaonline.com for my bellydance practice. They have a lot of great yoga lessons (and pilates too), you can rent individually or pay for all the lessons monthly. I love the site, and the instruction is great, but I would say if you are a beginner or new to yoga or bellydance, take a class first to make sure you are using correct posture and breathing. The lessons aren't in any specific order, and while they do have a system for organizing begginer-intermediate-advanced levels, it's not super clear. Posture is SUPER important in bellydance. Veena's lessons are so great becasue of the order they are grouped in, and also she gives clear instructions in each lesson about how to keep yourself safe and when you should attemnpt a certain move. Datura online seems directed more to people already practicing bellydance or yoga. But if you are looking for great online yoga lessons the site is really great! The bellydance, I have found, helps a lot with pole, especially if you are into slow/slinky movement.

[Luccia O]

I have been LOVING the 30 day take off videos. It's been so helpful to have the structure. I made it to day 8, and then got sick! That was Wednesday, and I'm still sick. It's soooooo hard not to dance, I feel like I'm gonna go crazy lol. Before I got sick, I noticed a huge improvement in my pole dance from this program. I tend to do this thing where I workout for 5 hours one day, and then don't work out at all for like 6 days, etc, it's just very spordaic usually cause I'm busy with work stuff. Which is partly why my progress is very slooooow. But having a clear plan of what to work on and the little videos every day halped me stay on track. I've also been incorporating other workouts to the workout days, mostly s factor DVD & vids from another site geared towards belly dancers, that has a lot of yoga and pilates-type conditioning videos. Anyways just came here to say that I love this program and can't WAIT till I'm not sick anymore!

[Luccia O]

P.S. I just watched some bits of your videos and you are gorgeous and a wonderful dancer : )

[Luccia O]

Ugh I am so sorry this happened to you, it sucks! I just wanted to mention too that often if you are a fat woman (or really any woman who isn't "conventionally" attractive) and you are confident and happy with your body, that really fucking scares people! Especially if you are doing something like pole, which is seen as a very "sexy" sport. Society works on you your whole life to hate your body and when you say "no, I'm not gonna do that!" then society gets upset! Your body doesn't belong to anyone else but you, and your weight says absolutely nothing about your health or who you are. I haven't looked at your pics or videos so I don't know what you look like, but that is besdie the point here. If you want to weigh 300 pounds and pole dance, then that's your decison and everyone else can stfu. Pole takes an amazing amount of courage, strength, and self awarness. I feel sad for this woman who called you fat, she has been trained to think like that, and most likely is very critical and mean about her own body as well.

It's really tough because we hear so many conflciting messages all the time. We are told from a very young age that we should want to change our bodies to fit a certain ideal, and that if we don't fit that then we are "ugly," and therefore "worthless." And then we are told that we just have to "learn to love oursleves." and if we don't, then we are not only fat and ugly but also failures because we aren't strong enough to ignore all the bullshit thrown at us everyday! It's no wonder so many girls have eating disorders and issues with body image.

I'm so glad that you have gotten so many great respoinses on this forum, this community is aweome! Try to ignore the haters if you can, and keep poling!

[Luccia O]

It's chrome – I did end up using rubbing alcohol. It's just that the x-pole base has SO MANY little crevices It was really hard to clean without flushing the whole thing with cleaner. This experience has given me a new appreciation for my old lil mynx pole! Would have taken me 5 minutes to clean that.

[Luccia O]

Well, I took the whole bottom apart and cleaned it with alcohol and q-tips. I did use an enzyme cleaner on the base and then used a blow dryer to make sure it was completely dry. It took me an hour and a hlf so I hope it's going to be OK! Damn dogs….

[Luccia O]

Salvage yards! The one I go to in San Francisco, Building Resouces, always has a ton of mirrors. I got a huge one (probably 6 x 6) for $20. Call some in your area and ask if they have any before you go.

[Luccia O]

Also it's totally normal to not notice an improvement in your splits after one class. If you stick with it it will definitely make a difference.

This FAQ page will give you a lot of information too: http://www.bikramyoga.com/BikramYoga/FAQ.php#2

[Luccia O]

I LOVE bikram yoga! It's addicitng. It is like being in hell, literallly, but somehow also feels amazing lol! After a class I'm like "If I can do that, I can do anything!" It varies from person to person but some people have to really do it regularly to see any kind of results/feel like you won't die during class : ) The guy who started this type of yoga (Bikram) thinks you should to do it EVERY DAY. Bring lots of water, don't eat for AT LEAST an hour before class, bring a towel for sweat wiping and if you are a germaphobe like me, a large towel to put under your yoga mat so you don't ever have to touch the sweat drenched carpet! Also if you have an instructor who pushes you fartehr than you are comfortable than find another one immediately. This type of yoga has become a fad recently, and now you have a lot of people teaching who really shouldn't be. One more word of advice – It is not good for your body to go from extreme heat to extreme cold, so after a class make sure you bundle up when you go outside, and give your body time to slwoly adjust to the temperature change.