Pole Dancing for Dummies

You should not be surprised to know that the woman hanging upside down on the pole in this photo is not me.

But you might surprised to know that yesterday, after going to church, the farmer's market and Biscuitville with my family, I went to a pole dancing class. Yes, I went to church first.

Technically, it was a "teaser class" -- basically an introduction to pole dancing as exercise at Aradia Fitness. I was there with two friends, courtesy of a Groupon -- seemed like a good way to get some exercise, have a laugh with the ladies and maybe pick up a couple of pointers for impressing my husband.

Turns out that pole dancing is serious fitness -- a lot like pilates, with the focus on core strength, plus some serious upper body work from holding your own weight as you slide down and around the pole. Oh, except that in pilates, there's no rubbing your hand through your hair or spanking yourself lightly on the ass. At least, not in the pilates class that I've been taking.

The good news is that no one in the class is looking at each other. It requires way too much attention to your own self -- hold your abs in, your chest out, point your toes, don't get dizzy, hips this way, booty that way -- to look at anyone other than the instructor. Meanwhile, the instructor did a great job of keeping us all focused on the steps without making anyone self-conscious.

Yes, we giggled a lot during the class. But we got one hell of a workout in a very empowering kind of way. And I did manage to recreate a move or two to show off at home -- even without a pole installed in my living room.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, you have to work your way through from Pole 1.0 to Pole 9.0 before they start letting you hang upside down on the pole.

Image from Aradia Fitness
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