As Seen in the News Monday, August 16th (Continued)

"I love empowering people, especially women," she says. "And once women try this, they truly feel empowered and liberated." All this isn't just talk. Carol holds degrees in both psychology (Brock) and social work (McMaster). She's worked as a counsellor with abused women, with troubled families and their children and in the field of addictions. She's also a certified personal trainer who has run two half-marathons, one triathalon and participated in the Fame fitness modelling and body building competition. She also practises yoga every day and is in the midst of taking salsa lessons. And she's ready to bring her portable pole to women in their homes across Niagara. Here's how it works. A woman invites a group of girlfriends to her house. Maybe it's someone's birthday. Maybe someone's getting married. Or maybe there's absolutely no good reason to be dancing around a pole except to have a few laughs with the girls. Carol brings the pole (discreetly carried in a black case, of course), the music and feather boas. Participants wear shorts and T-shirts. Everyone gets to test out the pole with moves Carol demonstrates. She starts off easy with manoeuvres like the Show Girl Sway (think of doing squats in an aerobics class, except this time you're on your tippy toes, holding on to a pole, pulsing up and down or swinging your hips left and right). Some women are naturals. Others may need convincing with a glass of wine. But Carol insists all women have sexiness within. "I honestly believe everyone has rhythm," she says. She ends with some more challenging, yet still basic, moves like the Sun Wheel Spin.

19 Aug 2006

As Seen in the News on Monday, August 16, 2006

Body, mind & pole; Carol Cowan teaches pole dancing to women in their own homes. She says it builds confidence and improves body image. CHERYL CLOCK / Osprey News Network Health - Monday, August 14, 2006 @ 09:00 Carol Cowan is about three feet up a pole in the middle of her livingroom. Her right foot is hooked around the stainless steel shaft, her knees are squeezed tight against the cool metal and both hands grip the post at shoulder height. And there she hangs. Sound easy enough? Think again. Her biceps, shoulders and upper back are taut, not to mention the state of her quads and inner thighs. Then she ups the ante. She flings her left leg out, and with toes pointed and back arched, she stretches her right arm out in a sort of tah-dah fashion. Then she spins. Or, more accurately, the pole spins and she hangs on. She calls this move, The Fireman. And she has others. Lots of others. The Revolver. The Helicopter. The Slide. And the Seated Cowgirl Spin. Some are basic. Some not so basic. She can even hang upside down, hands-free, but that's waaaay beyond basic. Carol teaches pole dancing. But before you jump to conclusions and dismiss it as something that belongs in a strip club, hear this: it's quickly becoming a hot new way for women to get fit. And it's good, clean fun. Businesses have popped up across Canada, especially in Vancouver and Toronto. Actress Sheila Kelley (LA Law and Sisters) has written The S Factor: Strip Workouts for Everyday Women. There are strip classes. In-home pole dancing parties (move over Tupperware). And heck, even Oprah and Barbara Walters have tried it on their shows. Think of it as a mix between dance, yoga and exotic movement, says Carol, 27. Think of it as a way to tone muscles, increase your flexibility, maybe lose some weight and if you're adventurous, learn some new tricks for the bedroom. "For women who hate the treadmill or lifting weights in a room full of men, there's nothing better than dancing around a pole and feeling like you own it," she says. Think of it as a way to boost your self-esteem. That's what Carol likes best about pole dancing. It's a way for women to discover their inner sexiness and fall in love with their bodies.

19 Aug 2006