The Best Of Pole Fitness – August 2016
I read a lot every month, from pole to general fitness, healthy eating and nutritional information.
I come across things around the web from time to time that I think you guys will be able to take helpful advice and information from.
So, whenever I see something I think you'll benefit from, I save it right into my Evernote. Once a month I'll put together a roundup of my favourites for you to enjoy.
So without further ado, here is the fourth post in my series of favourite pole fitness, health and nutrition articles I read this month!
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Pole Fitness
#1) Wondering Why Your Jade Is Lacking When Your Splits Are Flat?
Up in the number one spot this month is this fab article by Neo on her newly launched blog, The Pole PT!
Flexibility is often all you think about as a pole dancer. It's a never ending quest to get bendier every day, but do you ever notice that you are bendier on the floor than you are on the pole?
If you're anything like me that could well be because your bad side for flexibility is your good side on the pole, which shouldn't happen if you're training both sides by the way 😉
There is another reason though and that is the huge difference that lies between active and passive flexibility as Neo explains wonderfully in this post.
It also covers important information about strengthening as you stretch, something a lot of people neglect when working on flexibility which can often lead to injury!
#2) Discover Why Your Handstands Suck!
Pole Freaks are back again this month with 10 great tips to help you with your handstands.
Before delving into the general tips to help with your handstands she delivers some home truths about how often you practise... and if you aren't training them religiously it ain't gonna happen!
Just doing the odd handstand occasionally is not enough to truly master your hand balancing, it takes a real training schedule and proper repetitions, as Holly details in her article.
#3) Learn How To Prevent Hamstring Injuries
We're back onto flexibility tips again in this detailed article by Alexander Cortes about all things hamstrings over at the Bad Kitty blog.
In this post you'll learn how your hamstrings work, why injuries occur and exactly how to avoid strains, so whether you've ever suffered a hamstring injury or not, this article on caring for your hamstrings is an absolute must read!
#4) You Know You're Addicted When It's Hard To Take A Rest Day...
Neo is back again with an awesome post on overtraining at the United Pole Artists blog.
While you may not think you're overtraining as you fall deeper in love with pole fitness, unfortunately there comes a point where you need to take a step back.
In this article you'll learn how to channel your enthusiasm for pole with these 5 ways to avoid overtraining that will help to stop you suffering from burn out or injury.
When I fell into the overtraining trap I found re-assessing my goals and creating a better training schedule made an enormous difference!
#5) How Well Do You Know Your Bum?
Mel is back with another awesome post on Mel Nutter this month, but don't let the Sunday Bumday title mislead you!
It's not all bum selfies I'm afraid, her article is absolutely jam packed with priceless advice about how you can avoid hamstring injury by strengthening your glutes.
Perhaps you'll notice a theme this month, clue - it's about strengthening as well as stretching to improve flexibility 🙂
She shares her experience of hamstring injury and how you can avoid it, breaking down the muscles in your bum and revealing how neglecting these muscles can also be having an effect on your pole skills!
#6) A Step By Step Guide To Your First Pole Photoshoot
If you're looking for tips to get you through your pole photoshoot then you're going to love this post.
This post reveals all the behind the scenes info you need to survive your photoshoot and come away with stunning shots, going over everything from choosing your photographer, outfit, poses to tips for the day of the shoot.
#7) 5 Reasons Pole Dancers Are Hardcore!
If you need an uplifting reminder of why you're awesome you'll want to check out this awesome guest post over at Mini Big Lifts by Peach Lee Ray!
In this post she goes over some of the hardest aspects of pole and although it's aimed at other fitness enthusiasts I loved being reminded of how bad ass pole dancing really is.
To top it off she also finishes the article by featuring three of my favourite pole dancer's performances, so if you haven't seen those before prepare to be amazed!
Other Fitness Tips
In this section I'll be sharing tips from fitness blogs around the web that can be useful in your pole training too!
#8) Warning: Your Diet Could Be Destroying Your Progress
In this post by dietician Laura Schoenfeld over at Girls Gone Strong you'll learn how society has developed a twisted view of how much 'enough' food is if you're trying to lose weight.
As pole dancers (or anyone involved in heavy workout routines) this view that we are eating too much can actually destroy your progress as your body struggles with strength, muscle gains and energy levels.
So if you're feeling burnt out from workouts have a read of this post on undereating, it could be what's holding you back!
#9) What If I Told You Eating Pizza Was Good For You?
I'm loving this post by Neghar Fonooni, a woman after my own heart she has written an entire post dedicated to the justification of pizza in your diet.
Editor's Note: This article no longer exists and is not available in web archives for reference
You may remember I also featured pizza in my post as one of 22 ways to stay motivated at home.
I'm a big pizza lover, it's no secret. So I wanted to share the love with this article that teaches us to not only eat pizza, but savour it by eating pizza that you really love and remembering to continue to love your own body afterwards.
#10) Mind Over Matter
The hardest part of training for anything is mindset, especially if you suddenly reach a plateau in your progress.
That's why I wanted to share this article by Rachel Binette that I stumbled across over at Tabata Times, it's actually aimed at coaches and how to develop a good mindset in athletes.
Whether you're an instructor or a student though, this article is full of fantastic advice including how to stay focused on the bigger picture with SMART goal setting.
Tips For Mums
Although I’m not a mum myself, I forever see people looking for advice on pole and exercise during and after pregnancy.
Since I have neither the qualifications nor experience to advise on pregnancy in any way, I'll do my best to share any helpful articles I find on the subject every month here in the roundup!
#11) Pregnancy & Pole
In this post on KT Coates' site Vertical Dance you can find a first hand account of KT's experiences with pregnancy and pole.
You'll find facts about your first, second and third trimester as well as post pregnancy tips while the main body of the article details exactly when you shouldn't exercise along with tips for both students and instructors.
Not only that but if you are unable to pole during your pregnancy she has some great alternative exercises that are recommended and even encouraged.
The Healthy Food Corner
In my house we do a lot of food prep, I'm forever looking for healthy meals I can cook in bulk.
Apart from saving a bunch of time this also allows me to worry less about diet and what I'm going to eat in the moment of choosing a meal.
Once a month my partner and I pick 2 - 3 recipes each, buy all the ingredients for around 8 portions in bulk, and then spend a day each cooking!
So, every month I'll share my favourite recipe from the month with you right here:
#12) The Main Course
In this month's food corner it's another multiple dish post from My Fitness Pal.
Cooking a healthy meal is often a huge pain, especially if you're strapped for time, which is why I'm loving these 14 healthy recipes all intended for your slow cooker!
If you're vegetarian three of these interesting recipes are suitable for you, so there really is something for everyone here 🙂
#13) A Healthy Tasty Treat
Pinch Of Yum are back again this month with another delicious desert - delicious and oh so good for your muscle recovery!
Today's tasty treats are protein pancakes, made in a blender with no refined sugar and a bunch of healthy proteins I know you're going to love these.
You can also find all the nutritional information you need if you're on a super strict diet and a mouth watering demo video to show you how they're made.
#14) Something Different To Wash It Down
Our healthy drink this week is also brought to you by Lindsay over at Pinch of Yum, it's an Iced Matcha Green Tea Latte - fancy!
All you need to create this little drink that's full of antioxidants and super creamy while light on calories and fat is; matcha powder, almond milk, agave or honey and a glass jar with a lid.
If you've read any great pole fitness articles you think deserve a spot in the top 10 next month feel free to share them with me here or comment below!