The gym and I are not friends. We gave it a try once, but it was never going to work out (no pun intended).

I think it’s because I don’t like exercising when I know that’s the primary purpose of the activity, for example, running or lifting weights. I know it may not seem logical, but it’s just the way I’m wired.

This wasn’t a problem when I was younger. I was able to eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight, even though I wasn’t really that active. Unfortunately, my body no longer works that way. Which means if I want to continue my love affair with food—and believe me, I do—I need to exercise.

Thankfully, I’ve managed to find a type of sport that I enjoy: pole dancing (yes, it is a sport). I’ve been doing it for a few years, ever since a friend first wheedled me into trying a class with her. I could use a cliché and say I’ve been hooked ever since, but to be honest, those first few months were tough!

If you’re reading this and thinking ‘oh, that sounds hard, I’m too scared to try’—don’t be. If you think of anything new that you haven’t tried before, it’s always going to be a bit challenging at the beginning, whether it be learning how to play tennis or bellydance or sew or drive.

Sure, you might not be that good at the start, but isn’t that the point of trying something new? To learn, to improve, to grow, to challenge yourself—and hopefully have fun while doing so.

One of the things that gives me the most satisfaction about pole is thinking back to those early days and remembering how hard I found it to do certain things. Back then, it was a struggle to climb less than a metre up a pole. Now I can climb all the way to the top of a 4-5 metre pole, and could probably even go higher if the ceiling wasn’t in the way.

For someone who was never that good at sport (and still isn’t), being able to do something like this now gives me a wonderful sense of achievement.

And there are always new challenges. Apart from learning new ‘tricks’, as they’re called, you can always work on improving the ones you’ve already learnt—like letting go of your hands (only for certain moves!), holding yourself up longer, lifting yourself higher, or moving from one trick to another without touching the ground. And your body will benefit without you even realising it.

The fun factor is another reason I find pole enjoyable. I love to dance, and at the pole studio I go to, FitSistas, the tricks are put together in a routine to music. So even though I’m effectively doing a strength/weights class, I feel like I’m just learning a dance routine (overcoming the obstacle I described earlier).

I think I need to stop at this point and give some more reassurance to those who are reading this and thinking that pole is not for them because they can’t dance or they think they’re not sexy. You don’t need to be. Although some people do, I certainly don’t look elegant or graceful when I’m doing a pole class—I’m there to have fun and get fit, not worry about how I look.

And I would say that most of the women I do pole with feel the same way. We wear gym clothes, and the short shorts are worn not for how they look, but basically because skin sticks better to a pole than material. Pole is actually a sport where bigger thighs can be a good thing—it is much easier to hold on with your legs when there is something to grip with!

So if you’re like me and have an aversion to the gym, or just want to try an exercise class that’s a little bit different, give pole a go. You can take it as seriously or not as you want, but it is a great way to get fit, build up your strength, have fun and make friends. For those who’d like to try before committing to a whole term, FitSistas in Braddon holds trial classes throughout the year, so check out their website for more details.