For the next two weeks The Pole Story will be featuring a two-part article called “The Pole Body”.  The first part will focus on Nutrition and Fitness (with guest blogger and Integrative Nutritionist Rebekah Fuller) and the second will focus on Strengthening and Fitness (with the help of expert Pilates Instructor Michelle Blum).  The goal is to help dancers learn new ways to get into optimal shape, whether it be for competitions or simply for personal satisfaction.  And of course, with the holidays right around the corner, it doesn’t hurt to have a little fitness advice!

I have had the pleasure of working closely with both of these women and they are not only knowledgeable, but deeply passionate about their work.  They both have a pole dancing background, and Rebekah, in addition to being a nutritionist, is also a pole dance instructor. (She also came up with the title for this series!)  Rebekah and Michelle are also very interested in the mind-body connection and this is reflected in their work.  So if you are looking for someone to help take your pole dance training to the next level,  or even if you are just interested in getting physically and psychologically healthier,  consider checking out Fuller Health and Michellates. They are both offering specials to anyone who references these articles.  So without further ado, let's see what Rebekah has to say!

As a Pole Dancing Instructor and Holistic Health Counselor in Nutrition, I am an advocate for eating for energy and maintaining lean, strong and healthy curves from the inside out. I became a dance instructor at S Factor prior to my studies and practice in nutrition. While I just assumed my up & down waves of energy and lack of focus at times were normal, it was not until I really learned about nutrition that I realized food changes everything.

I will say that prior to my education in nutrition I already did eat fairly healthy and was not oblivious to food and labels. I understood the concept of macronutrients: protein, carbs and fats. I felt I had a pretty decent grasp on eating well and steered clear of fried foods, sodas and candy. But my awareness and knowledge of what I was putting into my body only went so far.

I didn’t realize how much sugar I was consuming with all its disguised names. How it was and IS secretly in foods I would have never imagined it to be: Fat free milk and yogurt, tomato sauce, ketchup, on the go energy bars and even healthy cereals, just to name of few. I got sick a few times a year. I suffered from congestion, irregular digestion, waves of energy then fatigue, acne and simply did not feel that I was at my optimal health.

Then, I discovered that food is medicine and there are so many different ways to heal the human body through food and healthy lifestyle. I wanted to share with you some of the ways I keep my “Pole Body” lean, clean and strong.

Check out my Top Ten Ways to Increase Energy:

1. Reduce or eliminate caffeine.

·      The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar ups and downs, making mood swings more frequent.

2. Drink water.

·      Most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Before you go to sugar or caffeine, have a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see what happens.

·      Caution: Soft drinks are now America’s number one source of added sugar.

3. Eat dark leafy green vegetables.

·      Green is associated with spring, the time of renewal and refreshing, vital energy.  Greens are full of vitamins and nutrients and great for improving circulation, lifting the spirit,              purifying the blood and strengthening the immune system.

·      Broccoli, collards, bok choy, kale, mustard greens, broccoli rabe, arugula and dandelion greens are some of the many to choose from.

4. Use gentle sweets.

·      Avoid sugar and chemicalized artificial sweeteners.

·      Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and stevia.

·      Also eat sweet vegetables such as yams, carrots and beets.

5. Get physical activity.

·      Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga—start with 10 minutes a day and increase.

6. Get more sleep and rest and relaxation.

·      When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy.

·      These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late, waking up early, for months and years on end.

7.Evaluate the amount of animal food you eat.

·      Eating too much meat, dairy, chicken and eggs can lead to low energy. So can eating too little! Experiment. Respect your body’s individuality.

8. Take time for yourself.

·      Find activities that restore your energy, such as a walk, a bath, a museum, a movie or whatever you enjoy, and schedule a weekly date with yourself to do these things!

9. Get in touch with your spirituality.

·      We are spiritual beings in a physical world.

·      Find ways to get in touch with your spiritual side, be it meditating, dancing, drawing, church, temple or being in nature.

10. Get rid of relationships that drain you.

·      People can drain you of your energy. It doesn’t mean that they are bad, but it is good to notice who drains you and why.

·      See if you can transform those relationships by communicating and setting boundaries, or end the relationship.

By improving eating habits, understanding your body better, and feeling confident in preparing better food for you and your loved ones you will experience an increase in overall energy and happiness in your life. If you would like to learn more about what foods are right for you, please check out the sweet offer below.

As a big thank you to Claire for featuring this healthy article in her fabulous blog, I am offering a COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION to anyone that mentions this article in their inquiry. To take advantage of this offer please visit my website at www.fullerhealth.net and click on the Health History link. Be one of the first 10 people to act and receive $100 off the first month of working one-on-one with me as your Holistic Health Counselor. Salud!

Rebekah Fuller

rebekah@fullerhealth.net

Health Counselor in Nutrition

www.fullerhealth.net

After the 1st series of East Meets West pole events, we were approached by numerous people with questions regarding the new PFA Scoring System, so we sat down and spoke to Collette, Lizz, Michula and Sam and passed your questions along to them.

BK: I know a tremendous amount of time and effort was put forth in creating this scoring system, would you like to comment on the process you under took and those involved in creating it ??

PFA: We had 2 main things that we wanted to accomplish in creating a new scoring system. First, we wanted to make the process standardized and objective. Secondly, we wanted to demystify this process to the audience and competitors alike. To accomplish our first task, we asked competitors to submit their 8 most difficult elements, as do the elite competitive gymnasts. (This process was incorporated with the competitions on the west coast and only the Trixpert on the east coast. Pole Drama scoring was different due to a higher percentage of points for artistry.) A common language was necessary for this process, and luckily PFA had completed the first edition of the Visual Dictionary. Competitors were able to use this to provide us with their elements. If a trick was not yet in the handbook, we simply asked the competitors to submit pictures and to use the language that PFA uses when describing leg and hand positioning and have those at the side of the judges. The elements were given a difficulty start value, which was then returned to the competitors, in case they wished to make changes to their routine. The highest that a single trick/element or combination connected by a release or drop could receive is a .8 or 80 with a 640 as the highest difficulty start value one could receive.

BK: How is the Difficulty Start Value used in the scoring process??

PFA: Scoring definitely takes difficulty into account....we never "add back" this score into the final calculations, but contestants submitting more difficult moves by definition have higher starting values and therefore possibility to score higher. Furthermore, PFA and EMW wanted to begin to award competitors for mastery of difficult elements, such as the iron cross. PFA deemed an iron cross as an 80 for difficulty. However, if a competitor displayed mastery of this trick, holding it for a great length of time and lowered and possibly pulled it back up again, the judges had the power to award up to .2 or 20 points bonus points to award such mastery and or exceptional work. On the same note, if a trick was deemed 80 in difficulty and the competitor does not execute it as such, the judge can give the execution of the trick a lower score.

BK: So with all that information what’s the process for judging during the competition?

PFA: Each judge has a specific function. There is a one deduction judge, one judge for specified elements being scored (D E or Difficulty and Execution score) and two artistic/connectivity judges. Each judge is given personalized score sheets for each competitor. The judges score during the performance, and then a “judge liaison” takes the score sheets to the “runners.” The runners tally the score and abolish the judges’ ability to change scores. There is no communication between judges during the scoring process, nor the runners to judges. The D-V (Difficulty Value) and E scores are added to the average of the two Artistic scores. Once that is totaled, deductions are subtracted and we are left with the final score.
For the east coast Drama competition, two Artistic Scores were averaged to achieve one Artistic Score. Artististry is a hard score to define on a technical basis. There must be room for some subjectivity. We thus had two judges to score this component and averaged the score.

BK: So you commented that you wanted to demystify the scoring process, how do you feel you are accomplishing this goal?

PFA: As for the competitors, they are given guidelines (just as in pretty much all competitions) but with the submission of elements they are given their start values and are allowed to resubmit elements after they’ve seen their numbers. They know what they are starting with. We communicate to them directly what will cause deductions in their score.

As far as the pole community/audience, we are slowly trying to educate as to how we are scoring. The west coast event was very much a “meet” format. We announced the Difficulty Start Value prior to the competitor(s) coming to the stage and once scores were tallied, they were announced. It was a unique process and one that really gets the audience involved.
The east coast event format was more one of entertainment. We did not announce DSV (Difficulty Start Value) or final scores during the competition instead announce the top three for each category following each division.
For both the east and west coast, we allowed the competitors see the score sheets immediately after the event and judges were available for questions.

BK: WOW, that’s a lot of work and effort; this will surely put Pole in good company compared to scoring of other sports such as gymnastics and skating..What does the PFA hope to achieve by creating a unified adoptable scoring system?

PFA: We want to create the most fair and balanced events! We want to bring understanding and continuity to scoring process, eliminate favoritism and subjectivity, which ultimately brings legitimacy to the sport. It’s a difficult situation, with the advent of computers, Facebook and Youtube, especially, the pole community knows each other. You have to create a format that doesn’t allow that “friendly” environment to affect the judging. We may not be there 100% but with each event we keep getting closer!

BK: That makes perfect sense to us, so pretend I am a competitor, what are some of the common scoring deductions that future competitors should watch out for?

PFA: Deductions include unstable static holds, unnecessary pauses, unpointed toes, breaks in legs (when in ‘pencil’ position, legs should be as one), kicking the pole, creating momentum by running before a spin and/or creating spin by using the truss and/or floor, touching the truss (for safety reasons), Are these easy fixes ? These are indeed easy fixes! Just as long as we effectively communicate exactly what the judges are looking for and continue to strive for common language in describing what is being sought after.

BK: Seeing that we are a fashion company and have built our PoleFit line specific for this sport, What role will wardrobe selection have in scoring?

PFA: Of course, a competitor should choose wardrobe that does expose any of the buttocks. Wardrobe must be chosen so that it does not inhibit the flow of her routine. In other words, if a competitor must pause in her routine to adjust her bottoms, not only has she lost points for the actual tug, she has lost points in the artistic flow of her routine that may force her to be off with music. The community needs to know that for a technically-based competition, pole dance gear that is made specific with the competitor pole dancer in mind is the wisest choice. Pole Fit allows the competitor to focus on her routine and execute it to her fullest potential without having to worry about being deducted for easy fixes such as not having to tug at bottoms! Furthermore, in order for pole dancing to achieve a legitimate place in the sports arena, we cannot have competition attire show more the buttocks or breasts in overly sexual manner. It must be modest and functional to bring in all audiences and potential sponsors. Thank you, Bad Kitty for making this possible.

BK: So is there an online resource where someone can find out what the Difficulty Score of each move is worth?

PFA: Our next task is to publish all difficulty values on the next edition of the PFA handbooks and online.

BK: So what have we learned ? The PFA is working very hard to be as transparent in their scoring as possible. Doing their best to make competitors aware of how they will be judged, before, during and after a competition. Thank you Collette, Liz, Michula and Sam for answering these questions for us and the community. Bad Kitty will keep you all posted on the new release of the Handbook, which will allow all of the competitors a better way to train for and be aware of what it is they are being judged on.