Showing posts with label #plussizepole. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #plussizepole. Show all posts
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Trick or Twirl 2014
Ginger and I performed another routine together. This time, for Twirly Girls' Halloween show, Trick or Twirl, we did a Jeni Janover/Liquid Motion-inspired piece to the song, Motivation. I really enjoy working with Ginger and I felt less silly with the sexy this time. Don't get me wrong, I still feel silly but I am getting more comfortable with it. Enjoy photos and videos below!
Monday, September 22, 2014
Mo' Injuries, Mo' Problems
So, I mentioned how, at Pole Expo, I'd flipped out of the Fly Gym and smashed myself up pretty well. Although my toe was super bruised, and I thought possibly broken, my first and biggest worry when it first happened was the crack I heard in my neck.
First off, I did have my foot x-rayed. There was no break. Although there's not much that can be done for broken toes (other than taping, usually), my doctor was concerned that the metatarsal may have been broken based on the level of bruising and swelling. Although everything ended up being fine (well, "fine" as in, "not broken"), over two weeks later, my left foot is still swollen and my second toe hurts like a bitch all the time. I imagine that constantly walking on it with a body weighing 240 pounds doesn't give much rest to tiny toesies. I have another doctor's appointment this week and will probably start icing the foot to get swelling down. I just barely got over my last foot problem (other foot, at least). I don't need to go through this again.
Next issue: that sickening crack I heard in my spine when I hit the floor. The first doctor's appointment after Pole Expo was to deal with the toe. The purple bruising was pretty fantastic, and everything else was just vaguely sore. When I went in the next week (which was last week), my doctor asked how I felt. I said, well it's weird but I feel this pinch and pain down my entire leg. He said, I was worried about that! He also said he was surprised I wasn't in even more pain. Well, now that he's mentioned it, I *am* in a ton of pain!
My doctor said that most likely I ruptured a disc when I fell and it was swollen and pinching a nerve. He said to be careful about my arms (potentially indicates ruptured disc in neck) or legs (potentially indicates ruptured disc in lower back) falling asleep, because that could mean we have a larger issue (or worse injury than we thought). At that point, maybe I will need an MRI?? Well, I'm sure its psychosomatic like the previously reported increased pain, but suddenly this weekend, I had several instances where my arms or legs went to sleep. In fact, when I got up on a massage table yesterday, there was a pillow under my feet and the angle almost immediately put my legs to sleep. I had to move it and shake my legs out and I was fine within seconds. It was scary though. And I'm still wondering if it is mostly in my mind.
Apparently the next six weeks are critical (well, the next four weeks since two weeks have already passed). I am supposed to be taking it very easy in the workout department. No lifting of heavy things, which means no spotting during pole class. I also need to be careful about back bending. I haven't been to yoga in a couple of weeks (mostly because my toes hurt in positions like downward dog) but did do a very gentle Fly Gym class with Ginger last week, which felt great. My doctor said this type of injury is usually too deep to ice but I have been icing my back and hip on occasion anyway. I did a lot of walking and sitting while driving this weekend, and have low pain this morning, surprisingly. This morning, in fact, my left hip is completely pain-free for the first time in years (thanks to the myofascial release). The rest of my leg is slightly throbbing, however.
I feel like I will never get ahead. As soon as I'm ready to start kicking ass and taking names, I get pushed down in the dirt. I have another doctor's appointment this week. I will mention the sleepy arms and legs, but am still feeling a little crazy that I didn't notice it until he mentioned it. My goals at this point are to figure out how to be kind to my body without letting all my progress go by the wayside.
How do you deal with injuries? I don't want to injure myself permanently, but if I stop exercising every time I'm hurt, I will essentially never exercise. If you have any advice, please leave it in the comments below!
First off, I did have my foot x-rayed. There was no break. Although there's not much that can be done for broken toes (other than taping, usually), my doctor was concerned that the metatarsal may have been broken based on the level of bruising and swelling. Although everything ended up being fine (well, "fine" as in, "not broken"), over two weeks later, my left foot is still swollen and my second toe hurts like a bitch all the time. I imagine that constantly walking on it with a body weighing 240 pounds doesn't give much rest to tiny toesies. I have another doctor's appointment this week and will probably start icing the foot to get swelling down. I just barely got over my last foot problem (other foot, at least). I don't need to go through this again.
 |
| One creepy, bony foot; one swollen foot |
My doctor said that most likely I ruptured a disc when I fell and it was swollen and pinching a nerve. He said to be careful about my arms (potentially indicates ruptured disc in neck) or legs (potentially indicates ruptured disc in lower back) falling asleep, because that could mean we have a larger issue (or worse injury than we thought). At that point, maybe I will need an MRI?? Well, I'm sure its psychosomatic like the previously reported increased pain, but suddenly this weekend, I had several instances where my arms or legs went to sleep. In fact, when I got up on a massage table yesterday, there was a pillow under my feet and the angle almost immediately put my legs to sleep. I had to move it and shake my legs out and I was fine within seconds. It was scary though. And I'm still wondering if it is mostly in my mind.
Apparently the next six weeks are critical (well, the next four weeks since two weeks have already passed). I am supposed to be taking it very easy in the workout department. No lifting of heavy things, which means no spotting during pole class. I also need to be careful about back bending. I haven't been to yoga in a couple of weeks (mostly because my toes hurt in positions like downward dog) but did do a very gentle Fly Gym class with Ginger last week, which felt great. My doctor said this type of injury is usually too deep to ice but I have been icing my back and hip on occasion anyway. I did a lot of walking and sitting while driving this weekend, and have low pain this morning, surprisingly. This morning, in fact, my left hip is completely pain-free for the first time in years (thanks to the myofascial release). The rest of my leg is slightly throbbing, however.
I feel like I will never get ahead. As soon as I'm ready to start kicking ass and taking names, I get pushed down in the dirt. I have another doctor's appointment this week. I will mention the sleepy arms and legs, but am still feeling a little crazy that I didn't notice it until he mentioned it. My goals at this point are to figure out how to be kind to my body without letting all my progress go by the wayside.
How do you deal with injuries? I don't want to injure myself permanently, but if I stop exercising every time I'm hurt, I will essentially never exercise. If you have any advice, please leave it in the comments below!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Pole Expo 2014 from the perspective of a plus-sized pole dancer
There are a lot of bloggers in the pole world now (although shockingly few came to Pole Expo). Anyone could tell you about everything that was going on at Pole Expo. I'm sure every pole dancer's feed was filled to the brim with Pole Expo/Las Vegas shenanigans last weekend. So rather than *just* talk about my weekend, I wanted to talk about attending Pole Expo as a plus-sized pole dancer.
First off, this year I was really excited (and strangely, somewhat surprised) at the body diversity at Pole Expo. I don't want to say there were a lot of "big girls" (sorry, Roz, I just can't stop myself from using that phrase) at Expo, but there were definitely a lot more than the oft-seen tiny pole dancers. There were also a lot of tall girls. It was really cool.
That being said, of all the vendors at the event, I found ONE that carried up to a 2X. I would like to give a shout-out to Artista Active Wear for thinking about us (they were practically sold out of plus sizes the first day, if that tells you anything). Wink would take measurements for a custom costume, but there's something about impulse buys and walking out of the vendor hall with your purchase in hand. Bad Kitty does carry up to XL on their website but only brought up to size medium for most styles to the event. I know there were a few other places that carry up to XL but I still want to point out that Artista is acknowledging that life doesn't end at extra large. There are pole dancers beyond that size and it can be difficult to find good 2X pole shorts.
I generally stick to floor workshops at events like this. I know I am not advanced enough for pole workshops, and feel like I would be uncomfortable and lost on a stage pole with one to two other people in a huge room full of stage poles with one pole star trying to instruct us all. Last year, I signed up for a beginner workshop and the first move they did was an inversion. "Lucky" for me, I was in a boot post-surgery, so I had transferred my workshop to Robert. If I *had* shown up, I would have been very disappointed. This year I took Cleo the Hurricane's floorplay workshop and Michelle Shimmy's booty workshop. Both had simple routines that were mostly done on the floor. While both required more flexibility than I really have, I felt like they were simple enough for me to at least follow. I may not have looked sexy doing either routine but I really enjoyed them both.
In the free Expo room, Nia Burks gave a talk on the challenges of pole. I believe she was discussing body diversity and acceptance. I was in a yoga class, and was extremely upset I missed her. I hope I can get into contact with her and am hoping someone videoed her piece. I was very happy that I got to see Roz give her speech about affinity groups in pole dance. She used black girls and plus sized polers as examples in her world, but she really touched upon why it *is* okay to have these affinity groups in the world. [Watch that speech HERE.]
I was very happy to see Mone't from Sacramento participating in the burlesque showcase and the go-go contest. She is a plus sized dancer who always impresses me with her moves. [Watch her Star Wars performance HERE.]
I was also excited to meet Emma Haslam O'Toole from Britain's Got Talent. I really admire her pole dancing and can only hope to be as strong and flexible as she is one day! I'm really bummed I didn't get a photo with Roz and Emma. I call us the trinity of plus sized polers. I just want to pretend I am more epic than I am.
So, now that I've given you my plus size highlights, I want to just tell you about how the weekend went in general. First off, our very own Patrick from Twirly Girls Pole Fitness competed in the Pole Classic. He did so well! I was really proud of him! [Watch his video HERE.] The competition and showcase was on Thursday night this year inside the Pearl theater, which is so much bigger than Rain Nightclub.
On Friday, a few of us walked part of the strip to see the sights. I'll include some photos below. I also had my Cleo workshop. [Watch hot video of our dance HERE.]
Saturday was all kinds of awesome [read sarcasm]. I felt like I was running around a little too much. As soon as I got into the pool, it was time to go to a meet-up at the Adult Playground. I went upstairs and immediately jumped on to a Fly Gym, which I have been on a bunch of times. I flipped upside down once and realized it was too close to the ground, so I jumped out and made it higher. I then leaned back again, didn't open my legs wide enough and immediately flipped out of the thing. On the way down, I hit four of my toes on the wall behind me and smashed my face on the floor (giving me carpet burn on my face, bruising my cheekbone and cracking my neck pretty hard). It knocked me silly but I jumped up and said I was okay. Definitely as the day progressed, I realized one of those toes was pretty badly injured. The bruise is fantastic. I actually had an x-ray this week to find out if it is broken. Mostly, I was just embarrassed that I pulled such a rookie move in front of everyone.
Sunday was a little more relaxed. I had my Shimmy workshop (which was pretty difficult with my injured toe). [Watch video of the routine HERE.] It is also the day I went home. I had a 5:45 PM flight (delayed due to weather, once again), so I got to relax around the hotel most of the day.
I feel like I should have done way more than I did. More workshops. More free seminars. More pool time. More going out. I need more hours in the day to do *all* the stuff!! But I also need my 8 hours of sleep and time to recover from the workshops. There has to be some balance.
In the end, I did have a great time. I got to see old friends and make new ones. We have outgrown The Palms. Pole Expo next year will be at Hard Rock, which is closer to the airport and will be able to hold all of us a little better. I believe Pole Expo had between 1,200 and 1,400 attendees this year. In its third year, it has certainly grown into one of the largest pole events in the world. I am happy I have been able to attend all three years to watch it grow and flourish. Successful events like these help breed more success in the industry in general.
Did you go to Pole Expo? Which vendors did you love? Which workshops were your favorite? I want to hear about your experiences below!
First off, this year I was really excited (and strangely, somewhat surprised) at the body diversity at Pole Expo. I don't want to say there were a lot of "big girls" (sorry, Roz, I just can't stop myself from using that phrase) at Expo, but there were definitely a lot more than the oft-seen tiny pole dancers. There were also a lot of tall girls. It was really cool.
That being said, of all the vendors at the event, I found ONE that carried up to a 2X. I would like to give a shout-out to Artista Active Wear for thinking about us (they were practically sold out of plus sizes the first day, if that tells you anything). Wink would take measurements for a custom costume, but there's something about impulse buys and walking out of the vendor hall with your purchase in hand. Bad Kitty does carry up to XL on their website but only brought up to size medium for most styles to the event. I know there were a few other places that carry up to XL but I still want to point out that Artista is acknowledging that life doesn't end at extra large. There are pole dancers beyond that size and it can be difficult to find good 2X pole shorts.
I generally stick to floor workshops at events like this. I know I am not advanced enough for pole workshops, and feel like I would be uncomfortable and lost on a stage pole with one to two other people in a huge room full of stage poles with one pole star trying to instruct us all. Last year, I signed up for a beginner workshop and the first move they did was an inversion. "Lucky" for me, I was in a boot post-surgery, so I had transferred my workshop to Robert. If I *had* shown up, I would have been very disappointed. This year I took Cleo the Hurricane's floorplay workshop and Michelle Shimmy's booty workshop. Both had simple routines that were mostly done on the floor. While both required more flexibility than I really have, I felt like they were simple enough for me to at least follow. I may not have looked sexy doing either routine but I really enjoyed them both.
In the free Expo room, Nia Burks gave a talk on the challenges of pole. I believe she was discussing body diversity and acceptance. I was in a yoga class, and was extremely upset I missed her. I hope I can get into contact with her and am hoping someone videoed her piece. I was very happy that I got to see Roz give her speech about affinity groups in pole dance. She used black girls and plus sized polers as examples in her world, but she really touched upon why it *is* okay to have these affinity groups in the world. [Watch that speech HERE.]
I was very happy to see Mone't from Sacramento participating in the burlesque showcase and the go-go contest. She is a plus sized dancer who always impresses me with her moves. [Watch her Star Wars performance HERE.]
I was also excited to meet Emma Haslam O'Toole from Britain's Got Talent. I really admire her pole dancing and can only hope to be as strong and flexible as she is one day! I'm really bummed I didn't get a photo with Roz and Emma. I call us the trinity of plus sized polers. I just want to pretend I am more epic than I am.
So, now that I've given you my plus size highlights, I want to just tell you about how the weekend went in general. First off, our very own Patrick from Twirly Girls Pole Fitness competed in the Pole Classic. He did so well! I was really proud of him! [Watch his video HERE.] The competition and showcase was on Thursday night this year inside the Pearl theater, which is so much bigger than Rain Nightclub.
On Friday, a few of us walked part of the strip to see the sights. I'll include some photos below. I also had my Cleo workshop. [Watch hot video of our dance HERE.]
Saturday was all kinds of awesome [read sarcasm]. I felt like I was running around a little too much. As soon as I got into the pool, it was time to go to a meet-up at the Adult Playground. I went upstairs and immediately jumped on to a Fly Gym, which I have been on a bunch of times. I flipped upside down once and realized it was too close to the ground, so I jumped out and made it higher. I then leaned back again, didn't open my legs wide enough and immediately flipped out of the thing. On the way down, I hit four of my toes on the wall behind me and smashed my face on the floor (giving me carpet burn on my face, bruising my cheekbone and cracking my neck pretty hard). It knocked me silly but I jumped up and said I was okay. Definitely as the day progressed, I realized one of those toes was pretty badly injured. The bruise is fantastic. I actually had an x-ray this week to find out if it is broken. Mostly, I was just embarrassed that I pulled such a rookie move in front of everyone.
Sunday was a little more relaxed. I had my Shimmy workshop (which was pretty difficult with my injured toe). [Watch video of the routine HERE.] It is also the day I went home. I had a 5:45 PM flight (delayed due to weather, once again), so I got to relax around the hotel most of the day.
I feel like I should have done way more than I did. More workshops. More free seminars. More pool time. More going out. I need more hours in the day to do *all* the stuff!! But I also need my 8 hours of sleep and time to recover from the workshops. There has to be some balance.
In the end, I did have a great time. I got to see old friends and make new ones. We have outgrown The Palms. Pole Expo next year will be at Hard Rock, which is closer to the airport and will be able to hold all of us a little better. I believe Pole Expo had between 1,200 and 1,400 attendees this year. In its third year, it has certainly grown into one of the largest pole events in the world. I am happy I have been able to attend all three years to watch it grow and flourish. Successful events like these help breed more success in the industry in general.
Did you go to Pole Expo? Which vendors did you love? Which workshops were your favorite? I want to hear about your experiences below!
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| Emma Haslam from Britain's Got Talent |
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| Steven Retchless from America's Got Talent |
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| You can't take us anywhere |
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| Had to jump back on the horse immediately |
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| Cleo the Hurricane |
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| Shimmy workshop - photo by Nina Reed Photography |
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| sad toe |
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| Cowboy Wild and me at Caesar's #splitsontree |
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| ahhhhhhhhhhh the sugar factory!!!! |
Friday, August 29, 2014
Vote for me in the 2015 UPA BSB poster contest!
I am in the running for United Pole Artists' Bringing Sexy Back poster contest for 2015! This Saturday, August 30, they are having a live event in Chicago to open voting. The top five contestants will move on the the finals. There will be online voting, so you don't have to be in Chicago to vote. I don't know how how long voting will be open, but keep an eye out on UPA's website for instructions. Let's get a curvy poler into the top five! My birthday is Sunday, so that would be a lovely gift. ;-)
http://www.unitedpoleartists.com/2014/08/2015-bsb-poster-contest-voting-party/
Here's the photo I submitted:
There will be a live stream and online voting tomorrow at 8 PM CST. Please follow the Facebook event link and get all the information there! https://www.facebook.com/events/814266578604067/
http://www.unitedpoleartists.com/2014/08/2015-bsb-poster-contest-voting-party/
Here's the photo I submitted:
There will be a live stream and online voting tomorrow at 8 PM CST. Please follow the Facebook event link and get all the information there! https://www.facebook.com/events/814266578604067/
Monday, July 14, 2014
UPA's Bringing Sexy Back 2014
Here is my contribution to UPA's Bringing Sexy Back 2014 challenge.
This is probably the first full song I've free danced in almost two years. My foot is mostly pain-free again! I've lost about 15 pounds, and I feel stronger than I have in a long time. It looks like I'm on my way back! Thanks to everyone who has been on this journey with me!
This is probably the first full song I've free danced in almost two years. My foot is mostly pain-free again! I've lost about 15 pounds, and I feel stronger than I have in a long time. It looks like I'm on my way back! Thanks to everyone who has been on this journey with me!
Pole Strength: More Woody Band Exercises
I made a couple of new videos about how to use iron woody bands for pole strengthening exercises. Check them out. One is a pole-up to the side of the pole and the other is a push-up on the ground. Let me know what you think, and if you have any requests, leave a comment. Thanks!
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