Huffin’ & Puffin’

I went to Tara’s ‘Sporty Shorty’ outdoor class today and ohhh boy, am I out of shape!

There were only four of us (1 other instructor and 2 rather strong girls) so I was the weak one of the bunch. Considering that I haven’t gone to such a class in over a month, I found the cardio part very hard. I was getting too dizzy so I had to rest for a while. The upside is that I did pretty well in arm and abs strength training, which is something I’ve been working to keep up while being injured.

I can’t wait until indoor classes come back so I can get back to more of Tara’s classes! The bugs were really getting at me by the end of the class.

I am learning pole dancing

Since I’ve been in Saskatoon, having an active and healthy lifestyle is something that I am proud to have achieved. But at the end of 2008, I fell into a slump. I didn’t feel like doing the stepmaster anymore at the Physical Activity Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. I absolutely loved spin classes and yoga classes but it was a hassle to sign up. So when 2009 began, I tried out ClubMynx.

ClubMynx is a cute womens-only gym downtown (one block away from the bus mall) that offers awesome variety of group classes multiple times a day, six days a week. Although small in size, it is very well equipped & stocked. The trainers and staff are amazing and very personable too. And you can sign up for classes online each week.

ClubMynx also offers pole dancing classes. I had stereotypes about pole dancing – that it’s raunchy and embarrassing. But going to Tracy J’s PoleFit classes helped push those boundaries. I realized that it requires lots of strength and movement skills, and I wanted to learn more. After faithfully attending group classes in spring, I signed up for stage 1 pole dancing with Tracy J. I eventually transferred to Tara’s class because of a scheduling conflict.

I am almost finished Ashala’s stage 2 classes, and I signed up for stage 3 in the next session. I feel it in my arms the day after each class and I find bruises on my legs that last a week. But all in all, it is very fun. Spinning around a pole almost brings back playground memories. It is not raunchy stripper training and it does not make me trashy. Each move is taught technically so that we can execute them safely. Stage 1 is a good basic intro to pole dancing. In stage 2, there are more choreographed dance combinations with pole spins and transitions. The biggest challenge isn’t in letting my guard down in front of others so I can gyrate next to a pole (there’s enough gyrating in Shauna’s Reggaetone classes). My biggest challenge is trusting myself enough to put my body into different moves. It has introduced a new level of body awareness that dance classes couldn’t bring out.

I’ve seen people of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness in pole dancing classes. Some of them look like naturals, and some of them try really hard. It’s not a ya-ya sisterhood, but there are laughs and encouragements all around. I am so glad that I tried pole dancing because it’s another thing in this world for me to learn and enjoy!

[Note: ClubMynx monthly members get 20% off the regular price for pole dancing classes!]