Pole Dancers want nice skin too!

Since I started pole dancing over a year ago I've found myself plagued by a common pole dancers problem. Dry skin. You see, for those of you who aren't pole dancers, you can't put cream on your skin if you're going to pole that day. Even if you put it on in the morning and you're poling at night, you'll still be greasy.

But I have found the solution, pole dancers everywhere, throw your hands up in celebration because there is now a products that will keep your skin moisturised so that you don't look dry and flakey without the grease.

Nivea Skin Conditioner sounds a little too good to be true, but it does work! I've been using it for about a week and my skin doesn't look dry and flakey anymore. I use it on pole days and it doesn't make my skin greasy so sticking to the pole isn't a problem.

If you haven't seen the ads, it works exactly the same as hair conditioner. Once you've washed your skin, the same way you would with shampoo, you then apply the conditioner. Leave it on for about a minute and rinse off and out you get. No stickiness and it smells nice too.

And for anyone who doesn't do pole, this product is just as awesome because it means that:
1. you don't have to spend 30 minutes moistening and
2. You can put your clothes on without it feeling like they're sticking to you.

With winter coming this means that stockings and jeans won't be such a hassle if you put cream on.

So whether you just was easy to use moisturiser or you want to solve the annoying pole problem of dry skin, the Nivea Skin Conditioner gets a big LivingLovingLifestyle thumbs up from me :D

The beautiful body challenge

The Beautiful Body Challenge

This article is for the ladies. Whether you’re a tiny toned muscle machine or curvy like me. A few things have led to the writing of this article, but two stand out to me the most.

The first was a few weeks back, when, after seeing part of my body in a changing room mirror, I sent my boyfriend a sad message saying: “I wish I could just make friends with my body”.

And as he does, he responded with suggestions, help and advice to help me get the body I want.

The realisation that came from reading his reply though, was that I don’t want to lose weight, I don’t want to eat like a bird or live in the gym, I just want to accept the body I have and be happy with that.

I used to be completely happy with my body and I never focused on its imperfections. But after I developed feelings for a boy who called any woman bigger than a size 8 fat, I got into bad habits with the way I look at my body. He’s long gone now and pole dancing has helped but I still haven’t managed to  completely shrug the negative image of my body that I developed.

The second thing that spurred me to write this article was when on two different occasions, while talking to two different women, they both made remarks about their bodies not being skinny or feeling fat. What stunned me about this was the fact that both of these women have bodies that I envy and admire. I wish I could be them, but they don’t see their bodies as good enough.

Which is why I’ve decided that enough is enough. Do you know that if every woman in the world woke up tomorrow and realised how wonderful her body is, the economy would probably crash. Markets rely on our insecurities to make money. Now this is never going to completely stop, but it’s about time a step was taken, even if it’s a small one, only taken by only a few, to see our bodies in all their beauty.

This is why I’m challenging myself, to the beautiful body challenge.

The rules: openly share the things about my body that I am proud of and that make it beautiful. To objectively look at the things I don’t like. And if I’m feeling brave, to share a picture of my body.

The point of this: to move the focus onto the good parts of my body and to be objective about the thing I don’t like. But most importantly to start a more loving relationship with my body, because when you love something you’re more likely to take care of it properly.

 So here it goes.

My name is Ashley Kim Churchyard and my body is beautiful and I’m proud of it because it’s strong and healthy.

I love my arm, my back, my chest, my stomach and even my hips. My body can do amazing things when I pole dance, and my curves are beautiful.

I hate the back and side of my thighs and my bum. I want them to be trimmer and more toned.

The truth, I am the only one that sees my body in this negative light and it is time that I see it for what it is.

My body is beautiful

Now, this is where you come in, because I am challenging you to the beautiful body challenge as well.

Share with me and the women around you, why you love your body or why you’re proud of it. Tell us what you don’t like. And if you want to, share a photo with us of the body you’re so proud of. Let’s try build better and more positive images of ourselves together.

Let’s inspire each other take care of our bodies as parts of us which we love, instead of punishing them as something we hate. Let’s start a conversation.

Good luck.

The awesomeness of Cape Town: Some highly recommended activities.

So at the end of March I took my first trip down to Cape Town. I say first but the truth is I was there when I was 5 and I don’t remember any of it, so basically my first trip. Now people kept asking me what I wanted to do down there and my standard answer was “I don’t know. I have no clue what’s there”. So I left my trip in the hands of friends and boyfriend and these are just a few of the amazing things that I got to do and I recommend you try.

One of first night there we went to a Mexican restaurant on Main road called El Burro (said in Spanish accent with raised intonation). Now if you have an allergy to hipsters I would say you should avoid it, but trust me, this place is worth putting up with the hipsters for. This is really authentic Mexican food and it is to die for. And don’t forget to try their tequila sours, they have a kick like El Burro itself.

Day 1

Gansbaai

On the first day in the beautiful Western Cape, we took a trip to Gansbaai to visit a friend. Now we didn’t do much in this part of the world but what I can tell you is that if you are looking to escape from the business of big cities then this coast line is perfect. Small town after small town along an incredibly beautiful stretch of coast. It’s quiet, charming and Gansbaai itself is known for shark diving so if you’re looking for a thrill and some peace and quiet then this piece of coast is awesome.

Day 2

V & A Waterfront

The Friday that we spent in Cape Town was Human Rights Day and the whole city had a great energy. I was taken to the V & A Waterfront and we had lunch at The Market on the Wharf. Again very hipster, but awesome food. I think the rule of thumb is if you want good food, follow the hipsters, they know where it is. The rest of the waterfront is beautiful but from what I hear, very pricy. The market is a happy medium because the food is great but a lot cheaper than the other restaurants.

Company Gardens

The next stop on our visit was Company Gardens and it was really busy but awesome. Cape Town has several stunning gardens and they’re really great for a chilled picnic. While you’re there I’d also recommend a visit to the museum, planetarium, Jewish Museum or the National Gallery.

Table Mountain

The last and best part of this day was Table Mountain. If you’re going to Cape Town, you HAVE TO DO THIS. It’s about R200 up and down in the cable cars which is a little expensive but it’s so worth it. Otherwise if you’re fit enough give any of the hacking trails a try. I’m not fit enough for that but if I am one day it is something I’ll do. Being on the mountain at sunset is something you have to experience, it’s breath taking. Just remember though that the last cable car down is at 7pm so be sure to catch it otherwise you’ve got to hick in the dark.

Day 3

Surfing in Muizenberg

Saturday in Cape Town was a real sea side adventure. We were spending the weekend with the wonderful Robyn Porteous, who is an avid surfer. So this meant only one thing, surfing in Muizenberg; the surfers’ corner. I’ve never surfed before and I wasn’t very good but I loved it and Muizenberg really is the best place for this. There are so many surf schools and places to rent wet suits and surf boards. Please do yourself a favour and give it a try!

The seaside adventure was finished off wish fish and chips from Fish Hoek Fisheries. Personally I thought it needed more salt, but you don’t get fish any fresher than this. And finally ice cream from a little place right on Muizenberg Bay. A perfect day!

Day 4

Tables at Natida

The last note worth part of our Cape Town trip, was a Sunday morning breakfast on a wine farm called Natida. There’s a little restaurant there, which is apparently famous for its breakfasts and it’s called Tables at Natida. Visiting a wine farm for a meal or a wine tasting is a great addition to any trip to the Western Cape because the wine estate country side is seriously beautiful.

If you are planning a trip to Cape Town for the first time and like me, you have no clue what to do down there, I would definitely recommend any of these things. There is so much to do and see and eat in the Cape that I promise you won’t find yourself short on adventures. I personally can’t wait to go back.

I would love to hear about your suggesting for more things to do in Cape Town.

The 411 on laser lipo

So last month, through the use of one of our great discount sites, I bought and did a course of five laser lipo sessions. Now I’d like to share my experience and give you the 411 on laser lipo.

So from what I understand there are two different types of laser lipo. The one that I did used several small panels that were about 7 or 8cms long and 5 or 6cm wide. These panels are then put onto the part of body that you want to target. If you’re worried that it hurts, don’t worry it doesn’t. These panels just feel warm and if it’s a bit chilly out, they’re actually rather nice. These panels use lasers and what they do is they basically break down the fat molecules in the area you are targeting. The fat is broken down to the point where it can filter through the cell walls.  This means that the fat can actually be used up by the body.

Now this is where the two types are different. The laser I did only used this step. After which it was up to me to do at least 30 minutes of cardio to burn off the fat, otherwise it would just be reabsorbed. The other kind of laser lipo uses a second laser process to help the body flash out the fat. A radiofrequency accelerator is used to help speed up the lymphatic drainage of the fat (basically another kind of laser is used to help the fat drain out through the system your body uses to flush waste out). This means that you don’t need to do as much work to help the fat get used up.  This is a bit more expensive because most salons will generally change you separately for these two steps and the second one is the more pricy of the two.

If you’re planning on the one step process and you thought it would be a quick fix to shift stubborn fat, that’s not the case I’m afraid. You still have to put in the same amount of cardio work that you are supposed to do to lose weight normally. The only advantage is that you can actually target you fat lose. I targeted my thighs, and I am very happy to say that I did actually lose 1 cm from each thigh. Now personally if I was paying the full two odd thousand rand that laser lipo would normally cost I wouldn’t be satisfied with just 1 cm.

I went to a salon called Rayshine in Parktown North and I must admit they were really friendly and professional and the whole salon smells like cocobutter which just made me feel warm and fuzzy. But the one thing that did make me just shake my head in disbelief was when, on my last session, the one beautician took my measurements and told me that I had lost 4 cm off of my right thigh. Seriously? If I had lose 4 cm off of one leg and not the other you wouldn’t need a measuring type to see it. That and my jeans would be hanging off my one leg and snug on the other. But to be fair, she just took the measurement from lower down my thigh than she was supposed to.

So if you are willing to pay the money for laser lipo and you can put in the time to do your cardio it will work but the amount you will lose may not be worth what you will pay. So if you are going to try it out, check out Groupon and Wicount. They both still have different deals for varying session amounts.

So good luck and I’d love to know about your laser lipo experiences. 

These images have not been edited (except to make my unfortunately see through underwear less see through)