The Best Of Pole Dance & Fitness - February 2017

The Best Of Pole Dance & Fitness – February 2017

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 tenth post in my series of favourite pole fitness, health and nutrition articles I read this month!

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Pole Dancing & Fitness

First, let's check out the top pole dancing & fitness articles I read online this month...

#1) The Struggles Of Being Your Own Teacher

In the number one spot this month is Holly over at Pole For Life sharing her experiences from being self taught.

The struggle is certainly real. Having no one to show you how to get into the move you want to try, to tell you to point your toes and catch you when things go wrong is hard.

With that said though, I also wanted to share my own experiences on the subject. Being self taught really helped me to grow as a pole dancer.

As long as you have a trusty crash mat handy you'll find self-teaching brings its own rewards. You'll learn to develop your own style and avoid moves that are too advanced that may cause you to fall.

You know, the ones where you may suddenly land on your instructor or need your bum pushing up when you're not strong enough.

Not only that, you also gain a much better awareness of your own body as you learn to dissect pole pictures to figure out exactly what body part goes where.

So while it is sometimes a struggle being self taught, don't let that put you off if you don't have a studio near by!

#2) It's Not Easy Being This Sexy

I absolutely love this article over at Pole With Peach this month!

If you're fed up with people telling you that your hard earned sexy floor work skills look easy then this article is for you.

The same goes if you think floor work looks easy and haven't tried it yet, you'll be very surprised!

Peach's article reveals what challenges you'll face when you start learning sexy floor work!

exotic floorwork is one of the best workouts

Exotic floor work is one of the best workouts I've ever done, and if you're struggling with strength for pole then there's no better way to compliment your training.

It also helps you learn to really move around the pole and link all of those tricks together into real routines that flow.

#3) DIY Pole Dance Photoshoot Secrets

This fabulous post by Tiffany over at Push And Pole will give you 6 brilliant tips to pull off your own pole photoshoot.

You'll learn how to brainstorm for photoshoot inspiration and how to clean up your background for epic shots.

Perfect if you've been longing to have a photoshoot but have a smaller budget to work with!

#4) How To Find Your Doubles Partner

Have you found the pole yin to your pole yang yet?

In this article by Ermelinda on the Bad Kitty blog you'll learn what to look for in your perfect doubles partner.

She reveals the secrets behind feeding from each other's strengths and how to be a successful doubles team.

So if you haven't found your pole buddy yet or you and your buddy are struggling to gel together, make sure you take a look at these tips!

#5) A Guide To Pole Dancing For Muggles

It turns out that a lot more of us than I thought call our non-pole friends muggles. And rightly so, what you pull off on that pole really is pure magic.

If your muggle friends struggle to understand your obsession, then you just have to share this fantastic article with them.

Written by Bex over at United Pole Artists it reveals 13 insights about the life of a pole dancer.

Editor's Note; this article is no longer published and is not available in web archives for reference.

So if you love a post full of fun relatable facts that unite us as pole dancers, you'll love this one!

#6) What Pole Dancers Can Learn From Lady Gaga

This month saw the huge body shaming issues we face as a society come to light again.

After watching an amazing performance by the fabulous Lady Gaga, I was stunned to find that many people had an issue with a little bit of 'flab'.

It comes as a shock to those of us from such a body positive industry, but it just goes to show that no matter who you are someone will always have a bone to pick about your appearance.

Haters Gonna Hate

In this article by Neo at The Pole PT she gives us the low-down on self-love along with what we can learn from this bout of online madness.

Lady Gaga responded to the topic saying "I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too."

She doesn't give a damn about the haters, and neither should you!

Other Fitness Tips I Read This Month

In this section I'll be sharing tips from fitness blogs around the web that can be useful in your pole training too!

#7) How To Tackle Shoulder Pain

One of the most common injuries reported by pole dancers is shoulder pain, and this article by Jeff over at Yoga Dork gives you a detailed look at the rotator cuffs.

It shares an easy to follow look at how our shoulders work and what can cause stress in the muscles along with helpful diagrams.

You'll learn everything from the most common problems to how to look after your shoulders on the road to recovery.

#8) Are You Hungry All The Time?

If you're on a quest for weight loss, toning up or even just clean eating in general you might find yourself struggling with hunger.

But what can you do about it, abs are made in the kitchen after all... Right?

In this article by Jen at Girls Gone Strong, you'll find out how it's possible to out-train your diet.

If you're doing regular intense workouts you'll probably notice your appetite just won't quit.

It's important to fuel your body for pole dancing, but if you really are on a quest to become leaner you'll want to strike the perfect balance between your diet and training schedule.

#9) Why You Need To Embrace Your Weakness

This post by Laura Schoenfeld reveals why you shouldn't be scared of looking weak.

She shares how embracing her weakness has actually allowed her to grow at a much faster rate!

Allow yourself to be weak to give room for strength to grow

This rings true for pole dancing as well, weakness isn't a sign of failure it's just another bridge to cross in your journey.

So be patient and allow yourself to be weak to give yourself room for your strength to grow.

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!

If you're looking for like minded pole dancing mums you should visit the Pole Mamas Facebook group, there's no better place to connect with mums who pole for guidance!

#10) A Guide To Exercising Through Pregnancy

While many people continue to pole dance into pregnancy, that isn't for everyone.

This article reveals the types of exercise recommended by doctors and some that are not.

It's especially handy if you are fairly new to pole dancing.

Many of the people you see continuing through pregnancy are already very strong and their bodies familiar with the movements.

You'll also find some helpful tips about reasons not to exercise or signs that you should stop.

The Healthy Food Corner

Each month I 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 I pick 2 - 3 recipes, buy all the ingredients for around 8 portions in bulk, and then spend a day cooking!

Then, to mix things up I'm always on the look out for quick and easy healthy recipes so I don't get bored of eating my prep meals.

So every month I'll share my favourite recipe from the month with you right here!

#11) The Main Course

This month's main course is this tasty healing bowl recipe from Lindsay at Pinch Of Yum.

I love a good healthy but tasty rice bowl recipe, and this is totally vegetarian too.

It consists of brown rice, red quinoa, sweet potatoes, arugula, pistachios and a lemon herb dressing topped with a poached egg.

You can even lose the egg from the recipe for a totally vegan meal!

#12) A Healthy Tasty Treat

High protein? Check!

Healthy? Check!

Tasty? Check!

When clean eating starts to get boring it's easy to lose track and give in to self-indulgence.

So if you're on a strict diet of chicken, greens and cardboard you'll love this Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Parfait With Protein Granola.

#13) Something Different To Wash It Down

This month's healthy tasty drink is a Chocolate Chia Smoothie.

You heard me right, chocolate and healthy in the same sentence!

Made with banana, spinach, almond milk, chia seeds, dark cocoa powder and a little vanilla extract it's oh so tasty and super good for you!

It's also totally vegan and gluten free 🙂

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! Did you find these articles helpful?

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