Category Archives: Awesomeness

Training While Pregnant – the Second Trimester

By LewitwerFebruary 14, 20137 commentsAwesomeness, Safety, Training, Uncategorized

Congratulations – your head is probably out of the toilet and your boobies don’t hurt so much! HOORAY! There are LOTS of major changes in this trimester which will make your training super creative. And flatulent – did I mention the farting? Let’s talk. You sit over there, please.

Note: I am not a medical practitioner. This post is in no way meant to be a substitute for medical advice. Check with your doctor before attempting or continuing aerial training of any kind while pregnant.

The Golden Trimester

For many women, this is by far the most comfortable trimester of pregnancy. You’re probably not throwing up, the emotional rollercoaster has died down a bit, and you may feel a renewed sense of well-being. But the BEST part? You finally get to tell everybody!!! It’s about to get harder to hide. Here’s why:

Larger breasts – VA-VOOM! Shock and Awe are in the house! You’re gonna have yourself a big ole rack.
Baby bump! By month 4 (earlier if this isn’t your first pregnancy), you can kiss your tight jeans goodbye.
Baby movements – This was the best part of pregnancy for me! One day, you feel a little flutter, or a pop like someone is popping popcorn in your tummy. Warning: you will almost die of excitement. 🙂
Braxton-Hicks contractions – Your uterus likes to be prepared – it’s training too! These contractions are your uterus toning up for the big day.
Nasal congestion – Snot fest. Enjoy.
Dizziness – Your blood volume is increasing by 50% (!!!). WOW! Thanks to that, you may find you have some dizziness here and there as your blood pressure tries to normalize.
Leg cramps – Yup. They’re a party.
Shortness of breath – You’re having to oxygenate A LOT more blood, so don’t be surprised if those stairs leave you more winded than you think you ought to be.
Hilarious flatulence – Blame it on the dog, friends!
Loosey-goosey joints – All that Relaxin in your system can give you a rockin’ split, but make joints a little loose. Train veeery carefully if you were hypermobile prior to pregnancy.
Just a little less emotional – Your hubby or partner can put the sharp knives back in the kitchen! Your emotions (while still topsy-turvy) are a hair more stable now. Enjoy it while it lasts.

How Your Training May Change

Time to officially tell your instructor! All of my pregnant students found creative ways to “tell me without telling me” during the first trimester (“I’m not feeling well, I’m going to take it easy for the next few weeks” for example). If your instructor doesn’t “hear” you, remember – you have a big responsibility to keep yourself safe and healthy right now. Listen to your midwife/OB, and especially to your body. Now is the time to be conservative! Consider telling your coach in confidence in trimester 1.
As the bump grows and you get heavier, certain moves eventually just don’t work (inversions/straddle-backs for example). Your work will naturally get lower and lower, which is as it should be! Let your body determine what moves to focus on, and get creative. Training should feel good – this is NOT the time for strain and pain!
If you find yourself getting AT ALL light-headed or dizzy, stop immediately. This happened to me when I would quickly go from upside down to right-side up. When I slowed my movements, it went away. HOWEVER — dizziness has no place in aerial arts. If you find this is a regular maternal symptom and not just a random one time thing, it’s time to take a break from training and pick it back up in a few months after the birth. Don’t worry – aerial arts will still be there in a few months!
You’re more winded now, so stamina is not going to be your thing. Ease up, and focus on technique with one or two moves, rather than stringing a bunch together.
Fart with exuberant abandon. People forgive pregnant women anything.
I have really tight joints, so the loosening didn’t faze me much. BUT, some of you have loose joints to begin with, so you’re like spaghetti when you’re pregnant! Proceed with an eye towards keeping your joints (especially shoulders) WELL within an easy and stable range of motion. Now is actually a great time to start working on building stability in your joints using a thera-band or light weights.
“High impact” aerial pursuits such as flying trapeze will need to be tabled, often as soon as you find out you’re pregnant. But hey – didn’t you say you always wanted to try static aerials?

It’s also good to ask your coach if they’ve ever taught a pregnant student, and if they have any education or training for doing so (for the record, yes I have, and yes I do! I’ve been an ACE Certified personal trainer for the past eight years (with continuing education credits in pre and post-natal exercise). It’s absolutely essential that you keep talking to your midwife or OB about your training (it really helps if they’ve had experience with athletes or circus performers in the past). Modify, modify, modify! Your training should be safe, and really feel good. If you’re having a “vanilla”, healthy, low risk pregnancy, physical activity is ‘da bomb. Happy ~~farting~~ dangling! Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, the F-books, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days.

Training When You’re Pregnant – the 1st Trimester

By LewitwerJanuary 31, 201325 commentsAttitude, Awesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

Hey mamas and potential mamas! Here’s my take on pregnancy, training, and hauling your butt back up into the air after The Blessed Event – three part series. Hearing the pitter patter of little feet? Let’s get started!

The First Trimester = Your Head in the Toilet

In 2009, I got to ~~suffer through~~ enjoy the miracle that is pregnancy. My pregnancy was healthy, but my body reacted STRONGLY to the hormones, leaving me with a condition called hyperemesis. This meant that I had the delightful experience of vomiting 6-12 times a day for nine months. FUNZIES! The likelihood of you having a similar experience is very small, but rule #1? Expect the unexpected. Pregnancy is WILDLY different for everyone. Having said that, let’s chat about the changes you can probably expect in the first trimester.

Nausea! Around weeks 6-8, you can expect to feel anything from a faint nausea to full-blown head in the toilet fun. The downside? Obvious. The upside? This can be a sign of a healthy pregnancy, and it’s exceedingly common – it means your body is cranking out those hormones!
Swelling! You may start to notice a general “puffiness”, and even a little tummy pooch as your body retains fluids and the uterus expands rapidly to give the fetus room to grow without squishing it.
Exhaustion! Your body is working double time to increase your blood volume, and progesterone soars. This means fatigue, and often a general feeling of malais.
Super sore boobies! Seriously – like glass. Hormones again!
Lots of trips to the potty! You pee a lot, even in the first trimester.
Food aversions or cravings! Things that previously smelled or tasted wonderful may now send you running for the loo. I gave up coffee (COFFEE!) in the time it took to walk into the kitchen and moan, “Ugh! Coffee! Nooooooooooooooooooooo!” I craved anything in a cream sauce. The more butter the better!
Heartburn & constipation! The peristalsis muscles that move food through your digestive track are affected by hormones too – they slow down, often resulting in more digestive fun.
Crazypants emotions! I was completely bonkers – crying over toilet paper commercials, screaming at my husband because he “forgot to put the seat down and does he really want me to fall in and get stuck and be there for hours and lose circulation in my legs and then they’ll fall off…” You get the picture.
Happiness! Through all the barfing, peeing, cravings, and cray, the most wonderful feeling of knowing that you will love this little person to distraction, and that you will never be the same.

Training Through the 1st Trimester

First things first! You and your midwife or OB/GYN need to have a frank discussion about your training. This blog post is in NO WAY meant as a substitute for medical advice – I am not a medical practitioner, and I am not advising you to pursue any course of action. What I can do is tell you about my experience, and share what helped me along the way, but you’ve gotta check with your doc!

I was able to train safely throughout my pregnancy (I went into labor while teaching a silks class!), and many, many aerialists with healthy pregnancies have been able to do the same. Here are some things which you may find useful:

If you are part of an aerial or circus duo, have a conversation with your partner (ideally BEFORE you get pregnant) about your plans and how it may affect your work. It’s great to have a person in mind who can take your place during your absence so your partner doesn’t lose too much work.
To combat nausea, you’ve got about 1000 options (Google it!). Snacking FREQUENTLY on crackers and other dry, tasteless foods may help. For me, the only thing that really did it was acupuncture – worth a try if your nausea is severe!
If you’re swollen, but have to perform, Spanx to the rescue! Use two pairs if you need it. 😉
Actively schedule more downtime – rest is your best friend. Nap like it’s your job.
Plan your potty breaks before a show – try to wee 10 minutes before you go out so you don’t encounter any surprises.
Find the softest bra you can – try to avoid padded, push-up, or underwire contraptions.
Cry whenever you need to. Get crazy, get happy, get dreamy – it’s all part of the ride.

Our first look at Sebastian – boots & rock & roll hand courtesy of Daddy!

And there you have it! First trimester fun! You may have all of these symptoms, you may have none – it’s just one big guessing game. You may find that you feel fantastic! You may find that you feel like you have the flu and have no interest in training whatsoever. Just keep in mind that your body is REALLY good at setting limits now – respect them. Now is not the time to push hard (that comes later), just take really, really good care of yourself. Tune in next time for the 2nd trimester – the happy zone! Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, the F-books, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days.

5 Good Reasons You’re Not Getting That Trick

By LewitwerDecember 13, 20123 commentsAwesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

Today, Dear Danglers, I got a trick I have been working hard on for over half a year. I call them “Wet Towels”, and they aren’t considered a particularly difficult move on wheel. They terrified me in the beginning, then just started really pissing me off. I might get them once or twice, celebrate and think I had them, and then they would disappear for the next 6 weeks, when I’d get another one, celebrate, think I had it, you get the picture. This cycle made for some very, very tense wheel training, usually resulting in me sobbing in a heap on the floor (Chris’s FAVORITE part of class). But a few weeks ago, something clicked, and suddenly, I was getting most of my towels over! And today, I got 4 out of 4 – a new record.

Why This Is A Big Deal

… because I secretly thought I would never get them. Now, I talk a good game to my students. They hear, “If you train it, it will come!” ad nauseum; and I believe that, I do! Just not when it came to me and my towels. So today, I stand before you as living proof that IF YOU TRAIN IT, IT WILL COME! I know some of you are struggling with certain moves (inverts come immediately to mind), so I wanted to have a quick look at what may be keeping you from the aerial awesomeness you crave in a particular trick.

You just learned it. There are some things you’re just not going to get right out of the gate! This is the time to have a good laugh, go through it a few times, and repeat to yourself: “If circus were easy, they would call it football!” 😉
You’re not strong enough. Some moves take a level of strength and body awareness that you may not have cultivated yet. Can you break it down into smaller bits to practice? Ask your coach! A good teacher can break ANY move down into little bitty bits if that’s what works for you. Trust me – with consistent training, you will get strong enough to do whatever your little heart desires!
It’s hard and takes a lot of practice. Some moves are just plain difficult. Really – that’s it. Instead of trying to get the whole shebang, see if you can focus on a part of the whole, like keeping your leg straight, or not swearing when it bends.
You’re letting yourself off the hook too easily. Sometimes, you don’t really want to do a trick, so you make sure you can’t. Or you may not be holding yourself to a high enough standard. It’s OK to let yourself off the hook sometimes, just make sure it doesn’t become an everyday thing.
You’re scared. It’s OK to be scared! A healthy respect for what we do is what keeps us from falling on our heads! Again: break it down. Modify. When you feel brave enough to do the whole thing, feel the fear and do it anyway. Make sure you’re comfy enough not to spaz!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!!!!

When you finally get that move that has been plaguing you for days, weeks, months, or years, CELEBRATE! Do a little dance, squeal, jump up and down, put your wheel instructor in a head lock (my preferred expression of celebration), but please PLEASE don’t sweep it under the rug! When you brush off a major victory you downplay all your hard work, so give yourself a pat on the back already! And remember, IF YOU TRAIN IT, IT WILL COME! Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, the F-books, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days.

You’re Too Fat for Circus Training (and Other BS You May Believe)

By LewitwerDecember 6, 201220 commentsAttitude, Awesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

Many years ago, in ye Days of Olde, I made like a ballerina. I danced quite a bit from elementary school through college, and a little when I moved to NYC (nothing terribly amazing). Man – there is nothing like staring at yourself in a leotard and tights in a full length mirror for four hours a day to make you painfully hyper-aware of your body! See, I’ve always been just a little too much in every way – a little too loud, a little too opinionated, a little too big for pointe shoes. Then, I found circus. And suddenly, I was just right.

What’s the difference? Why did I feel like I had struck body image gold? Because suddenly, the emphasis was off my body shape, and onto the amazing things I could make it do. Instead of looking at fellow artists and wondering how I could get that thin, I wondered how I could get that strong, or flexible, or engaging. I cried with joy (and pure amazement) when I did my first full pull-up, and it felt like Christmas morning every time I found a new muscle. It felt so good to celebrate my body instead of fight it!

Body Beautiful: Learning to Appreciate Your Miracle

One of the things I love most about circus is the sheer variety of bodies and the astonishing things they can do. Long and willowy, compact and powerful, generously sensual, tight and angular, and everything in between. Not to get all woo-woo-touchy-feely with you here, but there really is only one you – one body just like yours. Try this (actually do it you’ll be glad you did).

where are you strong?
where are you flexible?
where do you need to build strength?
what is uniquely beautiful about your body?
what do you love about the way you move?

That – right there – is the blueprint for your training! Train to your strengths, work on your weak spots (we’ve all got ’em), focus on cultivating your own beautiful style. If you’re a larger-bodied human, very tight in the muscles, working around a dodgy fill-in-the-blank, etc, the work has to be modified. But so what? It doesn’t mean you don’t start. It means you modify the work to suit YOUR body, not the other way around.

Circus has room for every body, every age, every creative soul who just doesn’t feel like being bound by gravity today. Don’t get me wrong – I still love to dance. And I understand the emphasis on body shape. I do. I’m just opting out, and I invite you to do the same. Are you more lush than lithe? More angular than agile? More chutzpa than hero? There is room for you in this wonderful community. Circus doesn’t demand that you start with a certain shape or ability, or that you be able to do 20 pull-ups on day one while sitting on your own head. It DOES demand that you put in the time, do the work (without whining), and understand that amazing things take time to train up to. Here’s to the journey! Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, the F-books, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days.

How to Organize Your Training So You Actually Get Stuff Done

By LewitwerAugust 23, 2012Awesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

OK – raise your hand if you’ve ever reserved rehearsal space for yourself, hung your apparatus, and then spent the next 75 minutes noodling around four inches off the floor, stretching endlessly on the floor, or gossiping with Jane at the desk. Sound familiar? Yep – I thought so. Here’s how to organize your training so you maximize improvement, save money, and leave feeling awesome about the work you’ve done. Onwards!

My Struggle with Training (Cue Sad Violins)

Those of you who see me on a weekly basis know how painful the past month has been – my wheel instructor has been away and left me to fend for myself (sniff…). The first week was fine, I was super productive during training, and wheeling hard. Week two? Still good, but I found myself getting a little chatty with everyone in the space, and maybe I opted out of some moves I didn’t feel like doing that day (I’ll do it TWICE tomorrow!). Week three was le poo. I was all out of motivation, hard things were still feeling hard, and I spent more time mindlessly rocking and singing “Baby Got Back” than I did actually wheeling. Training FAIL! So, I made myself a little listie that got me back on track in one session – BAM! (Because I love ya’ll, I’m sharing it with you! See below!)

How To Structure Your Acrobatic & Aerial Training for Maximum Results

1. Give yourself a specific goal. If you’re not working towards a specific goal (a show or act creation, for example), it’s tough to keep the motivation flowing. Give yourself something really concrete and important to work towards, even if it’s only stringing together a couple of moves – everybody starts somewhere! 🙂

2. Train with a friend or two! It’s more fun, you’re less likely to slack of in front of others, and it’s often cheaper to train with a crew. Also? They will tell you when something is not pretty.

3. Know thyself. For me, 60-90 minutes of focused training is perfect. Any longer and I start singin’ bad 80’s rap, and nobody wants that. Figure out your optimum training time and stick to it.

4. Video. It may be depressing to realize that wrapping one leg around your head twice doesn’t look nearly as awesome as you thought it did, but at least you know. Also? Your knee is bent and your foot is sickled. 🙁

5. Make a list. Now, I know you’ve been keeping careful notes of what you work on in class (you are, aren’t you?). So, make a Work Sheet! Include your vigorous warm-up, moves you’re comfortable with, moves you need to work on, conditioning, and deep stretching.

A little gem of wisdom I recently got. Ask yourself: what’s the one thing that, if I trained it consistently, would make a huge difference in my circus work? Got it? Ok, why aren’t you training it? I don’t know either. Get on that TODAY, Dear Dangler!

NOW, a wee giftie from me to you! Click here for a free template to get you started (no opt-in required), and the next time I see you working out, I want to see you actually working out! Big love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, the F-books, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days.

When In Doubt, Boobies Out – Posture & The Aerial Performer

By LewitwerApril 12, 2012Awesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

If you look like a hiccuping turtle doing the backstroke on silks, or you’re 25 but look 1005 in your trapeze video, friend – you have an Aerial Posture Problem. What’s up with that? What is aerial posture? Does it matter beyond aesthetics? Are you destined to resemble a spasming tortoise forever? Let’s point our nipples skyward and find out.

Proper Aerial Posture 101

When we’re not hanging from our arms, you get an A+ if you:

Press your shoulders down away from your ears – you want a neck like a swan, not Beatrice the Sharp-Toothed Buzzard.
Now, think of broadening your collar bones, as opposed to allowing the shoulders to round forward.
Lift your chin, and lightly tilt your chest up. Let your charms (or pecs) point skywards! (Well, not that much, but “When in doubt, boobies out!”).
You might hear me cue for: broadening the collar bones, opening the chest, casting your nipples to the sky, tits up, proud chest, look for Jason Momoa on the horizon, etc.

The effect should be elegant and expansive! Again, this is when we’re not hanging by our arms; if you ARE hanging with arms extended overhead, you’re looking to elevate and rotate.

Why Posture Matters

A graceful carriage is lovely to look at! Just by dropping your shoulders an inch or opening your chest, you could go from drabulous to fabulous in 3 seconds! Werk.
If you’re rounding forward and looking at the floor, people are going to think you dropped money. Lift.
Good posture is more efficient. Efficiency = more energy to spend on rockin’ out with your bad self!

So, while you don’t need to climb with a book on your head (though I’ll give you mad props if you do), you will want to cultivate lovely lines in the chest and neck. Video can be super helpful here. So, make like Emily Post, grab a couple of cucumber sandwiches, and get crackin’ on that posture! Making the world more beautiful, one back, chest, and neck at a time. Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days!

But I’m On Vacation! Training On The Road

By LewitwerMarch 23, 2012Awesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

Well, Dear Danglers, as you read this I will be winging my way to glorious Belize for some much needed R & R (and a little work, of course!). Naturally, I thought this might be the perfect time to have a little chat about training while you travel. Should you work out (yes), rest (yes), or appreciate the local flora and fauna (definitely yes)? Here’s the skinny.

When To Train

Been too busy at home to get proper workouts in? Are you somewhere amazing and gorgeous with luscious hiking trails, heavenly promenades, or superior snorkeling? What a perfect time to train without “training”! Sometimes, it’s enough just to stay active. I don’t belong to a gym here in NYC (all my extra money goes to working on German wheel – seriously), so when I see a fully tricked out gym, my heart goes pitter-pat. Do what sounds good to you on any given day!

When To Call It a Week

If you’ve been trainin’ yer buns off, especially if you notice your body is more prone to injury or you’ve been getting sick a lot lately, it’s time to take some time off. I promise – a week off is not going to undo years worth of training; in fact, if you’ve been working hard, taking a week off to let muscles recover, allow inflammation to subside, and let little ouchies heal can do more for you than a workout ever could. So go on – slather yourself in Hawaiian Tropic, order a Mai Tai, and set your sights on that cutie who clearly has designs on you. I mean – spend several hours in meditation and prayer. Yes, that is what I meant.

What To Do

Whatever you want – go crazy! If there’s no gym, see what’s available in the realm of outdoor training (or the “Earth Gym” as I call it). Stuck in Middle-of-Nowhere-ville, USA with exactly no palatable options? Pop into YouTube and check out some free workout videos. Find a pull-up bar (aka playground), do some push-ups, and have a little dance party in your hotel room (pull the shades so nobody calls an ambulance thinking you’re having a seizure).

Most of all? Enjoy yourself. Luxuriate in the miracle of a body that does such incredible things, and give it what it needs! Big Love from Belize!

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are sharing things these days!

Think It Through: How To Improve Your Aerial Performance in 10 Seconds

By LewitwerFebruary 16, 20126 commentsAwesomeness, Training, Uncategorized

If you skip out of class on Tuesday night and don’t give aerial skills another thought until, well, the next Tuesday night, you’re missing out on one of the most powerful ways to improve your aerial game: visualization (…cue Enya… go for chanting monks….standby for healing crystal chakra vibrations….). No, I haven’t gone all woo-woo on you, but I AM going to share with you ~~the secrets of the Universe~~ how you can literally think your way to aerial awesomeness. Read on, my loves!

Why Bother to Visualize Your Work Outside of Class?

Because everything you do begins with a thought. Now, whether it’s an awesome thought, or an OMG-I-can’t-believe-I-just-did/ate/tapped-that! kind of thought is another matter entirely. Aim high, people! Some items for your consideration:

What you think about expands.
Visualizing creates mental “roadmaps” that translate into physical experience.
Mental rehearsal strengthens your commitment & resolve – you will come into class ready to OWN THIS THING! Let’s do it.

Methods to the Madness

Here are a few things that work for me:

If you’re having trouble with a particular move or correction, go through it in slow motion in your head. See yourself executing it flawlessly and smoothly. Now, speed it up slowly in your brain. Mentally run it until it feels like you’re not even “thinking” about it. Try to feel it in your body.
If your stamina is le poo, figure out why (click here and here for some possible reasons). If you’re not breathing properly for instance, visualize your sequences and see/feel yourself breathing deeply throughout. Use word cues (“breath” or “rest” for example) in your mind and in your rehearsal to prompt your body to follow.
If you’re rehearsing for a show, put that music on your iPod and run run run run that piece in your head. I do it walking to and from the train – use any and every opportunity to get it into your brain.

The brain is a lot like a muscle: if you’re not used to using it in this way, it’s going to feel funny at first. Stick with it! You can visualize yourself right into all sorts of amazing stuff! Lemme hear you – how have YOU used visualizations in your aerial work? Progression? Healing from injury? Love and pull-ups, Laura

As always, if you like this post, share it on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, and wherever else you crazy kids are posting things these days!