Some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions in our country are fitness related – to lose “x” number of pounds, to work out “x” times a week, to fit back into that coveted pair of skinny jeans… but as women in a busy society, those goals quickly find themselves taking a back-burner to the demands of work, marriage and family life.

Don’t let 2012 pass you by! Here’s a few ways to stick to your fitness goals and rock your New Year’s resolution:

1) MAKE ATTAINABLE GOALS: Let’s face it, we women have a lot on our plates! Trying to juggle a career, marriage, charity events, children… or some combination of the above… it’s often difficult to get that much needed “me” time in the schedule. Making goals that can’t fit into your lifestyle just won’t do. If anything, you’ll find yourself avoiding the issue entirely or beating yourself up if you can’t achieve it. So find a goal that will is do-able with your lifestyle without selling yourself short. If you want to work out three times a week, look for a gym or fitness center that has classes you like before making the commitment. Instead of having a year-end goal, make a monthly or quarterly check-in to make sure you are staying on track.

2) FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY: Grab a girlfriend who has a similar fitness goal and use each other as motivation! You can work out together or check in every week to do a weigh-in over a light lunch. Don’t have any friends with the same goal? Try checking out social networking groups such as Meetup.com where you can find a group of persons with the same interests and goals as you! Or look for a fitness center that has group workout classes… you will find yourself in an environment with women just like you and even more, you’ll see them in class all the time! Having someone besides yourself to account to can you give you that extra boost of motivation to not give up.

3) MAKE WORKING OUT FUN AGAIN: When you don’t have a lot of free time, often the last thing you want to do is trudge off to the gym to run on a treadmill for an hour. Talk about monotonous! Trying to stick to a boring workout will surely make your fitness goals hard to achieve… you might find yourself giving up before you’ve really even started! Instead, check out some of your local fitness centers that feature non-traditional workouts such as aerial yoga, ballet barre, pole dance fitness, TRX, yoga and more. It’s a rare thing to be able to say you can’t wait to go work out every day!

4) PLAN A REWARD: Remember back in grade school when we got a gold star for finishing a task on time? You deserve more than a pat on the back for achieving your New Year’s resolution by the end of 2012! It’s like having that light at the end of the tunnel… some big prize to keep you going when you want to give up. Maybe it’s that expensive pair of shoes you’ve been eyeballing for weeks. Or maybe a special photo shoot to show off all your work? Just remember – you are going to be busting your butt all year… so be sure to give yourself that pat on the back for a job well done!

Hopefully some of these tips will help you design a 2012 Fitness Resolution that will fit your lifestyle and have you excited about working out again!

Make 2012 YOUR year – a new year means a whole new you!

Live in the Raleigh area? Check out Aradia Fitness, the Triangle’s most exciting women-only fitness center featuring a plethora of one-of-a-kind workouts. Aradia Fitness classes are designed for women, BY women… all in a supportive, group fitness environment. Visit Aradia Fitness online to get started today! (http://cary.aradiafitness.com)

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Cary Pole Dancing and Sensual Fitness

Hi Ladies! Join us at Aradia Fitness (Cary) for a pole dancing & sensual fitness Meetup event!!

Aradia Fitness is one of the originators of pole fitness with dozens of studios throughout the US & Canada. You will learn just how pole dancing can contribute to weight loss, toning & fitness as well as make you feel empowered and fantastic. And most of all… its FUN!

Our classes are designed for the everyday woman. Aradia students come in all shapes, sizes, colors, ages and backgrounds.

Please join our meet up group and come out to one of our special events designed just for our Meetup.com members! We will focus mainly on the pole fitness events however we will also open special “non-pole” events as well… we’ve got a whole lot of sexy fun in store for y’all!

Feel free to visit the studio’s website for more information about us:
http://aradiafitness.com/franchises/raleigh-durham/httpdocs/
Be sure to look for us on ZSpotlight, MySpace and Facebook as well.

We can’t wait to meet you… are you ready to Meet Your Sexy Side?!

Learn more and join this group at http://www.meetup.com/aradiafitness/.

Check out what members are saying about Cary Pole Dancing and Sensual Fitness:

“Something fun and new to try!” – Anonymous Member

“Great ways to meet new people and meet your sensual side!!” – Anonymous Member

“It was a fun and relaxing place to workout and really boosts your self confidence” – Anonymous Member

“It’s for the everyday woman. We all have that Sexy Side waiting to come out of us…no matter what age or shape we’re in. Trust me on this one…” – Anonymous Member

“Others should attend because the exercise is incredible and the experience is Great!!! Did I mention the instructors make you feel so at ease with yourself and take so much time with everyone.” – Anonymous Member

1. It makes you feel sexy
2. It makes you look as sexy as you feel
3. It develops super strong core muscles
   
4. It builds amazing arms
5. Booty bouncing is acceptable and ENCOURAGED
6. You can learn to fly without a plane
7. Hanging upside down can actually help realign your spine
8. It teaches you the balance of ballet and the coordination of hip hop dancing
9. “There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” ~Vicki Baum
10. You can build the deepest, most amazing friendships with women you never would have met otherwise!
    
11. It gives you a great reason to buy NEW SHOES
12. It’s the only exercise class where you are SUPPOSED to let your hair down.
13. Writhing on the floor is part of your performance
14. It gives you the perfect reason to appreciate your inner thighs
15. You can actually learn how to do death defying stunts
16. You’ll become so flexible that pretzels will be jealous
17. Your husband, fiance, boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, fuck buddy will do almost anything to get a private dance from you
18. It improves your sex life
19. “Life is a dance, from one stage to the next.” ~Anonymous
20. It helps you loose weight
21. It helps you build a curvy feminine body and sensuous strong muscles
22. It’s not boring, EVER
23. You can do it in your living room, instead of the gym
24. You don’t need a fake plastic step or a smelly guy sweating next to you in order to get your cardio workout.
25. You can workout in 6 inch platform heels, 5 inch thigh high boots, 4 inch GoGo Boots, 3 inch pumps, rubber soled jazz shoes or no shoes at all
26. Your hips, thighs, and buns will never feel the same again
27. You can use a shiny metal pole instead of waiting around for a dance partner
28. You can integrate your favorite styles of dance: latin, hip-hop, ballroom, flamenco, bellydance, jazz., popping, locking, erotic, exotic, …
29. You can do it alone, in a duo, in a team, or in a troupe
30. You can take classes with your best friends or complete strangers
31. You can pretend to be someone you’re not
32. You can explore who you truly are
33. You can learn that you are stronger, smarter, more beautiful and more capable than you ever though possible
34. “Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health – it rusts your spirit and your hips.” ~Adabella Radici
35. You can dance in pants, shorts, undies, or nothing at all
36. You can learn to feel more comfortable naked than fully clothed
37. It can open your heart and mind to the beauty inherent in every woman
38. It can help you learn to stop self criticism and self doubt
39. Once you learn how, you’ll never forget how to give a lapdance
40. You’ll be able to tip a stripper with a better understanding of how HARD that trick actually was.
41. You’ll be able to get a lapdance and enjoy it while studying for new moves
42. You can finally go to strip clubs with your guy friends and HAVE A GREAT TIME cheering at the dancers
43. “Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.” ~Faith Whittlesey
44. You can learn how to sling your g-string across the room with your toes
45. You can be the center of conversation at any party
46. You can keep your HOT & SEXY secret all to yourself
47. You can win $10,000 at PoleAPalooza or share your talent for free on YouTube
48. You can learn to pole dance with routines, improvisations, or just do crazy aerial tricks
49. Its the only dance class where you slide down a 12 foot pole into the splitz on purpose
50. You can open the creative center of your body and let your life flow through your hips every moment of every day
51. “I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what is too deep to find with words.” ~Ruth St. Denis

I scoffed at the idea originally. I thought, “Are you crazy?! I’ll break my neck!”

However a good pair of heels is essential if you plan to pursue pole dancing for fitness further. For starters, they make your legs look so freaking good and a million miles long.  At Aradia Fitness, we begin wearing our shoes in Level 3 for pole dancing… however we introduce shoes into our Lap Dancing & Chair Dancing classes as well as the Chair-obics classes.

Dancing in heels is a whole new experience completely. It is a killer leg workout.  Wearing your sexy heels also elongates all your dance moves and forces you to really slow everything down… adding even more sensuality to your routine. And to top it all off, once you begin to advance in your pole dancing you will need a good pair of heels or boots that will stick to the pole (important when you begin those advanced inverted tricks).

I am a Pleaser girl myself. Their shoes look awesome and they offer a variety of different styles. 4″, 5″, 6″… even 7″ heels. You can buy open toe/strappy heels, closed toes, ankle boots, knee high or even thigh high boots. Plus you can also look for a variety of platform styles (short, tall, see through, flashing!) and heel styles (stiletto, flared, funky). The best thing I like about Pleaser shoes is that they are affordable. My knee high boots were about $45 and my 6″ heels only $35.

The only thing about Pleaser shoes is that you have to track down an online retailer who sells them. I’ve had great success with Zappos and ShoeBuy.

Other shoes brands to check out include Demonia, Ellie, Devious and Lucious. Do your research and depending on what you are looking for, I’m sure you will find it! Seriously – these shoes are so FUN and you can find just about style, look, or fantasy-theme you can imagine

* * * * * * * * * *

Things to keep in mind when buying your dancing shoes:

- HEIGHT:
-If you are terrified of having a super high heel, you can offset this by making sure you have a 2″ or 3″ platform on the shoe. You still get all the height without killing your ankle in the process. Otherwise, get a heel height you can actually walk in… no matter if it is only 3″ or 4″. You got to be comfortable in your own skin otherwise it will translate into your dancing! Confidence is KEY!

- HEEL:
The type of heel you get is also dependent on how comfortable you are in heels. I can handle a stiletto up until about 3″… after that I’m tripping and sliding (lol).  I always look for a thick heel or one that flares out at the bottom. However if you love a pointy heel and can’t live without, go for it girl!

- STRAPS:
I am the type of person who has to have the shoe attached to my foot or else I won’t stop worrying about it. I love a strappy sandal or a pleather/leather boot. I can do all my tricks and spins without having to worry about the shoe flying off in the middle of my routine! Some ladies prefer the slip-on shoe style and I’ve seen them do all the same things with no problem.

- DECORATIONS:
Preferably you want a pretty simple shoe free of glitter, jewels, hooks, etc. For example, some knee-high or thigh-high boots are lace up with a lot of eyehooks running up the side or front. If possible, try to find a boot or shoe free of these decorations (look for zip up boot). Why? Because they will SCRATCH your pole and pole scratches cannot be undone! Also keep in mind that a shoe free of distractions will provide you with more surface to grip the pole for your inverted tricks.

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Pole dancing for fitness is centered around feeling sexy and having fun. Finding the perfect shoe (or shoes!!) to bring into your pole fitness routine is a fantastic way to make yourself feel a little more sexy… not to mention through a little attitude into your dancing. So have FUN when you are shopping!

Happy shoe hunting ladies!!