Healing Journey Blog

Here is a post from a guest blogger about a different way to get in shape!

I never come home from the gym feeling sexy. I’m sweaty, hot, tired, looking for a shower, leaving my poor man to his own devices and watching the new episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Once more, gym work is so repetitive and regimented that the only source of entertainment is my iPod. Music was the only thing that made the gym bearable and I realised it was the ONLY thing I looked forward to. I sought a solution to my problem that centered around my love for music. There’d been many times I’d felt the need to bust out a move in the gym, sometimes the music just takes over!

Though I’ve always restrained myself. Until now.

My work colleagues and I decided on  some pole dancing lessons at Pole Fetish. While hesitant to begin with, I attended with the feeling that gyrating around a pole would be a bit uncomfortable for me. This is a skill that developed around objectifying women, that didn’t sit well with me. I eventually told myself that it couldn’t be too bad and well… to lighten the hell up.

I found that the whole experience made exercise so enjoyable. The staff were brilliant and I was never made to feel uncomfortable, I was in a room full of people in the same position as me, some of those positions were pretty uncomfortable too, but they had me working pretty hard! I never considered myself a great dancer, but with the teacher’s guidance, I was actually working up a sweat. It was a great way for me to stay fit, healthy and have fun!

This might sound strange, but I felt like I’d reclaimed part of my femininity by actively turning pole dancing classes into something that could build my strength, my cardiovascular health and lose weight all at once. I’d too quickly and easily characterised the type of women that did this, and it turned out I really enjoyed the experience. I’m still sweaty when I come home from a workout, but I guess I am feeling that little bit sexier. I’m still going to watch Grey’s Anatomy though…