It's another new year and we're looking forward to another great year at the studio! Last year, I wrote a piece for the Pole Dancing Bloggers Association about tips and tricks for setting your intentions for the new year. A quick run down of what I discussed in the January 2014 blog included ways to set achievable fitness goals and how to track your progress. This year, I'd like to revisit an effort towards keeping an aerial journal and further explore other means of tracking progress for accountability.
Social media plays a big role in motivation and accountability. Modern technological advances create easy to use documentation that allows the user to easily review and compare progress over any length of time. I recently discovered Flipagram (I know, late to the party on this one) and I'm excited to figure out useful ways to integrate the application for a different approach in blogs and other teaching strategies. I really like the idea of having a picture comparison to easily see progress. In pole and aerial, poses become more defined and cleaner through progression. This is something that can be visualized better when images are displayed consecutively.
I also would like to upload all my class routines to the Pole Harmony YouTube channel for my own personal collection of routines and to also share with our monthly members to add to the benefit of paying for our unlimited monthly membership classes.
Aside from tracking progress via social media, I also intend on participating in more online challenges. 2014 was an interesting year in fitness as we saw the rise of the online Instagram challenges. I featured a blog post depicting some of the popular challenges for pole and aerialists in my July 2014 Online Challenges blog. My students and I recently just completed the December Acro Yoga Challenge which featured a series flow of moves utilizing partner balancing with a base, flyer, and spotter.
In the business sense, I would like to see Pole Harmony continue to grow in it's supportive structure. This past year, we integrated the use of social media by offering an online study group where students share their achievements, goals, fails, and inspirations. Students also shared their progress in online challenges. I feel like the group built a better sense of community among our regular students. A strong support system is also very important when it comes to achieving your fitness goals. I've witnessed a lot of progress this past year. I'm very proud of the determination and hard work the ladies have put forth in 2014. I'm excited to hear all the goals many have for the upcoming year and look forward to continuing to see changes as these strong ladies transform into their new you.
Wishing you all the very best in 2015! Happy New Year!
Ready to get started on your pole dancing fitness journey? Sign up online today for our next intro to pole class by CLICKING HERE.
Exploring the art of creative expression through movement
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
The Best Holiday Gifts for Pole and Aerial Dancers 2014
We're back at it this year scoping out the hottest gift trends for fitness! Last year we featured five of our top wish list items for both pole and aerial dancers. This year we'd like to expand upon that previous list and add some hot items to give you an idea of what to get your favorite pole or aerialists this holiday season. Let's get started!
Pole Harmony's Best Gift Picks for Pole and Aerial Dancers 2014:
1. Stylish printed Yoga mats. I've seen very hip and trendy designs on Yoga mats lately in stores. My all time favorite mat I've seen is a Zebra print mat I spotted at Meijers. Give her peace of mind for her flexibility classes with style. A quick Google search will yield multiple colors of animal print mats. Plenty to choose from and a hot item that takes traditional boring solid colored mats to the appeal of a whole new generation of yogis.
2. Custom water bottle. The water bottle is an essential for any pole or aerial class and getting her a customized beverage container is a great idea. No more questioning what bottle of water belongs to who when you have your very own. A huge plus- you can customize water bottles now with an awesome pole or aerial silks graphic along with a favorite pole or aerial meme.
3. Work out T's. Just like the customized water bottle, there is no better gift idea than a customized graphic t-shirt or sweatshirt that one can wear to classes or proudly display for any occasion that declares their love for the sport.
4. Foam roller. Any pole or aerial silks student knows the holy grail of body maintenance is the foam roller. Roll out tension or loosen up tight muscles to increase flexibility- the foam roller is a must have item. So many options of foam rollers exist from grooves to ridges and long to short. Depending on the intended use, you'll want to make sure you do a little research on this one but all in all, this is definitely a great gift idea.
5. Grip aid. At Pole Harmony, our most popular brands for grip aid use have been Dry Hands for pole and Cramer's for aerial silks. These two products have become a staple at the studio and are always an essential item that is perfect for a stocking stuffer.
This concludes our 2014 list of favorite holiday gift items for pole and aerial dancers. We hope you found some useful ideas for your holiday shopping! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season from Pole Harmony! For more gift ideas, please read our 2013 list of favorite holiday gift items.
1. Stylish printed Yoga mats. I've seen very hip and trendy designs on Yoga mats lately in stores. My all time favorite mat I've seen is a Zebra print mat I spotted at Meijers. Give her peace of mind for her flexibility classes with style. A quick Google search will yield multiple colors of animal print mats. Plenty to choose from and a hot item that takes traditional boring solid colored mats to the appeal of a whole new generation of yogis.
2. Custom water bottle. The water bottle is an essential for any pole or aerial class and getting her a customized beverage container is a great idea. No more questioning what bottle of water belongs to who when you have your very own. A huge plus- you can customize water bottles now with an awesome pole or aerial silks graphic along with a favorite pole or aerial meme.
3. Work out T's. Just like the customized water bottle, there is no better gift idea than a customized graphic t-shirt or sweatshirt that one can wear to classes or proudly display for any occasion that declares their love for the sport.
4. Foam roller. Any pole or aerial silks student knows the holy grail of body maintenance is the foam roller. Roll out tension or loosen up tight muscles to increase flexibility- the foam roller is a must have item. So many options of foam rollers exist from grooves to ridges and long to short. Depending on the intended use, you'll want to make sure you do a little research on this one but all in all, this is definitely a great gift idea.
5. Grip aid. At Pole Harmony, our most popular brands for grip aid use have been Dry Hands for pole and Cramer's for aerial silks. These two products have become a staple at the studio and are always an essential item that is perfect for a stocking stuffer.
This concludes our 2014 list of favorite holiday gift items for pole and aerial dancers. We hope you found some useful ideas for your holiday shopping! Wishing you a wonderful holiday season from Pole Harmony! For more gift ideas, please read our 2013 list of favorite holiday gift items.
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