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I’d noticed the color in some of the videos, it’s absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you for explaining!

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What was the finish, and why as that particular finish considered so crucial?

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PenelopeAnn: That’s great planning, a lot of studios just buy all the same thing, which has its own advantages but it’s really nice that you have something for everyone.

AllysonKendal: I’m impressed that they were super helpful and friendly. A lot of times when I send similar emails I don’t get much of a response, or I get what is obviously a canned response, like telling me they can’t wait to see me in their first timers class, even when I make it clear this is far from my first time doing pole.

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I travel a lot for work, and I usually try to squeeze in a pole class or two on trips. The closest place for me to take classes is about 90 miles away, so going to a class is a treat for me. I never even consider what kind of poles the studio has. Do they even list that on their website, or do you have to ask? I guess if I had multiple studios to choose from, and I liked the instructors and the feel of the studios equally, then the poles might make a difference.

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I’d like to point out that pole itself is a resistance workout. Since Veena is thorough enough to include the muscles worked by different moves and exercises, it is easy to make sure that all the major muscle group are being worked. If one is regularly practicing pole, I don’t think they *need* to add an additional type of resistance workout to their routine in order to see increases in strength and muscle mass throughout their body. If someone is new to exercise, starting pole and a more traditional resistance exercise program at the same time seems like it might actually be too much and could lead to injury or giving up because they find it overwhelming. Even for people who perform resistance exercise regularly, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends waiting at least 48 hours between resistance training sessions for a given major muscle group (see http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/media-room/news-releases/2011/08/01/acsm-issues-new-recommendations-on-quantity-and-quality-of-exercise ). I’m not saying its wrong to do pole and other forms of resistance training, it can be beneficial, but one probably wants to be conscious of the necessary recovery and rest time their body needs (this is important even if you’re just doing pole). I made this mistake myself because I enjoy lifting weights, and I also love pole. I thought I was helping myself by doing a lot of cross-training for pole, but over time I got weaker because I wasn’t giving my body the recovery time it needed.

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If that was directed at me, Sabina Rex, I never claimed to be an expert. What I did was provide a link to a page where someone who is an expert on vegan nutrition wrote about protein in vegan diets and provided current, research-based information (complete with citations to peer-reviewed journal articles). The statements I made are consistent with the information on that page, you are free to check that yourself. If you like, I have additional sources that are consistent with the statements I made–all from nutrition professionals and professional organizations for nutrition professionals.

I also referenced a book by two long-time vegans who are also Registered Dieticians in which there is a chapter devoted to protein in vegan diets, and another on nutrition for vegan athletes. Anyone who is sufficiently interested can find a copy of Vegan for Life and read it themselves.

I don’t know what you personally eat, your diet may not contain enough protein without the supplements you consume, but that is not inherently true of all vegan diets, even for vegan athletes, and I wanted to be sure that no one walked away with the impression that it was.

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The idea that a food or meal need to be “complete” (i.e. contain all 9 amino acids) to be used by the body is *seriously out of date*. You do not need get all 9 essential amino acids from one food, or even one meal for your body to utilize the protein. All you need to do is eat a variety of foods on a regular basis and your body will take care of itself. For example, people used to recommend eating beans and rice together, because they complement each other and form a “complete” protein. What we now know is that you can eat the beans in one meal, and the rice in another, and your body will combine the amino acids as it needs them. For a more thorough explanation from a registered dietician who specializes in plant based diets, please see:

http://www.theveganrd.com/plant-protein-a-vegan-nutrition-primer

This article also includes a nice guide to calculating your protein needs, including some information specific to vegan diets, towards the bottom.

As a final note, if you are vegan or considering becoming vegan I highly recommend the book Vegan for Life, as it contains a lot of current, research based information on vegan nutrition. The book was written by two registered dieticians who happen to be vegan.

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I just wanted to add that I’m not trying to say that anyone is wrong for liking the sticker/shirt, or finding it funny, or even displaying it on their shirt or vehicle. I’m just trying to explain why it makes me uneasy, even though it made me snicker at first.

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Also, if you try straight soy protein, or a mix that is heavy in soy protein I would recommend getting a small package at first. I can eat things like soybeans and tofu, but I have difficulty digesting isolated soy proteins, it’s not pleasant, for me or people around me.

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I use a protein called Orgain–this reminds me I have packets of Phood in the kitchen waiting to be tried. The Orgain chocolate is okay mixed with just water, the vanilla is good in smoothies with greens and fruit but I think too sweet on its own.

That said, you really can get all the protein you need from food. Most Americans who eat meat, dairy, and eggs get more protein than they really need. Even if you’re vegetarian or vegan and an athlete, protein supplements aren’t necessary to get enough protein. Before you add a supplement, you might try figuring out what your protein needs realistically are and then tracking your protein intake for a week or two, you may find that you are meeting or even exceeding your protein needs.

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That sticker/shirt is pretty snarky regardless of who is looking at it. While I find it kinda funny in a snarky sort of way, I do think the comparison implies that one of these women is better, or more desirable, than the other. Personally, I feel like there is a difference between being proud of one’s accomplishments and pointing out what others can’t/don’t do. For example, I worked on the shoulder mount for a long time before I got it, so when I did get it, I was really proud of that accomplishment. I told a friend who doesn’t pole dance what I could finally do, and she was happy for me, presumably because she could tell I was excited. What I did not, and would not do is point out that she can’t shoulder mount, even though I doubt she was capable of doing so (at that time). My point is, I can be proud of my accomplishments without making comparisons to other people and what they cannot or choose not to do. Good or bad, I think that sticker/shirt says more than just, my wife pole dances and I’m proud of her.

I do wonder, if you already get negative reactions about pole, why would you put a sticker on your husband’s car? It seems to me that a more effective way to start positive conversations about pole based on a bumper sticker would be to put a sticker that said something like “I love pole fitness” on your car. People who are uncomfortable with pole probably aren’t going to like that either, but I think people who are neutral, or don’t know much about pole, might be more likely to respond positively to that message, especially if the word “fitness” was used.

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I know having a super-grippy pole might sound great, but trust me, it’s really not. The friction on my pole is sometimes so excessive that I get terrible pole burn, even on my hands, from almost any spin I try–even something as basic as fireman. Spins like the front hook spin with it’s POC on the lower-thigh and upper-calf feel great as well. Also, I didn’t realize how many moves involve sliding my body or hands against the pole until I started sticking like crazy. Superman? Thighs slide around and then down the pole. Apprentice to extended butterfly? Bottom hand slides down the pole a few inches. I can still execute these moves, but doing so is considerably more awkward than when the pole is less grippy. And since the room I’m in is also hot, my torso gets very sweaty and I have to keep it away from the pole unless I want to go from excessive friction to no friction at all.

I don’t understand the physics/chemistry of it, but in my experience there seems to be a certain range of humidity that results is a lot of friction between one’s skin and chrome poles (brass poles as well, but my experience with them is more limited). Above or below that range, it seems like friction is lower (and hence poles less “grippy”). My guess is that humidity is not the single determining factor, the particular dancer’s skin probably plays a role in this too, as well as, the temperature of the pole and the room. Most likely there is some sort of complex interaction between these variables (and possibly others) that put you over the edge from “wow, I’m really grippy today!” to “wow, this sucks.”

I’m happy though, Angie La gave me an immediate solution to the problem so I can keep working on what I need to do right now, and more long-term a friend offered to lend me a window AC unit she’s not using. If nothing else the window unit should stop me from overheating every time I try to practice! 🙂

Tamarinda, you might try adjusting your AC unit down if you can. I’ve read that if AC units are too powerful, they can cool down a room and switch off before they also get a chance to remove much humidity, so the room is cooler, but not substantially less humid. They might not be as effective as central AC, window AC units should decrease the humidity in a room.

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lol, Sparrow. is basically pole-safe lotion. 🙂 I think normal lotion would be too slippery.

If you have trouble with your winter grip, and you haven’t already, you might try , it makes a big difference for me in the winter, and apparently in the summer too.

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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond. My problem is this: Working on something else is only a viable solution if (a) this condition is occasional, (b) you don’t have something specific you need to work on or in my case make a video of. Also, in my house it’s pretty much a May to October thing. The other catch is that while the pole is too grippy for things like spins, as soon as I start to sweat (which is pretty quickly in a hot humid room) my back and sides become dangerously slick, so working on anything where either of those comes into contact with the pole, even briefly, isn’t safe either. Occasionally you can make lemon-aid, but sometimes, you need to address your lemon surplus. Thank you to Angie La for the suggestion of , which so far is working well. If anyone has similar solutions, I’d love to hear them.

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Why, Tamarinda? My pole is chrome, I rarely had the “too grippy” problem when I lived in a drier climate, or when I lived in a house with descent AC. Personally, I’ve found that brass poles react to the weather even more. I’ve only danced on powder coated once.

All of this is making me seriously consider getting a window AC unit for the room my pole is in, even though the house we live in has central AC.