The Very Best Of Pole Dance & Fitness – May 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.
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 thirteenth post in my series of favourite pole fitness, health and nutrition articles I read this month!
It's been another quiet month on the blog post front this month but that's all set to change next month once I've finished working on my Splits Flexibility Workshops!
I've been really focused on bringing you some real quality videos but they are finally available, so if you've been struggling with your splits, on or off the pole, click here to take a look at my workshops now 🙂
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Pole Dancing & Fitness
First, let's check out the top pole dancing & fitness articles I read online this month...
#1) How To Love Spin Poles
If, like me, you're an adrenaline junkie and all round speed demon who loves spinning and twirling upside down on anything then this might seem like an odd article.
The truth is, the majority of people struggle with motion sickness, diziness and nausea when they begin learning to pole dance with the pole set to spin.
That's on top of having to relearn everything you thought you knew about the dynamics of pole and how to control your momentum!
That's why I'm loving this helpful article from Aerial Amy, which reveals her personal experience of switching from static to spin.
Inside you'll find 14 tips to help you get used to spin pole and avoid nausea.
#2) How To Take Your Pole Performance To The Next Level
Competitive pole dancer Kishanda is sharing her top pole performance tips in this article over at Pole With Peach.
You'll find 5 ways to polish your performance and take it from amateur to expert right from the tips of your fingers down to how you walk on stage before you begin!
#3) How To Avoid A Facebook Video Ban
One of the most annoying things on Facebook right now is the way we struggle to post videos that contain music.
As a dancer, how can you be expected to perform in silence? The idea is ludicrous.
Despite that, Facebook has been intent on removing any and all videos that violate musical copyright and all of us have had at least one run in with the Facebook video police!
We're a stubborn bunch though, and this helpful article over on Cleo's Rockin' Reads reveals 5 ways to avoid getting banned from posting videos on Facebook.
Editor's Note: This article no longer exists and is not available in web archives for reference.
A couple of methods not included in the list that also work are posting directly from your Vimeo account and speeding up or slowing down the backing music slightly.
Technically speaking, Facebook allows any video where the music is not the main focus of the video to be uploaded.
So, if given the option I always click 'post anyway' and add credit to the artist with a link to the official YouTube version of their music.
Once you hit 'post anyway' the artist and record company can review your video to see if it violates copyright, so I'm of the opinion this helps if anyone were to review a video since it's exposure for their channel.
I've not had any issues working around things that way, and let's be honest - who in their right mind is going to say "Nope, I don't want those sexy pole dancers dancing to my music!"
#4) Why Pointing Your Toes Isn't Just About Aesthetics
In this article by Danielle on the Bad Kitty blog you'll learn 3 important reasons to point your toes.
Sometimes flexed feet are just fine and there are many styles where this can be included, as long as the muscle engagement is still there, because it's not just about the aesthetics!
#5) Shoulder Warm Ups For Pole Dancers
It's no secret that shoulders are the most commonly injured body part in pole dancing, we put an awful lot of stress on them with our tricks, spins and routines!
That's why Holly over at Pole Freaks is sharing this short video with some excellent warm ups for your shoulders this month.
You should always remember to warm your shoulders thoroughly before getting into any conditioning or routines on the pole.
#6) How To Eat Clean For Pole On A Budget
The biggest challenge for a lot of us when it comes to clean eating to compliment our pole workouts isn't the food.
A lot of clean recipes are delicious, and aside from the preparation the hardest part of eating clean is often the cost.
Fresh food isn't cheap and it often spoils more quickly than junk food, which makes it easy to slip up if you're trying to stick to a clean diet.
This helpful article by Sarah on the Pole Convention blog reveals 7 tips for clean eating on a budget. The best piece of advice for me has been removing meat from my diet.
When you remove meat from the equation you're left with super simple, clean recipes that don't cost an arm and a leg - because meat is the most expensive part!
#7) What Happens When You Start Pole Dancing?
I love when a good real life pole story hits mainstream news, so I was excited when I saw this headline.
"Man who went to pole dancing class ‘as a joke’ says it’s changed his life"
Imagine my surprise when this news story turned out to be about a poler who I love to watch performing - Jakub Kolasa!
The article shares a little bit of Jakub's story, including how he tried pole dancing just for the giggles and ended up addicted 😀
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!
#8) The Problem With Diet & Nutrition 'Secrets'
This month I stumbled across this great article by Adam over at Born Fitness.
It reveals why fad diets don't work and lists some blunt home truths about what we need to eat to see results.
It's probably not what you want to hear, but the lines have been so blurred between what you should and shouldn't eat that it's impossible to choose from a lot of online dietry advice.
The main conclusion? Restrictive diets set you up for failure, you can eat dessert sometimes and if you want to see results just eat real food and work your ass off!
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!
#9) Diary Of A Pole Mama
In this article by Erin over at United Pole Artists she shares her journey with pole and pregnancy, from morning sickness all the way through to the months following the arrival of her little girl.
You'll learn what her biggest struggles were along with a timeline of events.
While everyone progresses differently, it's uplifting and inspirational to follow the journeys of others if you're feeling down about losing strength from pregnancy.
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!
#10) The Main Course
This month I have a very firm favourite for you that I just can't stop eating.
I continued to reduce meat and dairy consumption and have been absolutely loving this recipe for mediterranean stuffed peppers.
I've read a lot about how healthy mediterranean diets are supposed to be and pulled up a few recipes to give it a shot, and this is one of those low-cost, quick and easy to make recipes I was talking about earlier.
It's completely vegetarian and of course if you are vegan you can simply remove the feta cheese from the recipe 🙂
#11) A Healthy Tasty Treat
It's been great to see some nice warm weather here in the UK over the last week!
Warm weather also means it's really easy to keep dessert nice and healthy while staying cool with ice lollies.
My favourite healthy and cooling summer treat this month has been these Orange-Banana Smoothie Pops.
Now, previous research I've done showed orange juice concentrate to be about as healthy as a can of coke.
So, for that reason rather than adding concentrate to the mix I added fresh oranges instead!
#12) Something Different To Wash It Down
Everyone loves a good high protein, healthy chocolate recipe.
That's exactly what you get with this Peanut Butter & Chocolate Smoothie.
It's got everything you need to compliment your workouts from protein and fibre to omega 3 if you add the optional chia seeds which I would highly recommend.
The recipe is also gluten free, low sodium, low calorie and low in added sugars. It still tastes great though, perfect!
Before you go, don't forget to take a look at my brand new Splits Flexibility Workshops if you haven't already 🙂
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?
