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Mar 1

Woman who struggled with weight finds confidence by pole dancing – MyLondon

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Dubbed the pleasantly plump friend at school, a size 18 professional told how she feels sexy for the first time, after taking up pole dancing.

Embracing her curves, tech developer Nicola Martin, 32, who has see-sawed between a size 12 at her slimmest to a size 18 now, confessed to eating on depression, especially when a significant relationship ended in 2016.

Struggling for years with binge eating, then purging, as well as being diagnosed with the hormonal condition polycystic ovary syndrome in 2012, which can cause weight gain, Nicolas salvation came in 2017, after a counsellor suggested she tried pole dancing.

The singleton, of Kineton, Warwickshire, who dances twice a week at Pole Sensations in her village, said: I had just come to the end of a horrific relationship and I felt really bad about myself.

Then a counsellor I was seeing suggested pole dancing to see how it made me feel.

Its something I had thought about for quite some time, but lacked the confidence in myself to do it.

She added: I was very nervous at first, but the people were all really lovely at the studio. There were about 12 of us who started at the same time and everyone was so welcoming it was a right giggle.

Nicola, a graduate in accounting and financial management, includes veterinary nurses, doctors and police officers among her fellow dancers who, she says, like her, are using the activity to improve their body confidence, as well as their strength and fitness.

You dont wear a great deal of clothing for it and at no point does it feel like anyone is judging you, said Nicola, who dances in high-waisted shorts and a sports bra, which she bought from a specialist pole apparel brand.

She explained: You need more skin out for the poles anyway so you can grip. It makes it easier. You cant get up the pole if you are wearing longer shorts.

People do pole for different reasons. Some go for building up strength, some do it for exercise and some people do it for confidence.

Nicolas low self-esteem began in her teens, when other schoolchildren referred to her as the pleasantly plump friend.

I think they meant well, but when I looked back at photos, I realised I was not even big, she said. It really affected my confidence.

In her 20s, after following the Cambridge Diet, she dropped to a slim size 12, but when she ate normally again she piled on the pounds faster than before.

I developed an eating disorder in my final year at Sheffield Hallam University, partly down to how I viewed myself, she said.

She continued: It was years before I got it under control. I would try not to eat anything for as long as possible, then binge-eat fast food or sweets and purge.

Looking back at pictures at the height of my eating disorder, I really wish I had the mentality I have now. Maybe it would have stopped sooner. Instead, I struggled with it for 10 years.

Then, in 2012, when Nicola was 24, a routine blood test led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome, a hormonal condition which affects one in five women in the UK, according to the NHS, and can cause irregular periods and weight gain.

A lot of women who have it really struggle with their weight, said Nicola, who did not want to reveal how much she weighs.

My doctors never said I need to lose weight or anything. But I would like to be slightly slimmer a comfortable size 16 as I do worry about the risk of type 2 diabetes, as Im overweight.

Nicola finally sought help with her 10 year eating disorder and emotional difficulties after her relationship ended in 2016, when she went to see a therapist.

She said: They suggested I tried pole dancing.

Its made me so much happier and I dont feel like I need to be in a relationship to be happy. Its changed my life.

Its also helped me develop some new friendships. Some of the people at pole classes are now my best friends.

She continued: I have one general class a week and one private lesson. One is static and one is spinning so the pole spins in one and it stays still in the other. When its static, you have to find the momentum, which means having a whole body workout.

While some of the upside down moves can be difficult for larger ladies, like Nicola, mostly size does not matter when it comes to pole dancing.

She said: You need to be a little bit stronger than other girls. But I just enjoy it as an escape and as a hobby. It feels amazing.

Since she started pole dancing in 2017, Nicola has made it to the Kick Ass Curves UK final through a video entry a competition for pole dancers who are size 16 and over.

And in just under four weeks, she will be performing her specially choreographed routine to an audience in Derby at a theatre venue.

It makes me feel beautiful, she said. Thanks to pole, my size no longer defines me and other peoples opinions do not define my worth. People at my office know that I do it and Im not ashamed of it in any way.

She added: I will never be skinny its not in my bone structure to be skinny but I can still be proud of how I look.

Nicola even runs the reception on some days at her pole studio, greeting newcomers and putting people at ease before their first class.

Im more confident, Im happier and I will not let anybody treat me badly ever again, she said. I am comfortable with the way I look now, 90 per cent of the time.

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Woman who struggled with weight finds confidence by pole dancing - MyLondon

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