It has been brought to my attention recently that not everyone who chooses to exercise does so purely for pain, sweat and vanity.

Apparently there is this thing called enjoyment, which is so important to some that they will only exercise if they enjoy it- go figure!

Heck! Some folks even shun the gym culture for other activities, leaving personal trainers and gym bunnies standing by their triple cable crossovers wondering where everyone has disappeared off to…

For those of you who fall within this category of exercise heathens I have put together a list of alternative fitness forms. Those of you who had ‘getting fit’ at the top of their New Year’s resolution list but have yet to make it off the couch as all the options you can think of bore your socks off have no excuse now.

It’s as if I’m Goober’s Uncle Traveling Matt and you are my little Fraggles.

POLE DANCING

Apparently pole dancing makes exercise more sensual (pronounced sent-shoe-ale). Apparently these people haven’t seen me swing round on a pole!

It’s a pretty darn good upper body workout and a great excuse to don high shoes and a pair of shorty short
So even if you are not the gym bunny type then there are plenty of options.

Source: Gaynz.

Columnist tries popular class that separates the men from the women.

I am clinging as if clinging to life itself, muscles I didn’t know I owned now straining, parts of my body previously unfamiliar to me suddenly calling out, begging for a break.

Or a Valium. Or a Budweiser.

I am feeling many things at the moment, not one of which is sexy.

“One of the great things about this,” Collette Kakuk says, “is that it caters to you as a woman.”

This is when I realize I probably should point out to my instructor that I am not, in the most technical sense, female.

But there’s no time for that now because now I have to execute a spin, hooking one leg and twirling the other while lifting myself off the floor, all the while exploring my sensuality and expressing my flirtation nature. And trying to protect my groin.

You know, men really shouldn’t pole dance.

“We have noticed,” Kakuk says, “that it doesn’t look right.”

No, it doesn’t. Personally, I resemble a square-dancing primate, my moves not from The Great Gatsby but more from the Grape Ape.

Thankfully, this isn’t about being a good dancer or really about dancing at all. This is about toning muscles, burning fat and building serious self-confidence, even if it’s sometimes done while wearing FootUndeez, a product that bills itself as “underwear for your feet.”

This is OC Pole Fitness, a company started in Aliso Viejo 21/2 years ago by Kakuk, who recently opened a second location in Huntington Beach.

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VANCOUVER — After a one-year hiatus, the Virgin Festival returns to B.C. this month with a mixed line-up of talent including indie rock stars, hip hop icons and up-and-comers.

Oh, and lets not forget the pole dancing, fortune-telling, yoga, autograph and video gaming opportunities that make the two-day event into what organizers call a “festravaganza.”

It’s a formula so popular that the 14-year-old UK version, coined V-Fest, attracts about 175,000 people each year — tickets for the annual event sell out in about an hour.

But B.C. still has a way to go before we catch up to the British hype.

In spite of a successful 2007 kick-off — acts like The Killers, Hot Hot Heat and Billy Talent lured 25,000 fans to UBC’s Thunderbird Stadium for two rainy days in May — the event didn’t return last year.

And many wondered if it was a one-time deal.

“Last year the stars just didn’t align,” says director of Virgin Festival Canada Andrew Bridge.

“We had originally hoped to return to Vancouver in 2008 but didn’t feel that we could deliver a great line-up and experience comparable to 2007,” he says.

Putting on a major rock festival involves many different factors, he says.

“The main challenge of putting any major festival together is getting all of the pieces together to create a festival that delivers a full experience to the festival-goer — from the line-up right down to the venue and on-site experiences,” Bridge says.

“We’ve always said that we don’t want to go to a market just for the sake of it, but want to be sure that we bring the full Virgin Festival experience to that market.”

But even though it didn’t pan out last year, he says, organizers were optimistic about establishing the event in B.C.

“We always hoped to bring it back,” he says.

Besides that, the success of the first-ever Pemberton Music Festival last summer — it saw 40,000 people head to the mountains for four days and 120 acts, including Coldplay and Jay-Z — affirmed that there is a big market for outdoor festivals in B.C., he says.

He adds: “B.C. loves their music and there’s a great energy to this province.”

Things came together nicely this year too, he says.

After touring Deer Lake Park, Bridge says, he was impressed by the natural setting and thought it seemed like a fit for the family-oriented festival. (Kids under four years old are free.)

“They’ve done some great events there recently and it’s really come to the forefront as a large music venue,” he says, adding they’re expecting to fill it with about 20,000 festival-goers.

Organizers hope to make it a regular event, he says, adding they’re taking it one festival at a time. And he says, it would be great to find a location that allows for camping too.

“We’re looking forward to bringing the festival to life at Deer Lake Park this year and are focusing on making this year a success before we move on to planning the years to come.”

This year’s line-up includes a real mix of music. There are headliners like Ben Harper and The Roots as well as indie hitmakers like Metric and Broken Social Scene as well as lesser-knowns like Mute Math or Future of the Left.

“People come out for the talent,” Bridge says. “People want to go to a festival and learn about new music.” And they also come to hear bands they know andlove, he says.

This year’s party offers plenty of both.

Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain again.

Want to take a pole fitness class and don’t quite know what to look?  This article should help you get a spinning start!

First and foremost, make sure the instructors are all AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) certified. Secondly, seek a safe practice environment, with plenty of privacy. Also, make sure that poles are securely fastened to the ceiling and floor, without a lot of movement to them. Note, however, that the taller the poles are there will be some movement. As well, the beginner student should start on a static pole versus a spinning pole. Gripping a spinning pole while trying to do a pole spin or trick is more difficult and can cause injury if not done correctly. Also, learning on a static pole requires more effort, which is where the “exercise” part comes in and should be done first. Perfecting ones technique, balance, and strength is best done on a static pole before moving on to a spinning pole.
Classes should be broken up into several groups, starting from a basic class, for new students. Then advanced levels, where spins, pirouettes, and transitional dance moves are combined; to put together a routine. Intermediate level and beyond is for those who have built up the knowledge, practice and strength required to do more of the aerial tricks portion of the pole.

All classes should start with a minimum of a 5 to 10 minute warm up, which includes stretching, conditioning and a cool down portion at the end of class to bring the heart rate back down to normal.  A potential instructor should also explain what and what not to wear in a pole class. Shorts are the best way to go along with a comfortable gym top or light t-shirt. Pole dancing requires a lot of physicality, so wearing the type of clothing that allows the skin to breathe is important. As well, not wearing any lotion or oils on the body, especially the legs and arms is crucial. In order to do the spins and tricks safely on the pole the skin needs to make contact with the pole on various parts of the body. Lotion can cause you to lose your grip on the pole. Often times when you are a beginner the adrenaline and nervousness can cause your hands to sweat so the combination of lotion and sweat, can all lead to unnecessary slipping, tripping or even falling which can lead to injuries. Because there is a lot of gripping with the legs, the same rules apply.

Whether to wear the high heel platform shoes or not is also a constant debate among experts because of the potential injuries that can happen. Lots of women enjoy wearing the platform heels and shoes make it easier to perform a variety of moves. Not only that but they build calve muscles and make the legs look nice long and lean. Every type of dance and sport has certain shoes that are designed to enhance performance. If taught how to dance correctly in the shoes by the instructor, injuries can be cut down to a minimum. However, it should always be the student’s decision whether they want to wear the heels. All pole moves can be preformed in bare fee, mainly on the tip toes. All inversion moves should first be done in bare feet until the move is perfected because the shoes add extra weight to the body.

“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.”

Source: Examiner

Legs like Madonna Challenge

Last weekend I travelled four thousand miles to see the pop icon of the century, my #1 fitness inspiration, Madonna, perform at her sell-out Sticky and Sweet concert. Her performance sent me into a frenzy. Her music is my favourite to work out to, not only because it is great and she is a pop princess, but also because of what she represents for me and millions of others as a fitness icon. She has consistently raised the bar on her fitness and her current condition is now, in my opinion, the ultimate peak for any woman, much less one of 50 years of age.

For two and a half hours, she outdanced all of her dancers, most of whom must have been half her age.

Without stopping she was jumping rope, dancing, sliding, kicking, skipping, running and all at the same time, singing her heart out. Her energy was electric and non-stop, the stamina and endurance that she had was worthy of any marathon runner or triathlete. And now I will go on about how great she looked. I can only say that I have yet to see any woman of 50 dance on a pole dancing in micro shorts without a mere crinkle or crease much less a fold or a flap to show for it. Madonna’s body gives new definition to the terms “tight and toned”. Without even a smithereen of fat on her, her muscle tone is spread out evenly and beautifully like a piece of art throughout her entire body. If Michelangelo were alive today, there is no doubt that she would be the next female form of David.

UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
If you have always wanted to have a body like the Queen of Pop herself, and you are ready to raise your game in the fitness department, then who better to get inspired by than Madonna herself? This is summer, season of shorts, and by the look of things in the fashion department, the shorts only seem to get shorter as the place heats up. It’s an invitation to target one of the most attractive aspects of the female physique. your legs and butt. Even though it is true that every woman’s legs will take a different shape and form, and not everyone will end up with a pair of gams like Madame “M”, every woman’s pair of legs is unique to her body, and can look amazing with a few key moves to keep them at their best.
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An effort of changing style of pole dancing as an experiment. Not sure if it works but it’s infulanced by elena gibson.

Pole Dancing Swan Lake – Click here for more free videos

POLE dancing is the unlikely new way to keep fit in Honiton.

And women in their 50s are proving to be just as agile as their teenage classmates.

So popular are the sessions that instructor Kirsty Mills is poised to open a class for men.

Kirsty, 19, who suffers from a life-limiting illness, admits when she attended her first lesson she did it “for a laugh”.

She was then a student at Exeter College, studying the performing arts and art management.

“I had no perception of what pole dancing pole was,” she said.

“I never knew I’d be going upside down and doing crazy moves.

“Like any cardiovascular exercise, I knew it would be good for me – because I have cystic fibrosis.
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Women are abandoning the gym in their droves to take up pole dancing. And leading the way in Calderdale is Kim Beech who has just opened her own removable pole dance studio

When the Eurythmics sang Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves they could have been talking about pole dancing.
Because pole dancing has successfully shimmied out of its sleazy image of the past and into the mainstream pole fitness world.
In the past, it has been largely confined to the world of lap dancing bars and night clubs. Shaking off that image has taken some time but it’s got there, thanks in no small part to the likes of 28-year-old Kim Beech, of Sowerby Bridge. (more…)

Nikki Craven grabs a metal pole dancing pole, and to the tune of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” lifts herself up on it, flips her legs over her head, does a twirl and slides down, hands first, onto the light-up tile floor.

Her students, on a Saturday afternoon at Inferno in downtown Greensboro, break into applause.

The News & Record of Greensboro reported that the 26-year-old Craven is a pole exercise instructor. She is not, however, a stripper. And though she has had some students who were exotic dancers, most are just women wanting to spice things up in their relationships or looking for a unique way to get into shape.

“Some people, when I tell them I teach pole dancing, they instantly shut down,” Craven said. “They hear the words ‘pole dancing’ and then they just associate it with something unseemly. But this is more about getting women to come out of their shells, to be confident in their bodies.”

The classes are part of a growing national trend that’s drawing a wide variety of people. Craven’s students range in age from 18 to early 50s and include college students, a pastor’s wife and even a former body builder, Jody Luman.

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The Heart Foundation is holding a pole dancing display in Darwin today to raise awareness about heart disease in women.

The foundation says heart disease is the biggest killer of women, with four times as many dying from the disease than breast cancer.

It says 890 people out of every 100,000 in the Territory die from heart disease, and women are particularly at risk because they have low awareness of the threat.

Higher rates of smoking, poor diet and high levels of rheumatic heart disease in remote communities are contributing to the higher death rates.

Royal Darwin Hospital’s director of cardiology, Marcus Ilton, says regular exercise is the best protection.

“Whatever activity you’re doing, it needs to be something that you can continue doing, that you enjoy doing and is not a burden for you and is not necessarily expensive.

“So whatever activity you take on, make sure it is fun.”

Royal Darwin Hospital’s director of cardiology, Marcus Ilton, says Territory death rates are higher because of higher smoking rates and high rates of rheumatic heart disease in remote communities.

“In the Territory we have the highest mortality rate for both men and women across this country of about 890 people per year per 100,000.

“So that equates to nearly 1500 people and about 47 per cent of them are women.”

Source: ABC News