Fitness Pole Dancing

If you’ve ever worked out before to lose weight or to just maintain a healthy lifestyle you know that it is important to work out a variety of different ways to keep from getting bored and having to do the same routine all the time. It is also important to have a workout that is fun and also focuses on all areas of your body.

There are select fitness studios particularly in Houston that you can go to that offer trendy and fun classes such as kick boxing, pilates, belly dancing, yoga and the most recently popular pole dancing. Pole dancing is the latest exercise craze that burns calories, tones body muscles, increases flexibility and improve fitness. It helps tone your whole body and improves your confidence making you feel sexy by realizing your inner self and helps you achieve an overall feeling of well being. Because of the increase in popularity of pole dancing in Houston we’ll focus on this subject as the main topic of this article.

Your local fitness studio in Houston offers these pole dance classes with structured workouts to fit your own fitness level. The classes are predominately female only. There are however, select fitness studios that allow men to take pole dancing classes. If you are male it is best to check out the dance studio as often times they offer other alternatives for you to stay in shape and achieve a fun workout at the same time or as mentioned there are some that won’t mind at all.

Pole dancing is not just for exotic dancers. Women of all ages with various backgrounds, sizes and shapes have taken up pole dancing for fitness. Although it may be more difficult to start with if you are heavier, the fact is that you are lifting more weight than the skinny ones. This will get you stronger, quicker. With regular exercise it can improve your lifestyle and your overall health. It also increases your levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) otherwise known as your ‘good’ cholesterol, lowers your raised blood pressure, boosts your immune system and improves your mood by reducing anxiety that can be caused by stress and lead to depression.

The benefits are not only physical though. Improved grace and posture make you appear more confident to others, thus in turn makes you feel more confident in your everyday life, and lets your self-esteem shine through. There is also evidence to suggest pole dancing as a form of exercise can have an effect on psychological processes as well as physical ones. It is known that physical exertion has a positive effect on the sensory areas of the brain, causing it to release endorphins and serotonin. These are hormones that give you feelings of happiness and some feelings of euphoria. They are also known as the body’s own natural painkillers.

Learning to pole dance at first can appear to be difficult. Just like trying out any new form of exercise you can expect to end up with bruises, aches and pains but it’s something that you can handle compared to all the fun you will be having. If you persevere you will increase your strength and skills and will enable you to become competent at using a pole. There are many moves that you can learn from beginners to intermediate through to advanced.

Having pole dancing classes available along with the other forms of fun exercises such as kick boxing, pilates, belly dancing and yoga makes for a fun and exciting fitness studio in Houston. It is time to experience a new you in a relaxing and friendly environment and explore all your inner desires. So go out there and discover your inner strength, inner spirit, inner confidence, inner flexibility and for the ladies your inner diva!

Pilates – A Great Way to Get Fit

Pilates is more than an exercise or fitness program. Pilates is a way to lengthen and strengthen muscles and to condition the body with a specific set of exercises. Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates over 40 years ago and has been one of the most popular forms of exercise in the United States. Pilates focuses on the “mind-body” connection and strengthening the muscles of the body’s core (abdominal muscles).

Pilates exercises are designed to help a person achieve flexibility and strength. A Pilates exercise program will not necessarily help someone achieve a flat stomach and bulging biceps. Pilates can provide the means to become stronger, more flexible and healthier. As you become more fit, you will lose weight and your stomach will become flatter as you burn fat. Body awareness and flexibility are the key concepts of a Pilates workout.

Pilates teaches people how to stretch their muscles and to achieve balance and symmetry. The program focuses on total body workout instead of isolating specific muscle groups. Breathing and stretching are central to Pilates, and the program has helped many people become more fit through “functional training.” Functional training is a method of teaching the body to function stronger and more efficiently in everyday activities. Movements that mimic activities, such as standing up, climbing stairs, sitting down and reaching, can lengthen and strengthen the muscles used for those activities. Unlike weight lifting that focuses on increasing muscle size and strength of a particular muscle group, Pilates involves the whole body in functional exercise and conditioning. The result of Pilates conditioning is greater balance, flexibility and endurance in everyday life.

The Pilates method involves concentration, control, balance, precision of movement, flow of movement and breathing. Pilates instructors help their clients to focus on the movement and their own bodies. Instructors teach clients that the mind controls the body. The exercises are designed to increase body awareness and balance. The whole body is involved in the fitness exercises and in the concentration of effort. Exercises flow smoothly from one to another. Each exercise is performed in a specific sequence that is similar to dancing. There is no break in the movement except for a brief period of breathing and rest. With practice, the movements become fluid and flow. Great attention to detail of body position is important to the Pilates fitness workout. Proper breathing techniques are critical to the Pilates program, and many different breathing techniques are used for different exercises.