Health && Wellness
On this page you will find tips and help to keep a healthy mind and body. Each category will cover why it is important for dance and life. There will also be a links on the Directory page for health websites and fitness.
Categories:
Categories:
- stretching
- strengthening
- practicing
- palates
- yoga
- endurance
- healthy diet
- time management
Stretching
Before you begin any physical activity, you should always stretch out your muscles. To not stretch can cause cramping, pulling, ripping, etc. of the muscles and tissue. So take 15 minutes before you dance to stretch out. Good stretches include...
- Stand with your legs straight and touch your toes
- Stand tall and pull one leg up behind you, bending at the knee, so your foot reaches your bum
- Stand tall and pull one leg up in front of you, and hug your knee to your chest
- Stand tall and put one heel in front of you, with your toes off the ground. Bend your back leg and lean into the front
- Stand with your feet straight, put one leg in front of you so your front and back feet make a straight line. Bend your front leg and lean into it
- Sit on the ground with both legs out in front of you. Without bending your knees, touch your toes
- Sit on the ground with your legs spread apart. Without bending your knees, reach in the middle, then to each foot
- Butterfly
- Sit on the ground with a straight back. Cross one leg over the other and bend at the knee, Twist yourself across your legs and pull
- Splits
- etc.
Strengthening
There are many strengthening exercises you should apply to your fitness regime. Some include...
- Standing on one leg
- Hopping on one leg
- Standing on toes
- Hopping continuously on toes
- Hold your leg up 90°
- Fall into a split, but pull yourself up a couple inches off the ground
- Wear 1lb ankle weights while dancing
- etc.
Practicing
The best way to improve is to practice a little each day. Here is an example of my practice schedule when I practice at home...
- stretch && read notebook
- warm up drills
- Hornpipe/Jig (4 steps) x2
- set x2
- Reel/Slip Jig (4 steps) x2
- cool down && write in notebook
Palates
Palates is great for dance. It goes hand in hand with strengthening. Some simple palates exercises that you can do at home are...
- Push ups
- Plank
- Crunches
- Lay on ground and prop yourself up on your elbows. Raise both straight legs 2 to 3 inches off the ground and hold
- Lay on ground and prop yourself up on your elbows. Raise both straight legs 2 to 3 inches off the ground and scissor kick
- Position yourself on your hands and knees. Raise one arm 90° and the opposite leg 90°
- etc.
Yoga
Yoga is another great form of stretching for dance. Some beginner poses include...
- Cat pose (exhale)
- Cow pose (inhale)
- Cobra pose
- Child's pose
- Rock n Roll
- Leg lifts
- Leg circles
- Kundalini pose
- Superman pose
- Frog pose
- etc.
Endurance
This is one of the most important parts of dancing your best. How can you look good dancing when you're all out of breath on your 1st step? For endurance training, try...
- Running a mile daily
- Sprinting
- Dancing 4 to 5 steps
- Dancing to faster music
- Dancing 3 steps, waiting 8 bars, and redancing 3 steps
- "Suicides" (sprinting exercise)
- Take turns dancing in practice class. While you are waiting, continue drilling
- Drills for 20 minutes, no stopping
- etc.
Healthy Diet
It is sooo important for you to get a well versed diet when you are a dancer. Vitamins, minerals, carbs, and fats help with energy and build muscle. So strive to get in all the required food groups daily. And try for the DRI (Daily Recommended Intake). To get you personalized food pyramid, check out the link on the Directory page.
Time Management
Do you never have time to do what you want? You're always rushing around and struggle to keep up with homework? I am a freshman in high school this year so I know just how hard managing school vs. friends vs. dance can be. But I will show you how much free time you actually have in a day. It might be more than you expect..
On average, the most a dancer aged 10 to 18 would practice daily is 4 hours.
A school day is around 6 hours
Homework takes around 1- 2 hours. For this I'll say 1
You should be sleeping at least 8 hours per night
Travel to/from dance usually takes 1 hour in all
4 hours a day seems like enough free time to get chores done, hang out, text friends, watch tv, and listen to music. So if you're like me and can't even find a minute to spare, try making a schedule of your daily routine. It might help you find more than a minute-- maybe even four hours. Plus, when you're stressed over having no time, it can affect your energy level and happiness. So try the schedule and maybe you will even be more content with your life.
On average, the most a dancer aged 10 to 18 would practice daily is 4 hours.
- 24 hours per day (-) 4 hours in dance = 20 hours
A school day is around 6 hours
- 20 hours left (-) 6 hours in school = 14 hours
Homework takes around 1- 2 hours. For this I'll say 1
- 14 hours left (-) 1 hour for homework = 13 hours
You should be sleeping at least 8 hours per night
- 13 hours left (-) 8 hours for sleep = 5 hours
Travel to/from dance usually takes 1 hour in all
- 5 hours left (-) 1 hour travel time = 4 hours
4 hours a day seems like enough free time to get chores done, hang out, text friends, watch tv, and listen to music. So if you're like me and can't even find a minute to spare, try making a schedule of your daily routine. It might help you find more than a minute-- maybe even four hours. Plus, when you're stressed over having no time, it can affect your energy level and happiness. So try the schedule and maybe you will even be more content with your life.