Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you are going to have a lovely weekend!

Here’s your tip:

You may not have signed on for this, but you are an ambassador of burlesque.

As a burlesque performer, whomever you meet is a potential audience member, producer, or performer. They may have preconceived opinions of burlesque or no idea what it is. Be a good ambassador and show how wonderful the art and its practitioners are.

I’ve heard too much about members of the burlesque “community” being really horrible, which tarnishes everyone else. If you’re a shining example, you’ll reflect back that light on others and make everything better.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Be prepared for holidays, movie releases, and other occasions that want themed shows. Check your calendar now and plan ahead so opportunities don’t catch you unprepared.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 19 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Find an accountability partner.

There are so many distractions in life and it seems like there are always things getting in the way of just getting stuff done. One way to focus is find someone who has similar goals and work together to achieve them. I don’t necessarily mean collaborate, but create an environment where you all can get stuff done, a little at a time.

To illustrate, earlier this week Christina Manuge held an on-line quiet sewing hour for her Patrons where all the participants logged into Zoom, spoke briefly about what projects they were working on, and then muted themselves and, if they liked, turned off their cameras. Just knowing that there were other people working away, kept me on task and I got a lot done in the allotted time.

It doesn’t have to be something you do at the same time as your partner. If you both set the goal of going to the gym three times a week, you can set your own schedule and then check in with each other and compare progress. Commiserate one another if you hit a snag and congratulate each other for hitting your goals.

Support each other and we all benefit.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Have a tip!

For a strong and shapely rear, exercise all parts of your butt.

The biggest muscle is the gluteus maximus. That’s the one we all know. It’s worked when your leg moves out behind you, like back leg lifts, but also squats and deadlifts.

However, you also want to work your gluteus medius, which is the one at the corner of your seat. Exercises that bring your leg out to the side, like side leg lifts or the ignominious “dog peeing on a fire hydrant”, work this area.

Technically not part of your glutes, your hamstrings deserve some love. Having them toned and strong lifts up your bum. Moves with your knees bent, like trying to kick your own butt, target hamstrings.

A series I like is bridges, keeping your shoulders and upper back pressed into the floor and raising just your hips. Start with your feet close together, then bring them to hip width, raise one leg to tabletop, then the other, finish with your feet out wide. That should hit everything.

This tip brought to you by my aching hamstrings from yesterday’s barre class.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Last week was very busy. I taught 3 classes, performed in 3 shows, and the troupe had our annual holiday celebration. So, of course I spent this week sick in bed. Lost my voice and everything. I was feeling well enough to celebrate my birthday yesterday, but I’m still pretty exhausted, coughing, and raspy.

I know I have given you tips over the years to rest, take care of your heath, &c., but I don’t feel like hunting through over 700 tips to make sure I’m not duplicating one. Please forgive me if I’ve said this before.

Schedule some rest breaks in your busy schedule. 

Otherwise your body may schedule them for you at a less than convenient time.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.