A New Direction

I'm not one to make new years resolutions or talk about how much I'm going to change at the beginning of a new year. I've always just taken it as it comes, with no real perspective or challenges ahead of me. All in all, you could say a little lazy really.

This is the usual me. My problem with that is usual me isn't getting me where I want to be, she isn't moving hard and fast enough in the right direction. So, instead of new years resolutions, this year is the one I push myself.

I'm very lucky to be able to say that as of this year, as a result of years of hard work and saving, we have enough money saved for a mortgage. This means at some point in the next few months, whenever we find a house we like, I will become a home owner. This is exciting and intimidating in it's own right, knowing that moving house can be one of the most exciting yet stressful times of your life. As if that wasn't enough, jut a few weeks ago, we booked our wedding for later this year.

Exciting yet potentially stressful, I'm taking this as a new challenge and a new opportunity to improve my health, my fitness and my well being beyond anything I have achieved previously. This also means making changes to both my work and personal life in time.

Life is moving in a new direction and going forwards I intend to take this blog along my journey with me. Expect to see updates on my fitness, recipes, and potentially a few house or wedding ideas along the way, I have a new path to conquer and I'd love if you would like to follow along with me.

What To Expect At Your First Pole Class | Pole Fitness

I get asked regularly about getting in to doing pole fitness and what to expect at a beginners pole fitness class. Booking that first class can be quite daunting and you may even feel nervous in the build up to it. You're also likely to be wondering what to expect if you haven't had someone talk to you first hand. Whether you have taken the plunge and booked your first class, or contrarily if you haven't yet booked a class and just want to know what to expect if you did try it out, then keep reading for some helpful hints and tips!

No Pain No Gain
As with many forms of exercise, starting out isn't easy and it will take some time for your body to get used to your new found hobby. If you haven't done anything remotely similar before, chances are like me you will come away feeling a little sore and stiff and will be aching a lot the next day. Even though your body will become more conditioned to the pole over time, pretty much every new move you try will cause some sort of pain whether it's pole burn, muscle aches or my next point... bruises.

Bruises
Be prepared for bruises. As a beginner doing pole fitness you are likely to get a lot of bruises. now I would love to say here that once you're a little more advanced the bruises stop, but that would just be telling you a big fat lie. You simply just get used to them and accept that along the way you may acquire bruises in very questionable places, but if you've nailed that move in the mean time, who cares?!

What To Wear
The best thing to wear when starting out is a simple strap top and shorts. Make that short shorts. You generally practice in bare feet and once you have been poling for a while you may find it more comfortable to wear a sports bra instead. Your skin is your best friend; without exposed skin you are unable to hold any positions or spins successfully as there is no friction between you and the pole. Guaranteed you'll feel a little self conscious to begin with, everyone does. You'll soon forget about it the more classes you attend so please don't be worried about showing a little flesh... none of us are perfect and we all have our fair share of cellulite, stretch marks and not-so-toned areas. I promise you no one will care and neither will you once you realise that. The only person you hold back by trying to cover up as much as possible is yourself because you will be restricted with the spins and moves you can try.

Moisturising
Moisturising your skin before heading to a pole class is very problematic. For fake tan lovers this includes you! Referring to my previous point about needing exposed skin for friction... moisturising your skin before a pole class eliminates that friction and you'll just be sliding all over the place. It can be dangerous for other polers too, your lotions can leave residue on the pole which is difficult to remove quickly when sharing a pole and between classes. It's recommended not to moisturise for up to 24 hours before your class, but sometimes that can be a little difficult. If like me you have a skin condition such as eczema, going without moisturising for that time leaves your skin irritated and sore. To avoid this I tend to have a quick shower beforehand to wash away any of my moisturiser and emollient residue and put them back on after I get home.

It Won't Happen Overnight
Above all this is probably one of the most important things to remember during your first few classes. There will always be someone who is more advanced than you and that's okay! Pole fitness is a strength and conditioning journey, for example you won't be able to invert straight away and a reputable instructor will not let you attempt it until they think you have enough strength to do so safely. Just stick at it and in time you will be amazed at the strength you gain in your upper arms and thighs particularly. Everyone starts at varying fitness levels and everyone progresses at their own pace. There will be things you pick up quicker than others and vice versa. You might be struggling to climb the pole for the first time but in the mean time you could be nailing that spin!

As you've probably guessed, after getting over the pain and bruises of my first class I got the bug and was hooked! I've now been poling for over 3 years and the confidence, strength and friends I have made along the way are invaluable. I do hope this helps you with what to expect for your first pole class, whether you've already booked or are thinking of doing so, just remember to enjoy it!

Have you thought about trying pole fitness classes?

Recipe | Sweet Potato Boats

I adore sweet potato.. so much so that I could happily eat it with every meal without complaint. Boiled and mashed, cut and baked in to fries, grated and fried in to rosti; sweet potato is one of my favourite foods. So much so that I could happily eat it with almost every main meal. I've recently started making sweet potato 'boats' which are so tasty and simple, I couldn't not share it with you.

The filling for these can be substituted for any foods you like which can be chopped finely, for these I used red onion, peppers and parsnips.

Ingredients:

1 Small Bag of Sweet Potatoes

1-2 Parsnips

1-2 Peppers

1 red onion

Handful of Grated Cheese (optional)

1 Teaspoon of Coconut Oil for Frying

Method:

- Wash the potatoes, then bake them at 180 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until soft.

- Grate the parsnips and bake at the same time as the potatoes until crispy.

- Finely chop the red onion and peppers, lightly fry in teaspoon of coconut oil.

- Remove from potatoes and parsnips from the oven and cut each potato in half length-ways.

- Using a tablespoon, remove the middle of the potato and place in a bowl, be careful to leave some potato around the edges of the skin else your 'boat' will fall apart.

- Add the grated parsnips, fried red onion and pepper the to sweet potato and mash/mix well.

- Spoon the mixture back in to the potato boats and finish with a sprinkling of cheese before placing back in to the oven for a further 10 minutes.

Many of us do our best to eat healthily most of the time, avoiding foods packed full of artificial sugars and preservatives can do wonders for your body. Around 18 months ago I finally decided to learn more about what I was eating and in turn what it was doing to my body. The results were quite alarming.. if you ever need an incentive not to eat something which you know contains refined sugar and preservatives just google some of the ingredients you don't understand. I promise you it will make you think twice no matter how good it tastes!

One of the things I found hard to restrict in my diet was potatoes. Potatoes contain a fair amount starch which when broken down by your body are converted to sugars, this can then raises your insulin levels. Insulin kicks in to action when your body has elevated sugar levels, it will then take that sugar and store it as fat. Bad news for all the potato lovers out there! Alas, there is a great alternative for getting your carb fix without risking elevation of your sugar levels as much. Sweet potatoes have a considerably lower amount of starch than usual potatoes, when both raw and cooked, meaning if you're going to have a carb-rich meal then these are recommended as the better option over regular potatoes.

Let me know what you think of this particular recipe and if there's any other recipes you would recommend!