Get Ready to Let Art Inspire Your Flexibility Dream HERE!

For months now I have been planning, researching, and writing down creative brainstorms on the back of every envelope in reach--resulting in #AllOverWednesday!

What is #AllOverWednesday?

What does fitness mean to you? #BeMoreHuman by Reebok

With my re-evaluation of fitness I have been really thinking about what fitness means to each person. Serendipitously, I recently received an email request to share Reebok's #BeMoreHuman message with all my Flexines, and I had to smile at the included graphic (below). I received compensation in exchange for this post but honestly how could I not share it regardless!



I wish I had known Reebok was going to have such a great commercial (read: containing a pole reference) so I would have thought to tune into the Superbowl for once--if it does not have figure skating or pole dance, the sporting event is wasted on me. I immediately thought of all the sporty pole dancers out there but as I clicked on I discovered a bit more.



You can take the HUMAN SCORE test from Reebok and find out a bit about your own fitness motivation and goals. It asks you to choose between two options, much like those Facebook quizzes to find out which movie character you are, and gives you a score at the end. I fully expected to get a score that matched a couch potato but instead I got this:

The description reads, "Brain Buffs do more than keep their bodies fit - they actively work to regularly challenge themselves to think big thoughts way outside the box. And they are rigorous thinkers inclined to do their own research." As it turns out, I do feel that fitness is an intellectual pursuit for me. It got me thinking about how much that means to me, and how special it is that I can engage so many sides of myself through pole fitness and a new fitness pursuit I am planning to share with you all soon. This multi-faceted quality of fitness is what keeps me going, both in fitness itself and outside of it.

What about you, what were your results?

How I Accidentally Ran 5K | Coping Skills for Anxiety

A few months ago I almost posted this--a post about anxiety and being cut short--only to be interrupted again. This blog is dear to me and I hate to put in the 25% that I have the time to so... that day I put in that 25% and waited for the perfect opportunity to finish. Fall became winter while I added "tomorrows" to my self-imposed due dates--until I read a post that put a spark back into me. Alex Beadon posted about overcoming your fears and I realized that I need to post this NOW in its current state of imperfection. I am not the only one out there struggling with schedule demands, anxiety, or recurring perfectionist issues so if you have been there or are right there with me now I hope this will kindle your spark, too:

Run, run, run.

Crunching to a stop in front of my house I had no idea just how far I'd run, but I knew it was far more than the short circuit I had planned. It's life or death for me. My fitness loves keep me sane and safe and this time was no example--I laced up because too many days had passed me by without being able to type a sentence, do a pole climb, or read a chapter. One grey moment strings to the next and I found myself drowning in doubts, analysis paralysis.... anxiety.

So I ran. The treadmill or my pole room have become snazzy clothes racks--I get as far as the warm up and then sweetest baby cries or the stupid phone rings or I remember to go find freelance work before that bill is due. Outside there is the crunch of fall leaves, the night sky unfolding into infinity, and lung-fulls of  autumn magic.

There is nothing for feeling alive quite like an autumnal run.

If you could ever fall in love with the endorphin high of running it will happen by steps. Turn on your favorite song for moving until you have to get up and just go for a block. This block melts into the next and at a steady pace you forget that you could ever live still in one spot. Drink the air, the sparkling stars, the beat of your heart and your steps running into one, until you move because there is music and not to reach a destination or check off a distance. Fitness is a lifeline to finding yourself again and it re-connects you to your heartbeat, your thoughts, and your inner self.

The next thing I knew I had run to the library and back--a distance I looked up and, sure enough... I accidentally ran 5K. It is truly magic what you can do when you let it just happen.

Getting past fear

It is and it is not true that I do not have time for what I love. I get stopped over and over, never having the solid block of time I want to really get everything just right. When I read that post on Alex's blog I kept asking myself how fear is connected to this anxiety. What I realized is that I am not afraid of failing, but of being mediocre. It is not that I lack time to do a pole work but that I lack time for a full pole workout and in just the same way I have time for a paragraph but not a start-to-finish blogging session. I think often we set a standard for ourselves that we think we have broken down in manageable steps but we forget to allow ourselves to put in 25% when that is all there is time for. I see so many other polers get into serious pole ruts or neighbors that have not worked out since college athletics--we all just want to find this miraculous moment of time when we have time and motivation.

My message for all you Flexines out there, and for myself as well, is to allow yourself to take it slow, then take it slower. I am going to keep stringing together my 25%'s. I hope you allow yourself the same love. 

Whisper In My Ear: Mood Music

Last week was busy (and I was a blogging slacker) so let's pick up with a gift for your ears--some softly sexy music. Floorwork music. Sliding slowly into the splits music. "Run your fingers through my hair" music:

Hold it! Let's go straight . . . to number one



Yeah... she jumped at the pole. Ah Kate Moss, you are no pole dancer. Although I really, really don't mind the sexy dancing. Not at all! I love the song and there just happened to be a pole related video.

Whenever I watch this I always wonder what kind of pole that is. It looks like a chrome pole and doesn't seem to wobble... is it an X Stage? Platinum Stages? It has to be a good pole to hold. I have no idea. Comment if you know.



George Michael, Careless Whisper: So i'm never gonna dance again/ The way I danced with you

Sade, Smooth Operator: Melts all your memories and change into gold



I will never say I love the 80's enough. These are two of my most beloved 80's songs, they are the kind of music that you can just sit and daydream to and keep hitting replay. Good thing, too, because I hardly ever know the lyrics!

Available on iTunes:
Careless Whisper
Smooth Operator
Straight To...Number One (Dreamcatcher's Mix)

So what music whispers in your ear?

Stop Trying for Flexibility Progress

Just. Stop. Possibly the worst focus you can have while trying to increase your flexibility is the progress itself. Flexibility is s-l-o-w. While in two weeks of regular physical activity you should increase your intensity by about 15%, in two weeks of flexibility training you will be doing essentially the same stretches. Your progress will seem so minute that it is easy to give up. So forget progress.

When I stopped trying

This is one of my favorite flexibility tricks, all the sweeter because I just got it back after giving birth in November. I think if I had focused on recovering all that I lost in terms of pole, I would probably be drafting a Craigslist listing right now instead of a blog post. I did not stop stretching but I also did not over stress my mind or body; I stopped trying for progress and started trying for routine. The day I first achieved this pose it was more like suddenly feeling a cold, disembodied limb touch my head and hands--I was not expecting it. I was working towards it, but not working towards progress.

Learning to enjoy the process

Stretching sucks. It takes forever, it can be weird to do in front of others, and it hurts. Okay, so I don't completely mean that--I love stretching but I think it is more that I love the process. I make plans to stretch and my fellow Flexines keep me accountable but I also play music that gets me inspired and wear cute outfits so I feel the part. I definitely share my milestones and I brag (as you should, be proud and celebrate yourself, how many other people can do what you can?). For my photography guru friends... I apologize for my fuzzy video screencapture and all-too-slowly evolving image editing, er, skills. This too is a learning process I am trying to enjoy more and criticize less; we'll see how that goes. I believe it is critical to love the progress but do not lose sight of the fact that imperfection is part of the journey. You will have messy, uncomfortable poses before you have clean lines.

Love that, too.

Weekend Crush: Krissy KiKi

There are so many reasons Krissy KiKi is this week's Weekend Crush; of all of these, the absolute top is her fun personality. What I love about KiKi is she is always upbeat, fun, and the most encouraging person. I challenge you to read her blog and NOT be inspired--it's just not possible. When she's not giving tips on how to be yourself, or putting herself out there being all kinds of KiKi wacky, she's posting helpful comments.  Incidentally, KiKi is running a 1 Year Pole Dancing Scholarship and a 30 Day Pole Dancing Scholarship through StudioVeena, check them out and apply by May 1st.

What is Pole Fitness/Pole Dance?

To me pole dance...

...is all about extension...