5 Health Tips For Dancers
Dancing takes plenty of time, energy, dedication, and discipline! Whether you are dancing for fun, for a workout, for competitive reasons, and more you will realize how physically and mentally demanding it is!
It is very important to take care of your body and prioritize recovery and rest! Some of these tips may also help prevent injury, or any stress or soreness to the body!
1.) Proper Hydration
Hydration is a key factor to being a successful athlete and dancer. When dancing you activate many parts of your body and sweat quite a bit! When your muscles are working that hard you must hydrate! It is recommended to drink at least 64 ounces a day. If you are not properly hydrated, it can affect your dancing and functions.
2.) Proper Nutrition
Nutrition is an essential part to successful dancing. Not only for the sake of your body but for the feeling. When you eat not the best food, you don’t feel your best. You want to eat what makes you feel good. It is suggested to have high protein meals, that have vegetables and an adequate amount of carbs that will support you and give you energy. Dancing burns many calories so it is also important to get a proper intake depending on your activity levels! Again, balance is key!
3.) Stretching
Now this is an underestimated topic. Stretching is so important if you are dancing. Having the skill of flexibility will optimize what you can do in your dancing. Stretching your muscles pre and post workouts or practices will help improve fluidity and overall flexibility through motion.
4.) Rest
Rest is the key to body and mind recovery. Without this you will feel groggy, your body capability will be altered, and overall mental health can be affected by this. Your body needs rest to function and improve. A few tips to get better rest would be getting fresh air, turning off electronics before bed, drinking caffeine past 1 pm, and creating a night time routine to help wind down. Rest will help you feel refreshed and energetic for practices and lessons!
5.) Warm up
Warming up before practices or training sessions is so important. It is a factor that will majorly impact and affect how you feel before, during, and after dance! This is also an essential factor to proper recovery and optimal training. Warming up helps get your blood pumping which helps to avoid injuries or soreness.
All of these factors are so important to keep in mind in your day to day training. This will keep you looking and feeling your best doing what you love! These tips will also help your progress in the studio. Keep in mind everything needs to be done in moderation and happiness is the key to success. If you are doing what brings you joy, keep going! Don’t forget, dancing is physical activity!
Invest in yourself!