Beware of the Internet

The internet is the best and worst thing ever. We all love the rabbit hole of Instagram videos watching amazing feats of beauty in the air for hours (usually accidentally….I swear I was just going to look for a few minutes….three hours later…)
The internet is a great tool for aerialists. It can give us new ideas. It can show us new combinations. And it can inspire us. We encourage our Extreme students to share videos with us that they want to learn. But all those pretty videos can derail us in two very damaging was:
No one is posting real life. You take a video until you get it right. Then you type “look at this new thing I tried” and it seems like that was her first attempt. It wasn’t. She failed at her first attempt just like you will when you try it. And she kept trying it, just like you will, until you get it. Internet posts are not reality. A lot of the time you aren’t seeing what goes into the move/post/exercise. This can really damage what you think is “normal”. You are “normal”. You are awesome!
People posting are not experts. I love the aerial community for being so supportive. There are great groups that share information and everyone is willing to help. It is so fantastic. However, just because someone posts an “awesome shoulder exercise” does not mean it is in fact healthy for you. There is a LOT of misinformation on fitness, health, muscle use, and exercise online. So when you see something you want to do or try, bring it to your instructors and let’s talk about it. A lot of time there is a reason you’re interested in something but we can find a more healthy way to accomplish your goal. You could really hurt yourself if you did some of the “awesome shoulder exercises” I’ve seen.
So use the internet for what it is good for, inspiration, and use the experts at your studio to help you reach your goals with concrete plans and real encouragement.