Something Different

I've been working hard at persisting to keep up my fitness routine of doing something in addition to my riding at least once a week (baby steps!). I was working on yoga 2 weeks ago and last week I partook in an activity I haven't done in a few years: I went to a pole dancing class. Before the inappropriate questions flood in, I'll answer some of the asinine questions I tend to get:

1. No, I'm not nude, and neither is anyone else.
2. It's hella hard and if you think you can do it, you probably can't (sounds like my answer to people's comments about riding a horse).
3. It's not about prancing around like I'm about to explode from sexual tension.
4. Yes, there are guys who take classes.

Any others? I'm happy to answer them!

Wikipedia defines pole dance as a performance art that combines dance with acrobatics centred on a vertical burlesque pole. I tried a couple classes way back and was hooked. I love the strength, flexibility and grace that it requires. Soon, I purchased annual membership and was doing classes daily. I built a lot of strength and flexibility but still hated "dancing". Instead, I enjoyed the tricks, climbing, inversions etc. I stopped because the commute time from studio to home was costing me more time than I wanted and I didn't love it the same way I love riding where I'd be willing to commit that kind of time (and money) towards.

Seriously amazing looking. Perhaps one day...

Before I left, I decided that it would be convenient to keep up the fitness and the social aspect of it so I bought a class pass that I could use any time. I haven't done a single class in ages but I decided I'd be fine to pick up where I left off: inversions. I was sorely wrong. I can still get upside down but I definitely lack the strength and courage to relax. The studio also upped the ante and have reworked their curriculum to be way more technical which is amazing b/c that is the sort of thing that I enjoy. They used to focus on the dancing part but I never was interested in that component unless the dancing was physically and technically derived. I'm not a dancer though, so to get there, would take years of training but strength and flexibility is much more easily attained.

These classes require a good deal of core strength and flexibility in many parts of your body that I believe it would be a good compliment to continue incorporating it as part of my fitness routine. The best part is that they're opening up a studio much closer to my home so I'll be able to go on weekends and even later in the evenings!!

p.s. that's not me in the photo! That was the last pose I was working on trying to accomplish before I stopped.