Excuses, excuses…

Today I want to share with you something I’m quite nerdily passionate about, motivations and excuses! 

Ahh, excuses… Everyday I hear and read so many reasons and excuses to not join a pole dancing class, so I thought, why not put together a list of my favourite ones. These excuses come from real folks who are on the fence about joining a pole dance class, and have been gathered over more than 6 years of my time so far as the owner of the Irish Pole Dance Academy:

“I’ve always wanted to try pole dancing but I’m scared I’ll be the worst in the class”: This is a normal fear since society is constantly demanding of us that we achieve more, do more and be more perfect every damn day. However, you won’t be standing out like a sore thumb not knowing what you are doing because all of the folks who sign up to our ‘Introduction to Pole Dance’ course are also first-time beginners and in the same boat as you. It is not expected that you already have pole dance experience; if you do, we have Improver, Intermediate and Advanced level pole dance classes for you!

“I have no upper body strength whatsoever, so I can’t do it”: Carrying on from my point above, having upper body strength is also not required. In fact, taking pole dancing classes helps you to build not just upper body strength, but core strength and leg strength! Most of our members do not have upper body strength upon joining our classes, I can certainly attest that I had zero. Thankfully, the pole helped me  to build upper body strength at a controlled pace.

“I’m too busy to take classes”: Ah yes, there are not enough hours in the day; we can all relate to this! One thing I have learned about time management is that the sad truth is the ‘to do’ list is never going to be empty, there is always something that needs to be done (which is part of the joy of being a human being!). The sooner we can accept this fact the easier it becomes to prioritise. Fitness and wellness is something that everyone needs, no matter how busy you are. In fact, incorporating fitness into your daily routine will make you feel like you have more hours in the day thanks to benefits such as lower stress levels and more energy. It is a lengthly subject, hence why I wrote a blog about this topic!

“But I’d have to wear a pair of shorts, right? I hate the idea of wearing shorts…”: I think that this is a perfectly normal and valid fear. I didn’t even own a pair of shorts when I joined my first pole dancing class (I quickly cut an old pair of combats into some shorts and paired it with my Converse runners; it was an interesting ensemble). I was only 19 back then and even so, I was not thrilled at the idea of showing my short milky white legs to everyone. Having negative thoughts about our own bodies as women is, unfortunately, the norm. So I can deeply relate to any fear you have about showing your legs in public. However, what I am striving to do is help our clients to overcome their negative beliefs and perceptions of their own bodies and to instead appreciate them for that they can do. My hope is that my team and I can help you to achieve the same so that you will no longer feel weird about having to wear shorts.

“Oh I want to try but I’d break the pole LOL!”: This simply won’t happen and is not a good excuse to not join. Our studio is purpose built with professional equipment and my instructors have paid their due diligence in getting the best qualifications and ongoing professional development. Don’t worry, we’re not a ‘mickey mouse’ pole fitness operation! You’re in safe hands.

“I’m too old”: Have you seen this lady? She’s in her 60’s:

“I’m not sexy”: This is slightly related to my earlier point about negative beliefs about ourselves and our bodies. Being sexy is often portrayed as something negative by society, or something that women do for men. How many times have you heard in your lifetime cruel words such as “slut” or “whore” being used to describe a women who shows “too much” skin or who dances erotically? I could speak at length on this point, however I will keep it brief. Yes, I understand that it is not becoming for someone to declare themselves as sexy. And yes, I understand that many people might feel uncomfortable with the idea of having to dance in a sexy manner with a pole. In all of our classes here, we do celebrate and enjoy sensual movement, however you can chose to move in a way that is more athletic, balletic, contemporary, downright weird or floats your boat! My team and I love diversity and we won’t pressure you into being ‘sexy’, but we will encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone, even if that means acting a little bit weird from time to time!

“I can’t dance”: Neither could I when I first signed up! It surprises many folks to learn that I do not have ANY dance background whatsoever (I grew up in rural Ireland where there was no such thing as ballet classes). But hey, if I can do it, so can you! And remember, all of the other folks in the class are not professional dancers or ballerinas either. I honestly don’t expect you to have an extensive dance background to join our pole dancing classes, but if you have one, then that’s great! My team and I will teach you how to dance and move with the pole, rather than just a bunch of tricks (don’t worry you’ll learn plenty of those too).

Well it’s time we balanced out all the excuses by looking at the positives, so (apart from the obvious physical benefits and getting into the best shape of your life) here are some good motivations and reasons why you SHOULD join a Pole Dance class:

“I’m bored to tears of the gym”: Yup, I hear this a lot; you are not alone. If you suffer from a feeling of mind-numbing boredom looming over you as you think about hitting the gym for the same-old workout routine, let me help you change that for good! In our classes you’ll meet instructors who have literally got your back, as well as classmates who are in the same boat as you (refer back to my first point in the blog post!).

“I really want to do something FUN, for me!”: Your classmates are in the same boat as you, and believe it or not they want to see you succeed! Our members tell me that the best thing about our pole dancing classes is the supportive environment that they feel when they enter our big black doors. They can fully switch off from work and whatever is going on in their personal lives, and just focus on themselves and getting a little bit better on the pole with each session. You won’t just build physical strength, you will build confidence and self esteem which you can use to improve your life.

“I want to make more friends”: Similar to my point above, your classmates are normal folks just like you. Our clients come from all corners of the globe, so you’ll get to be a part of a community comprised of not just Irish women, but German, French, Spanish, Nigerian, Japanese, American, Brazilian, Italian, Russian, Polish… The list goes on. Our classes are highly interactive and there is always great ‘craic’ (that’s an Irish expression for a good laugh), unlike the gym. I guarantee that you too will make friends for life here!

“I’ve always wanted to try pole dancing, I’ve been thinking about it for ages!”: Ok, so perhaps you’ve let the reasons and excuses as I discussed above hold you back for some time. If you’ve been thinking about doing pole dancing for a while now, then you it to yourself to at least try! I hope you’ll fall in love with it, but perhaps you won’t, and that’s ok. At least you’ll be able to say that you tried and you won’t let another day, week, month or even year go by wishing and wondering about it.

Can you relate to any of the above?

Don’t spend one more day wishing that you could be “good enough” and feeling that mind-numbing boredom looming over you as you think about hitting the gym for the same-old workout routine.

Come join our awesome community of inspired women who lift each other up. You are already good enough and you owe it to yourself! 

Call me on 083 187 3602 or click here to sign up for our next ‘Introduction to Pole Dance’ course for first-time beginners taking place at our gorgeous studio in Dublin!