THANK YOU!

I could find poems or songs to help me express the gratitude I feel for everyone who participated in the Second Annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser to benefit the National Kidney Foundation, but two words say it best:  THANK YOU.  

Thank you to everyone who participated in the calendar photoshoot, bought a calendar, donated raffle items, bought raffle tickets, attended the dance recital, donated money through Rita's kidney website...  Thank you to all of the girls who danced on Sunday.  Thank you to their friends and families for allowing them to share their time with us.  Thank you to Andrea Becker, who helped choreograph a couple of the dances and donated many items for the raffle.  

THANK YOU TO THE GIRLS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FUNDRAISER:

Dancers:

Marilyn

Tina

Grace

"Stephanie Nicole"

Yolanda T.

Sam

Jenelle

Paola

Gina

Chelsea "Pink Flamingo"

"Shimmies Galore"

Sharon

And, of course, RITA!  (ADORABLE performance, by the way!)

(Oh yeah, and me too -- Lori.)

Pole Cleaners:

Isabel

Carmen

Jessica

Jenny

Samantha

Sandra

To Edna for selling raffle tickets at the event for us!

(I went through that list three times and if I forgot anyone, I AM SO SORRY, please let me know and I will update this list!)

To our amazing singer, Yolanda B., who rocked it TWICE for us!  You have an amazing voice, lady!!!

I thanked her above for dancing, but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to Stephanie Nicole le Dream, who came out to perform for Rita even though she had another show that night at Club 1220 in Walnut Creek.  If you ever want to attend a fun drag show, check out Stephanie, along with a host of other amazing girls, on the first and third Sunday of each month, starting at 9:30 p.m., at Club 1220.  

Thank you to Shelly Lamb, who is now teaching at Twirly Girls, and is about to go to New York for competition.  GOOD LUCK!  You have the entire Twirly Girl family rooting you on.  And thank you, Shelly, for coming out to the fundraiser and performing, even though you had been teaching so far away that day.  You are an amazing performer and so fun to watch.

So far, we have raised about $2,000 for the National Kidney Foundation.

THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO DONATED TO THE RAFFLE:

Bel Jeremiah of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness
www.twirlygirlspolefitness.com

Doug Korb of DK Designs
Doug's e-mail

Twisted Silver 

http://www.twisted-silver.com/

Sarah Starlight
www.starlighthoops.com

hOney

www.hoopdanceacademy.com

Inspire Fitness Boot Camps 

www.myinspirefitness.com

Mighty Grip

http://www.mightygrip.com/

Sephora items donated through Isabel Sum Contreras

Baskets donated by Shelley Clark

Jenny Gain, Wellness International Network
http://www.synergywellnessgroup.com/

Theresa Taylor Grutzeck at The Rouge

www.therougecosmetics.com

Massimo's

www.massimos.com

Bruce's Tire in Fremont 

(510) 651-4701

Jennifer of PoleSkivvies 

http://www.poleskivvies.com

Gerri Levitas of Bay Healing
www.bayhealing.com

Joe Baptist (retired Air Force firearms instructor)

Just By Touch

www.justbytouch.webs.com

Primal Fit Boot Camp

www.primalfitbootcamp.com

Roxanne Freitas-Souza at Motives

www.motivescosmetics.com/colormeroxanne

Toni Reyes at Christopher's Salon

www.salon07ghq.com

Rocco's Pizzeria

http://www.roccospizzeria.com/

We also want to thank:

The Real Karaoke Joe

www.therealkaraokejoe.com

Cake Queen, Michael Villa 

underwater@sbcglobalnet

And let's not forget the companies that helped fund the printing of our Lovely Rita calendar (we still have a three or four available for sale...only $5):

Physicians' Youthful Resolutions
www.youthfulresolutions.com

Penninsula Women's Health
www.penninsulawomenshealth.com

Tri-Valley Bodyworks
www.trivalleybodyworks.com

The Pole Dancing Shop
www.thepoledancingshop.com

Douglas Korb, Remax
www.dougkorb.com

Thank you to Andrew of Liquidpulp Photography (www.liquidpulp.com) for taking the photos at the calendar shoot AND at the fundraiser; and thanks to Anh Thu Tran for doing make-up the day of the shoot (and supporting the Twirly Girls by coming to the fundraiser).

Rita and I again would like to thank Bel of Twirly Girls Pole Fitness (www.twirlygirlspolefitness.com) for being so generous with her time and studio!  We know she is a busy lady, but she always makes time for her Twirly Girls and we love her for that!  

I personally want to thank Rita for being a good friend and keeping my life interesting and fun.  She is one of the most honest and trustworthy people I have ever met.  I appreciate her sharing her daughter, Kate, with me.  And I even appreciate her sharing her husband, Dave, with me (no, not in THAT way).  He says the funniest $hit sometimes.  

One of the things I love about Twirly Girls is how supportive all the girls are of each other.  We are all at different levels.  We are all different ages, shapes and sizes.  Hell, some of us aren't even actually girls.  But we all get along, love each other and support each other.  It truly is a family.  It is a beautiful thing.  And I am thankful every day to have the Twirly Girls in my life.  

We have one last fundraiser at Rocco's in Walnut Creek next Thursday, April 28th.  If you let them know you are there for Rita's fundraiser, they will donate a portion of the sales to Rita's walk.  This is valid all day, for take-out and dine-in.  Rita and I, along with many others, will be there in the evening for dinner if you would like to join us.  

http://walnutcreek.patch.com/events/the-lovely-rita-fundraiser-at-roccos-pizzeria

If you'd just like to donate to TEAM KIDNEY, please check out this link:  

http://donate.kidney.org/site/TR/Walk/NorthernCaliforniaNorthernNevadaOregonWashingtonandAlaska?team_id=87291&pg=team&fr_id=3320

You can also join the Lovely Rita fan page on Facebook to be kept up to date on future events:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/The-Lovely-Rita-Fundraiser/184967201517111

Rita and I (along with many others) will be doing the Kidney Walk in San Francisco on Saturday, May 7th.  Please feel free to join us for a beautiful walk along the Embarcadero!  

I know this is really long and I apologize for that, but before I go, I wanted to let you know where you can find photos and videos from the event.

Flickr link (this is my account but I am gathering photos from all over to keep together.  So far, I have photos from Andrew, Rita, Grace and myself.  Keep checking back because I know there are more photos coming): 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lolorashel/sets/72157626540794554/

Videos on my YouTube account (might have to scroll around...look for videos uploaded around April 18, 2011):

http://www.youtube.com/lolorashel

Videos on Rita's YouTube account:

http://www.youtube.com/ritapearson

Videos on Twirly Girls' YouTube account (might not have any videos from the fundraiser but there are other fun videos on there):

http://www.youtube.com/twirlygirlspolefit

See you next year!  Check out my blog from yesterday...where I set a goal for the THIRD annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser!

Vitamins and gastric bypass surgery

After gastric bypass, you're given a list a mile long of vitamins you should be taking.  The American public in general should be taking vitamins since the soils have been stripped of many nutrients and most people eat so much processed food.  However, after weight loss surgery, it is even more important to take your vitamins since you are malabsorptive and won't absorb most vitamins from your food.  I could get into fat and water soluble vitamins here, but that would just make this post way too long.  Just be aware that some vitamins dissolve and absorb better in different conditions (which is why having a little REAL salad dressing on your salad isn't necessarily a bad thing...fat can help you absorb some of those vitamins). 

I wanted to list all of the vitamins I take and why.  Everyone's list will be vaguely different.  I am seven years out from surgery, and each year I go in for my blood work, I'm low in some vitamin or another, and so it gets added to my list of vitamins to take.

I take a multivitamin.  There are many theories about which vitamin is best.  Store brand?  Designer brand?  I find that a prenatal (even a cheap store brand) works best for me.

A lot of patients have to take iron after surgery.  I do not take iron (other than the prenatal vitamin is supposed to have a little extra in it).  You have to be very careful not to take iron with calcium supplements, and can cause constipation, so be careful if you are advised to take iron.

For the fun of it, I take an echinacea-golden seal supplement.  I know there are conflicting reports about whether it actually helps you avoid colds, but I figure it doesn't hurt to take it. 

Sometimes I get cold sores, so I usually take a daily dose of L-Lysine.  If I have a break-out (which I haven't in a really long time), I take three doses twice a day and it usually helps it clear up quickly.  I am a stress case (and also have psoriasis, which is sensitive to stress), so taking a daily pill seems to help keep them away.

I take acidophilus/probiotic.  This is especially important for women if you are prescribed an antibiotic.  Stripping your body of the good bacteria can cause yeast infections.  You can also get probiotics from yogurt, but a lot of yogurts are very high in sugar, which isn't good for gastric bypass patients.

The number one vitamin a gastric bypass patient should take is B12.  They say you should take a sublingual dose (meaning it is dissolved under the tongue) twice a week.  I sometimes skip this pill (yeah, I know, I just said it was the most important pill), so when I'm taking it, I take it daily.  I was low on B12 early in my post-surgery days.  The tops of my feet tingled.  Getting too low in B12 can cause MS-like symptoms, so I suggest you don't skip the B12.  Some people can go to the doctor for shots if you aren't absorbing the pill or if you get too low.  I also suggest you not get to this point if you can help it.

I take a B1 (Thiamine) supplement as well.  I used to take a B-complex, but I am sensitive to Niacin (B3), and it makes my face red.  I stopped taking the B-complex a few years ago and then I was low in B1 two years ago.  So I added B1 back in.  B1 helps with food absorption.

I take a calcium supplement, which includes Vitamin D and magnesium, to help with absorption.  It is VERY, VERY important that we take calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate (Tums, etc.).  A lot of gastric bypass patients become lactose intolerant after surgery.  Even if you are able to drink/eat milk products, the malabsorpotion issue still gets in the way.  When you are overweight, you have a lower chance of getting osteoporosis (your body weight is keeping your bones strong).  However, once you lose weight, you need to make sure you are doing everything you can to keep your bones strong and healthy.

Last year, after my blood work, I had to add an additional Vitamin D pill.  I was low in Vitamin D (something you should be able to get from the sun but I must be spending way too much time indoors lately).  It's a tiny pill and I hardly notice I'm taking it.

I also take a Vitamin E natural pill.  My chiropractor recommended it years ago before I had plastic surgeries.  He said it helps with skin elasticity and healing. 

I now take a joint supplement.  That has nothing to do with surgery.  I just find that when I work out a lot, I hurt, and that helps keep my joints lubed and happy.

I also take an Omega-Three supplement.  For awhile, I was taking a "wholemega" pill, which claimed something like 16 omegas.  Now I just use the Trader Joe's brand.  It's just fish oil.  Ewww, I know.  But I take it with breakfast and it keeps me from burping fish taste, which would really bum me out.

Of course, another supplement that I try to take daily is my whey protein shake.  I still find that, even after seven years, that's the best way for me to make sure I get enough protein into my system on a daily basis.  I am currently trying to switch up how I eat, so I may be changing this to dinner instead of breakfast.  I use Champion Pure Whey protein powder.  However, there are many good brands out there.  Just make sure its high in protein (25 grams is plenty...the 55 gram shakes are a waste of calories) and low in calories and sugar (mine is 125 calories and I think 3 grams of sugar or less).

I also add whole ground flax seed to my protein shake.  It helps with constipation issues as well.

I take other vitamins and medications on and off but these are the ones I feel are necessary.  Yes, it's a lot of pills.  I usually just pack them into a little container and pop them as I'm driving to work after I've eaten breakfast.  And, as much as I hate popping so many pills, it's better than dying from malabsportion!

Update of all pole goals

I had been setting goals I was calling "pole goals" (stolen from PoleSkivvies posts).  :-)  I guess most aren't really even pole-related -- more fitness/strength related.  They are reasons I'd like to be in better shape.  "Non-weight/scale related goals" I should call them.  Anyway, it's time for an update.

I don't think I've improved much on any of them.  But I am still working to get stronger and more flexible.  I especially have issues bending backwards so I am focusing on back bends.

Here are pictures from March:

Here are pictures from April:

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/02/next-pole-goal-backbend.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/02/next-pole-goal-splits.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/03/next-pole-goal-dancer.html

http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2011/03/updated-pole-goal-handstand.html

So, not a huge improvement but I'm still working on them. 

Gastric bypass support group

As some people know, I help facilitate a gastric bypass support group in Walnut Creek, California.  I started as a member pre-surgery...over eight years ago.  I met a lot of great friends that way.  The group was mostly made up of Kaiser members who were being sent down to San Diego (to Pacific Bariatric) for their surgeries.  Kaiser now does all surgery in-house (and locally), but our group still remains.  A lot of people (like myself) had surgery in San Francisco, and didn't want to travel to the city on a work night for support.  It was nice to have a local group to meet with.  We are one of the few free groups who allows anyone to attend.  Most of the local groups limit membership to those who had surgery through their program. 

Anyway, a few years ago, the facilitator, Ginny, moved away and asked one of the members, Sandy (who had surgery around the same time I did) to take over for her.  Sandy then asked me to help her out.  So, for the last two and a  half to three years, Sandy and I have been co-facilitators.  The group size fluctuates.  For awhile, we got pretty small and thought about possibly shutting it down.  But we now get between 8 and 12 members attending each month.

Last night I started a Facebook group to help keep people in touch during the month.  It is called Bari-Buddies Walnut Creek (thanks to Burnette for the cute name idea!).  You can join HERE.  I know that having support after surgery is one thing that helps us be successful.  Sometimes getting to a meeting in-person isn't always an option, so online support is the next best thing. 

Hope to see you all at a meeting soon.  If not, I hope to see you on Facebook.  :-)

Firemen rock

This is a post that has been a year in the making.  I was so angry about it for a long time that I just kind of let the topic sit in the back of my brain.  Until today.  I'm sure I have mentioned it in passing in other posts but I haven't addressed it directly.  Now I'm making it sound way more exciting than it is probably going to end up being.  Oh well, drama queen...that's what they call me. 

Last year, Bel was doing little challenges at Twirly Girls.  We would wear our shirts around town and take pictures at different places.  One suggestion was to find poles at fire stations.  I started researching fire stations that actually had poles (they aren't very common in California) and fired off e-mails to try to set up appointments.  It never once occurred to me not to mention that we were pole fitness students coming in our Twirly Girls shirts to take photos with them.  They all had a policy of allowing the public in to see the facilities -- hello, our tax dollars pay their salaries. 

I was denied by every single station.  Some were kinder in their wording than others.  A few were outright rude and said it would be inappropriate to have anyone from our studio come take photos near their pole. 

Part of me was FURIOUS.  If I had just requested a tour, and had shown up in my TG shirt and jeans to take photos, they never would have known and I would have gotten my photos. 

Part of me was sad.  The stripper stigma strikes again. 

A friend had a hook-up at a fire station.  Said station will remain nameless to protect the innocent.  But they allowed us to come in, put on their gear and take all kinds of photos.  We never got naked.  We didn't do any "stripper moves" off their trucks.  But we did have a fun day and met some awesome people.  And, for that, I thank them. 

I 

Bel and PoleSkivvies!

http://poleskivvies.com/pole-dancing-clothing/2011/03/bel-jeremiah-pole-instruction-with-deaf-students/

Bel Jeremiah – Pole Instruction with Deaf Students

Bel Jeremiah of Twirly Girls shares her experience teaching pole to deaf students.

What are the primary things to keep in mind when teaching pole to students who can’t hear?

That everything is visual. It’s important that each step, each move is done slowly and broken down in small segments. I also found that it’s important to show the move, then break the move down, step by step. After each step, I stop, and allow the interpreter to explain the move, then I do the move again. The girls can’t watch me and the interpreter at the same time, so it’s important to give the interpreter time to explain the move. It’s a slower process, but deaf people are very visual so they watch everything. Facial expressions, body movements, they pick up on movement from watching.

How have you altered your approach to pole instruction in order to connect with this group of students?

I’ve always broken down moves step by step, because it’s the way I like to learn things myself, so I don’t think I’ve really altered my style of teaching. I do have to remember to talk slower to the interpreter because I talk fast and I need to give her time to sign to the girls. I’ve asked her to let me know how to make things easier for her, since this is new to me also. At the end of each of my classes, I let the girls do a free dance. To feel the music and let their body move, incorporating the moves they learned that day. Well, since they can’t feel the music, they ask me to show them how much time they have, since they can’t tell when a song starts or ends. So I hold up my finger to let them know how much time they have left. I’m amazed at how sensually they are dancing and how much rhythm they have. I’m also creating different hand signals for a Twirl, or move. Bringing my hands together like I’m praying is the sign for The Prayer, crossing my wrists stands for Fairy … anyway … I’m creating hand movements for various moves and it works because when I do the motion they know what move I’m talking about. It’s really pretty awesome.

Has what you’ve learned in teaching deaf students been something you’ve now added to how you teach all your students?

I don’t think so. I think all beginner students need the same attention and need to have each move broken down so they understand the whys and hows. Most of these women are teachers or in the teaching field, so they understand the concept of teaching. I don’t want to treat them any different than any other student.

Anything else you’d care to share:

I’m so lucky to have this opportunity and these women are so awesome…Last week was their last session with Twirly Girls. They had all bought a one-month Groupon Deal because it was so affordable. They gave me a beautiful card saying how much they loved their experience and how they didn’t want it to end. Hugs and sad eyes. The interpreter told me they were very sad and hated for the sessions to end but they couldn’t afford the classes on a teacher’s salary, and a few are unemployed.

Since it was their class, I had them dress up with wigs and costumes and takes lots of pictures … we must have been there for 2 hours.

Then, I realized, I didn’t want it to end either, so I gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse.

So … the Visual Twirlers will be back to class on Monday!

They may not realize it, but I’m the one getting so much out of this! Two of the girls already climbed to the top of the pole! It’s amazing how determined they are.

I would love to see more schools embrace anyone interested in taking pole. Everyone wants to feel like they are equal in all ways … and I believe there is a move for everyone. Everything can be modified.

Thank you, Bel – this will be a help to pole dance instructors everywhere!

The Second Annual Lovely Rita Fundraiser!

I can't believe it is less than a month before our SECOND ANNUAL LOVELY RITA FUNDRAISER at Twirly Girls Pole Fitness!  If you weren't around last year, and don't know what I'm talking about, search my blog...I posted all kinds of things about our fun event.

Our very own Rita has received THREE kidney transplants in her lifetime.  Last year, Twirly Girls hosted an entire day of classes, a dance recital, silent auction and raffle to benefit the National Kidney Foundation.  This year, we have already put out a Twirly Girls calendar in Rita's honor.  We have also set up a pizza night at Rocco's in Walnut Creek (Thursday, April 28th). 

This year, Twirly Girls is going to keep it simple.  We will have a dance recital and raffle to benefit the NKF.  The dance recital will start at 3 p.m., with raffle items being given away between dances.  Raffle tickets will be 3 for $5.00, 8 for $10.00 or, 20 for $20.00 (best deal).  Raffle tickets are ON SALE NOW!

I will do an inventory of prizes this week and do another blog about what you can win.  However, in the meantime, if you have a business you'd like to promote and can donate a gift certificate or item for raffle, please let me know!  We will be doing a poster to thank you for your donation.  If you donate an item, I can give you a receipt from the NKF (sorry, from what I understand, the IRS doesn't allow you to write off gift certificates and/or time donated).   We were so touched last year by the outpouring of donations from local businesses and this year is looking just as awesome!

The Fitness Examiner has kindly included us in a write-up.  We thank them for that.  Check out the article here.   

We also have a link at Patch Pleasanton.  Check that out here.   

If you can't  make it to Rocco's or Twirly Girls, please feel free to donate directly to Rita's page on the National Kidney Foundation's page.   

Everyone is welcome to walk with us during the Kidney Walk 5k in San Francisco on Saturday, May 7th!

Even if money is tight, or you don't have time to visit us at these events, please feel free to share this blog with your friends.  We are also accepting happy thoughts and good wishes.  :-)  You don't realize how important your kidneys are until you don't have them!