[sundcarrie]

I go to the studio and hide in the corner on Monday Wednesday and Saturday because it is beginners class and we are allowed to work on more advanced moves as long as we don't try to teach the newbies. These classes run 1 hour and 15 minutes and they have a great warm up with some strength training then pole time. Newbies learn pole moves while everyone else works on more advanced stuff. 

Then Tuesdays an Thursdays I go to intermediate class we warm up and work on new moves but each person is at a different level so it is more like free pole time and our teacher comes around and gives us new moves once we get better at the last one. Then the last half an hour of this hour and a half class we run routines. 

If I am not too sore I do my own version of class at home on the days I don't have class. I also have a pull up bar at home that I use to do a lot of shoulder and core exercises. There is more but I am probably starting to get boring so I will shut up now.

[sundcarrie]

I have the Electra pole thanks for letting me know I will just keep checking to make sure it is tight and put money away for a better pole. 

[sundcarrie]

That was actually funny, but I worry about my cheap pole all the time so I am constanly checking the bolts. My hubby has it screwed right into a stud in the ceiling. I wish I would have paid more for my pole but now I have to wait until I can afford to upgrade. When I first got it I thought it would be fine but then I progressed quickly through class and decided some moves will only be performed in class until I get a quality pole. Now I know that it is a peice of junk but it will work for light practice on days I am not in the studio. 

 

[sundcarrie]

I am always sore somewhere but it is mild unless I try something new but I do pole at 5-7 days a week sometimes more than once a day. I eat a lot of protein and fruits and veggies but after my second month I was less and less sore. Until I added intermediate classes to my beginner classes then after two months of that I was back to mild soreness most days. If there is a day that I am super sore I don't do pole that day. Streching at the end helps a lot and Alieve got me through some really tough days before I was in my fist show at the studio. For me it got a lot better I hope it does for you.

[sundcarrie]

Well I have finally found something I love doing so I am not going to give up. I honeslty have never felt better about myself. I feel sexy but more than that I feel a great sense of accomplishment even more so than I did when I graduated college with honors. I have been small and fit a few times in my life but never confident and I never really enjoyed working out before this. I felt depressed and or angry a lot before I started pole and now a good pole session gets rid of that so I guess I am addicted to feeling good about myself. 

You should keep going like you said slowly and make sure you are not in pain. We will get there and if we can't get all the way there so be it but at least we can say we gave it our best shot!

[sundcarrie]

I don't know about this Mega Brand Stripper pole but I would say spend the money and get one of the poles the ladies here recommend. I bought a cheap on on ebay the Carmen Electra one and it is not a good pole. It works but I wouldn't trust it for some of the more advanced moves. I will eventually get a better pole but I do not recommend buying one that is not a trusted brand. I spend about 7 hours a week at the studio so I do all the harder moves there and stick with cleaning up the simple stuff at home for the most part.

[sundcarrie]

Stevesgirl I just signed up two days ago for the lessons and I did so mostly for the streching videos because it was cheaper than buying a streching for pole video and it has the added benifit of breaking down some of the moves I already know but they could use a little work. This way I can focus on the new stuff in class. I guess my slow and cautious plan is all I can do if there is a pont that I can't go without pain then I know that it is the metal in my leg.

[sundcarrie]

I am not sure the size of our poles in class but there is one everyone calls the skinny pole and I love it. My pole at home feels huge as well my hands do not go all the way around the larger poles. There are a few ladies in my class including myself that would rather have the skinny pole but I try not to use the other poles too. I can grip the larger pole but it is a lot harder and once I start to get tired forget it. 

 

[sundcarrie]

I have a weak side too and I can invert from that side but it is sloppy and ugly I am working on fixing that but it it always seems to mean less time working on new moves. I have a pole at home but I like to be in the studio when I am working on new moves and on my weak side. I don't have a crash mat at home but it might be a good investment so I can learn new moves at the studio and work on my weak side at home. 

I also feel like I have brain damage sometimes trying to change sides I can't seem to turn the move around to my other side without a lot of thought. I stand there and think then I turn it around to my other side and say if this hand goes here on the left then it will go here on the right and so on. 

I have trained my muscles on one side of my body and they work great that way I don't have to think about them but I have neglected the other side to advance quickly. My instructors are constantly preaching about muscle memory and how it will become automatic and they are right so it would have been better for me had I worked both sides to start. 

Even the ladies in my class that work both sides still talk about having a side that is weak not that I can tell but they can.

 

[sundcarrie]

I only had about twenty pounds to loose well I thought it was thirty when I started my classes at a local studio. I was actually working out and lifting weights and I still felt like I was hanging from the pole the first few weeks. 

Our beginner classes focused a lot of building the strength and I still attend them because they show beginner to advanced strength building techniques. One thing I appreciated about being in a class was the ladies were right there giving me encouragement all the way through. Other than the instructor they all started with very little upper body strength and worked up to where they are now. 

It took me 4 weeks to climb the pole but it takes some ladies 8 weeks and we have 11 foot poles at the studio. Don't worry if you keep at it you will get there. As far as I can tell you build muscle a lot faster in pole than you do lifting weights. You will eventually learn to use your core muscles to aid in a lot of the things that require upper body strength it takes some time and practice. 

 

[sundcarrie]

I think it depends on how much protein you eat already. If you already eat a lot don't force yourself to eat more. I find that I do better with more protein but I don't force protein down if I am not feeling the need for it. 

If I am at home I make a meal replacement shake after a rough work out and if I am away I take a pack of nuts with me to get me through until I get home. I don't go to class with protein shakes although we do have a fridge and I tend to take a greek yogurt with me on Thursdays because I have 1.5 house of pole then an hour of Latin dance with a half hour break. 

If your feel really weak you may need to up the protein but you don't have to go crazy unless your trying to look like a body builder. I have a female friend who is a body builder and she eats a TON of protein but she has lost all the feminine curves in her body and I don't want that. so I while I try to choose food high in protein before and after a work out I don't try to eat as much protein as I can in a day. 

If you don't eat a lot of protein in a normal day you might want to try foods with a higher protein content. I used to eat a yogurt almost every day because it seems to help with my digestion and I found that Greek yogurt tastes great and offers a much higer protein content so I switched. Look for foods you like that have higher proteing content. There are even breakfast cerals that have a high protein content. 

 

[sundcarrie]

I have been trying to make an income at home but I can't stay focused on anything. I sell Herbalife products and I have had a lot more sales since I started pole and lost the majority of my access body fat but I sell it more to keep my discount on the products. 

I am fortuinate to have a hubby who makes a good living for us. I am trying my hand at affiliate marketing using a pole dance/health and fittness site right now but I am just in the baby stages of that. 

Now here is the kick in the pants for me I went to college and graduated with a bachelor's in social work but I don't like it. I have come to the conclusion I will not be happy with a job unless it is something I enjoy doing. 

I do occasionally get work at the studio I dance at but it is limited and they pretty much know I will be using it to get started on my next obssession. If I could take dance lessons for a living I would be doing great. I take Pole 4-5 days a week and I take one Latin and one Ballroom class a week. I just feel like there is so much to learn and who knows maybe when I get really good I can make a career out of it. I may not be an instructor but I am sure I could find some creative way to make a living related to dance even if it requires a little business related schooling.

 

 

[sundcarrie]

One more thing anything with eggs is great for me I have six chickens and always have extra eggs with it just being my hubby, myself and my dog eating them. I love my city chickens and it would be great if they could help provide me with one more thing to keep us living a more natrual lifestyle.

[sundcarrie]

I would love to go all natural with all of my cleansing products but I can't find too many premade products that are not going to take from my dance budget. Please share more ricipies for making your own. 

Honestly I think a huge part of my mild acne is that I use too many harsh chemicals on my face they work for a time then they quit working. I also have aweful dry skin these days because I am afraid of lotion and whatever bar is cheapest to wash with. 

I have huge pores on my face and I hate them I don't get really bad breakouts but I have oily skin and a ton of ugly blackheads but I know it could be worse I broke out a lot more as a teenager and I still get some bad break outs but not nearly as often. 

Steffie I am so going to try the nose strip and ninjchick do what kine of oatmeal do you use old fashioned stuff you have to cook or are the quick ones. 

Thanks!