Oh hey, Fittie Family! I’m back from the dark side of my accidental episode of dementia. Woof. Newsflash: Concussions are NOT a fun, sexy time. My headaches were so bad that I’m considering wearing a bicycle helmet as a protective accessory/preemptive measure. Oh, and you can bet your sweet asses that said helmet will be bedazzled…

But, once again, I digress..

Because of my concussion, I had to take about 4 days off from pole dancing. Not too bad, right? WRONG. SO VERY WRONG. You see, Fittie McFittersons, pole dancing is the type of sport that requires a lot of strength and flexibility. So, when one takes a vacation from said movement, one gets her ass kicked on the first couple days back. Before my head injury, I was able to climb to the very tippy top of the pole with ease. Pre shower accident, I could easily have a conversation with you while suspending upside down, gripping the pole between my ankles. In the time preceding my head knock, I had the strength to stay off the ground for the entirety of my favorite pole dancing song (Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) And now? Not so much.

True story

Ohh the utter agony of not feeling as in shape or as capable as we once were! During my first class back, my muscles threw a massive tantrum. My legs acted like it was amateur hour. My arms refused to hold a steady plank, and who the hell knows where my blessed core strength went. (Probably to Santa Monica. Everyone in Santa Monica is blonde and has killer abs. Those assholes.) Towards the mid point of the 2 hour class, I was ready to give up. As I was drafting my Fittie-resignation letter in my mind, my teacher stood over my mat, told me to stop disconnecting my brain from my body, and to keep moving.

Woah. Teacher lady. You just blew my goddamn mind.

Here I was, yelling at my body parts as if they were some kind of annoying neighbor, all while completely forgetting that for better or for worse, they are me. I am my body and vise versa. For a brief second, I’d convinced myself that my limbs had lost their strength and I was once again back at ground zero. I was unable to retain my power. However, the truth of the situation is that I could once scale up a pole in matter of 2 seconds. I could once sink into a split. I could once dance without stopping for 45 minutes. If I could once do all these things, who says I can’t do it again?

I think thats where a lot of people get lost. They want to get fit, but they bemoan their bodies as if they’re some separate entity of themselves. “I don’t have the arm stregth to do that.” Or “My abs are too weak to for that class.” or “My legs don’t have that kind of stamina.” I call bullshit. The fact of the matter is that your spirit is your body and your body is your spirit. We’ve all completed some sort of task that took considerable time and effort. Think about it. Graduating from college. Landing a job. Buying a house. Saving money. Cooking a dinner. You’ve done it. You put your mind to it and your body followed. Who is to say that getting into shape can’t follow the same simple agenda?

I came back to class this past Wednesday. Sunday marked my 5th day back. After 5 days deep into my routine, I can safely report that I’m about 80% better. Each class is 2-2.5 hours, so I estimate that it took me around 10-12 hours to restore my strength. It was a bitchy not so awesome process, but it happened. Lord knows if it can happen for a concussed cynic, it can happen for you too.

I’ll leave you with a link to the most adorable pep talk I’ve ever seen. Happy Monday, y’all!