Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Magic Bullet Breakfast Smoothies

I've been getting into breakfast smoothies lately as a means to acquire essential nutrients.  September is after all the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters ® Month. So in honor of getting more fruits and veggies in my diet, I decided to take on some delicious easy to make morning recipes.  I like my recipes to be very basic and natural.  I don't add a bunch of powders and supplements to my recipes because that is something I'm not comfortable with.  If that is something you're comfortable with and have done your research, then by all means add to your little heart's desire.  For my recipes, these are going to be quick, easy, cheap, and delicious. 

Recipe 1: Sweet and Green


1 6oz Strawberry Yoplait Yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
Handful of spinach
1 banana

Mix all ingredients in blender to desired consistency.

Recipe 2: A Splash of Orange Cucumber

1/2 cup vanilla Yoplait Yogurt
1 cup orange juice
3-4 chopped strawberries
1/2 banana
1/2 inch cucumber wedge chopped
Handful of spinach
1/2 carrot or 3 snack sized carrot sticks

Start by blending carrots alone to assure well blended.  Add remaining ingredients and blend to desired consistency. 

Recipe 3: Frozen with Folic Acid

1/2 cup vanilla or plain Yoplait Yogurt
2-3 scoops vanilla frozen yogurt
3-4 chopped strawberries
Handful of spinach
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix all ingredients in blender to desired consistency.








Tuesday, September 20, 2016

So you want to be a pole studio owner?

Step 1: Get insurance.

This seems like a no brainer however, in the business world things that appear to be common sense are lacking.  I recently found out a pole studio has been operating the past eleven months without proper insurance.  How does this even happen now a days?  Simple. The fitness industry is currently not a regulated trade.  It's easy for anyone to set up shop without dotting all their I's and crossing all their T's. Why is this happening?  My theory is that insurance is confusing and can be expensive.  A lot of insurance providers do not offer coverage for special trades such as pole fitness and aerial fitness.  When someone decides to open a pole studio, often times these new business owners are not proficient in the basic knowledge necessary to operate a business.  Unfortunately, ignorance is not an excuse.   Pole and aerial are dangerous activities that can cause injury.  The most injury prevention savvy instructor can still have accidents.  While no one wants to even think of the unthinkable in their studio space, you have to go into business with realistic expectations and always expect the unexpected.  Insurance is essential and NO ONE should be operating a pole studio without it. I can't even imagine the horror of operating a pole studio without insurance.  If someone was to get injured in your studio (whether you were the instructor or not) as an owner, you are liable.  Liability includes all medical expenses and any additional expenses the injured party is legally entitled to.  When it comes to legal entitlement, often times the injured party will proceed with a formal process that takes place in court.  As a studio owner this would then mean you are going to court and having to pay legal fees in addition to the fees you will be ordered by the court to pay.  Depending on your business formality, you may be personally held liable and legal proceedings will be dependent on your personal assets. In theory because of your business negligence, you can lose everything you have spent your entire life working hard for.  Is that all REALLY worth it?

So how can a consumer protect themselves?  As a student attending a studio, it is important you're educating yourself on what establishments you're monetarily supporting.  You are after all, paying for a safe environment by attending classes and should be guaranteed any accidents will not leave you both financially and physically devastated.  Ask questions and demand to see a copy of the current insurance policy.  Don't be afraid of sounding too harsh.  You need to be aware of the business practices of establishments you are paying your hard earned money for.  When I owned and operated Pole Harmony, I always kept a copy of my current insurance policy handy.  Even though you sign a waiver that states you acknowledge the dangers of the activity you are participating in, there are many instances where it does not absolve liability on the business owner's end.  If you encounter an injury, be sure to complete an injury report (these forms are provided by insurance companies to the studio owners and copies should be readily available).  Make a copy of the completed form for your records and contact the insurance provider to follow up and assure the report was submitted. 

I realize this is not a topic most people ever consider when taking their first pole class but I cannot stress enough how important it is to factor in this information when researching a new studio and class.  Insurance is available to protect both parties involved and if both the business owner does their part and the customer does theirs, the unexpected can be more about physical recovery versus financial. 

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Onion Free Peach Salsa Recipe

I have an intolerance to onions, which makes it very difficult to eat store bought items that are pre-made and packaged.  I've adapted well over the years in learning how to make meals and snack items without onions.  My favorite snack type item that is not only onion free but very healthy is what I like to call Peach Salsa.  I like to put a lot of garlic in my salsa as I traditionally enjoy this snack when I have a sore throat and need the extra natural healing benefits. Garlic is part of the Allium family so it is related to onions. Most people that are allergic to onions are also allergic to garlic. I have been lucky as garlic does not affect me in the same way as onions. Note, I did say I have an "intolerance" to onions which basically means my reaction is all gastrointestinal in presentation versus respiratory.  It is possible for the reaction to cross over to respiratory therefore, I avoid ingesting onion and onion products at all times.  So, without further a due, I've included my recipe for Peach Salsa below.

Peach Salsa

Ingredients:
1 Garlic clove
2 Roma Tomatoes
Chopped Jalapenos
Sliced Peach Halves
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 tsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients in magic bullet mixer except 1 tomato.  I chop 1 tomato up and put into mixer and chop the second tomato into chunks to add to pureed mixture.  Once mixture is blended to desired texture, add chopped tomato.  Enjoy with tortilla chips.  Makes 3-4 servings. 




Tuesday, September 6, 2016

September 2016 Pole Challenges!

Eeek! I skipped a week! My apologies- I scheduled what was supposed to be this week's entry for today and completely skipped over last week.  So I bumped the post for today to next week and viola- a special post with all the fun challenges going on in the pole world!  Enjoy!

Brave pole dancers, who will accept the challenge?? 😁 This is the #PDSpellYourName challenge! Each letter of the alphabet has been assigned a randomly selected pole move. You take the letters from your name and perform the corresponding pole moves as a combo. You can get creative, do variations of the movements and transition between them any way you like! If you accept the challenge, please use the hashtag #PDSpellYourName on your post and feel free to tag me. I'd love to see what you came up with! 😍 To get the ball rolling, I danced the combo for my own name, Pony, and posted it on my account: @ponypoison 💜🌈 Let the challenge begin! 💪🏻 #pole #poledance #poledancer #poledancing #polechallenge #dance #polelife #choreography #polefitness #cartoon #drawing #illustration #originalart #originalartwork
A photo posted by PonyPoisonMemes (@ponypoisonmemes) on