It's raining, it's pouring....

... but we still have to dance!

I am feeling the rain in my achilles tendon today, and my body definitely knows that it's raining out.  We woke up to torrential downpour rain this morning in Saratoga, and I wonder if the rain truly impacts not only our moods, but our body's aches and pains? 

The biggest connection is between sunlight and tiredness.  With little sunshine today, I am feeling TIRED for sure.  Less sunlight leads to less Vitamin D and less seratonin to boost your mood.  You may need to ingest more carbs to get your body motivated, too.

When it rains and the barometric pressure (air pressure) comes down, our tissues swell, hence our sore muscles.  One study even shows the pressure inside of the joints is impacted by a decrease in the temperature -- 10 degrees less equals more pain.         

So... keep warm with lots of layers in the studio, and take more time to get your body ready for activity.  Listen to your aches and pains on a day like today, and hopefully we'll be back to sunshine tomorrow!

I was listening to the radio yesterday and I heard an advertisement for the Nopal Cactus (the prickly pear) and a new pill to help reduce inflammation.  I became very curious and thought I'd check it out.... 

According to Livestrong, cactus' have a unique chemistry that makes them a natural anti-inflammatory substance: 

• they contains a range of nutrients and antioxidants, including vitamins C, E, A, iron, calcium, carotenoids, quercetin and rutin which aid in reducing inflammatory responses
• another chemical is credited with the anti-inflammatory properties of cactus: beta-sitosterol
• Beta-sitosterol is a plant sterol that is found in other herbal products, such as saw palmetto and nigella sativa, and has cholesterol-lowering, inflammation-inhibiting and testosterone-balancing actions 

 The best way (and perhaps easiest way) to get the needed nutrients is to juice a cactus.  Depending upon where you live, you may have easier access to cactus', but a natural food store should have the juice available to you. 

 Just be very careful to ensure the cactus you are ingesting is in fact safe and non-toxic -- check in with your doctor, or health nutritionist first.

Foods to eat that help reduce inflammation

Some foods naturally combat inflammation in the body and by eating these, it can help our sore bodies and those tense muscles. What should we eat? Check out this basic anti-inflammatory diet:

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (especially leafy greens!)
• Minimize saturated and trans fats
• Eat a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, such as healthy fatty fish and walnuts
• Watch your intake of refined carbohydrates such as pasta and white rice
• Eat plenty of whole grains such as brown rice and bulgur wheat
• Eat lean protein sources such as chicken; cut back on red meat and full-fat dairy foods (low-fat dairy only please!)
• Avoid refined foods and processed foods
• Spice it up -- add ginger, curry, and other spices

Foods that are high in sugar can spike inflammation.  It can even cause over-activity in the immune system, which can lead to joint pain, fatigue, and damage to the blood vessels. 

Ideally we want foods with vitamin E, fiber, antioxidants, and omega-3 fat -- and the list above contains a lot of these. 

My personal favorite suggestion, and what I plan to start (beginning tomorrow), is drinking 1 cup of tart cherry juice per day.  "Studies have found that tart cherry juice can reduce the inflammation in lab rats’ blood vessels by up to 50%; in humans, meanwhile, it’s been shown to help athletes improve their performance and reduce their use of anti-inflammatory pain meds."

So... drink up!!!

Investigating our knees

Today's post is for NYSSSA student, Jesse!  She was inquiring about some typical knee deviations so I've decided to share some info about being "bow-legged" or having "knock knees" and what to do about it.

What does it mean to be "bow-legged"?

Genu varum: when your knees align to the lateral (outside) of your ankles and looks like a bowing of the lower leg (tibia and fibula bones).  This can either be caused by an abnormality when the legs curve outwards, or by patterning and use over time.  Strengthening the glutes and the hamstrings (incorporating the pelvic bridge, clam shell, and single leg/roman dead lift exercises we've been doing in class, or a standard hamstring curl) will help to support the backs of the knees and strengthen our muscles. 

And what does it mean to have "knock knees"?

Genu valgum: when the knees align to the medial (inside) line of your ankles.  Ideally we want the hip bone, patella (knee cap) and center of ankle to stack one on top of the other, but with knock knees, the knees are not in a straight line, as you can see above.  This can be caused, again, but a deviation in the skeleton, or laxity in the ligaments around the knee.  For strengthening, you can do a straight leg raise for the quadriceps -- while seated with the legs stretched out in front of you, lift one leg a few inches off the floor and return to the ground.  Other strengthening for the quads include a standard squat, or sitting again on the floor with a towel rolled up under you knee and pressing down into the ground.  You can even place your hands on the quad muscles around the knee and feel those muscles engaging.  A standard hamstring curl will also benefit a person with knock knees.
 

   
So no matter what kind of knees you have, keep them healthy and safe with strengthening!

Adding plyometric training to our workout

Group 2 of NYSSSA School of Dance students in the weight room last night! 

In addition to the exercises mentioned yesterday, some students also incorporated plyometric training to their workout with some box jumps.  Plyometric training incorporates speed training by exerting muscular contractions in a short amount of time -- moving from an extended muscle to a contracted one, quickly.  We can train with this "explosive" quality, which for dancers will help us to move with speed while remaining efficient when traveling through space. 

Here's a box jump: 

Then you can simply step down to repeat a second jump back up onto the box/platform, or jump back down to continue the action without stopping. 

REMEMBER: If you have any kind of alignment issues, like knees or arches rolling when doing a squat or plie, or any previous ankle or knee injuries - like sprains, to be extra careful during plyometric training.  You'll wan to start with some balance training first, then work up to these short burst, high power exercises.  

 

Try a single leg balance reach, like the photo below, standing on one leg then bending and straightening the standing knee (tracking the knee over your laces while stabilizing) taking the leg front, side, and back.

 

In the weight room!

Tonight our first group of students traveled to the weight room on the Skidmore College campus to do some strength training.  Most dancers, especially females, are concerned that lifting weights will make you "bulky."  Well, we can actually build lean muscles by using light weight (less than 10% of your body weight) and a high number of repetitions.  For many of our students, I suggest about 5-8 lbs (depending upon your body weight) and about 20 reps per exercise -- this will help to build muscle endurance, not bulky, thick muscles. 

Check out Hannah doing arm strengthening for her abductors:

Notice her stable base with her legs apart and a slight bend in the knee, as well as a "pulling up maneuver" about 2 inches (in and up) below her belly button, to keep her back safe and core engaged while lifting weight.

Check out Gianna in a squat on a balance board:

 
By doing the movement in an unstable environment like this, she is incorporating some serious core stability -- an added bonus! 

Now... take a look at Sam taking both Hannah AND Gianna's exercises a step further by combining the squat prior to both arm and leg abduction: 

We can target one specific muscle for strengthening, or partner multiple exercises to create something that works the total body, though we still want to support the spine and keep the core engaged at all times.  Be creative and have fun! 

Cross-training for dancers

In this video David Popoli, M.D. from Children's Heathcare of Atlanta, reinforces the importance of cross-training for dancers.  By changing up the type of physical work we are doing for our bodies, we utilize different muscle groups and strengthen other parts of the body that we don't typically use.  By incorporating things other than dance into our weekly routine, we can improve balance and stability, develop core strength, and increase power.  It will not sacrifice our skills as dance artists, but improve them -- I promise :)    

Dancers usually want only to DANCE DANCE DANCE, and it's often a struggle to find time (and the energy) to do other things outside an already rigorous workload.  He recommends yoga, pilates, or even simply changing up the type of dance class you are taking in order to work those other muscle groups more efficiently.  Whatever you do, finding the time is essential. 

The NYSSSA students will be heading to the weight room on campus tomorrow to explore some resistance training with free weights.  Stay tuned for those photos!

And check out (video below) the students in yesterday's workout featuring squats, reverse lunges, single leg hamstring reach (roman dead lift) and the pelvic bridge. 

Assessment is not a bad thing

In a traditional sense, the word assessment usually refers to judging the value of something -- often whle taking a test.  But when WE do assessment, I encourage the students to think about taking inventory of their bodies, not to make judgements or to fear what the outcome might be, but to gather information and to act more as detectives on an investigation, than a judge.

Some of our assessment includes looking at things we can't change, like our skeletal structure, our height, body type... and the things we can change, like muscular imbalances caused by our skeletal structure or habitual patterns learned over time, range of motion and mobility, our level of strength in certain muscle groups... all of this informs us as to what we need to work on to become stronger dancers and more efficient movers.

Check out Talia (photo below) in a prone isometric plank while Jesse monitors her time on the clock.  We held this for 30 seconds, then on both the right and left side, to assess strength.  Partners noted when the body started to get tired, if the pelvis dropped or shifted to one side, if the head came out of alignment, or other deviations.  

And take a look (photo below) at Campbell being assessed by Kate as she measures strength in both hamstrings and quadriceps of each leg.   Using both actions of flexion and extension at the knee joint, we can see if one muscle group is stronger than the other. 

Afterward, we got to complete on our first workout of the summer.  Starting with some cardio-repiratory training to begin, like jumping jacks, oblique twits, and booty kickers, we warmed up the body and got our heart pumping.  We did squats, reverse lunges, and core stability exercises, like the pelvic bridge and cobra.  We finished with walking push-ups and a stretch.  All in all, the students had fun while listening to some upbeat music and getting their bodies into shape!  

Working out with friends is always more fun that doing it alone, so grab a neighbor and turn up the music.  Get your body moving and build some new strength!

Day 1 of Dance Conditioning -- preventing any possible injury

Part of today's session was a focus on my "word's of wisdom" for maintaining a healthy and happy summer at NYSSSA.  My main goal when working with the students is to prevent injury from occurring and to do everything possible to keep everyone dancing all summer long.  Here's a few tips to keep our bodies moving:

1. SLEEP -- Resting our bodies is essential for cellular repair and maintenance, especially for our muscles.  While we rest and when we sleep our bodies do the recovery we need.  Lay down on your bed, read a book, prop up and support your limbs with comfy pillows, and enjoy some rest at the end of the day -- you deserve it!

2.  BANANAS! They aid in digestion, contain potassium, help relieve muscle cramps and soreness... and they're delicious! At least one a day for our NYSSSA students! We're going bananas!

3.  WATER -- hydration station time.  We should drink at least 17 ounces of water about 2 hours prior to activity.  So try to have a glass when waking up and another with breakfast before we head to our first dance technique class.  This will ensure we are fully hydrated when we begin. From then on, keep sipping as the day goes on to replenish the water lost while sweating.  We also need to replenish our sodium, so a yummy snack might be some pretzels in between classes.  Nature's natural hydrant???... the coconut.  Enjoy some coconut water for serious hydration and stock up on those electrolytes, too. 

4.  Keep our feet in great shape -- To avoid those nasty toe splits in between our toes, keep our dry feet (especially in the summer months) well moisturized.  My favorite product:

This stuff is magical! Treat your feet and put it on at the end of the day after your shower with some great comfy socks.  Give your arches a little light massage and prop them up on a pillow.  Ahhhh...

5.  Keep your "car" well fueled!  With added activity, comes added need for more "fuel" -- AKA more food.  Don't be afraid if you feel hungry -- you will!  Your activity level is at least doubled or tripled while here at NYSSSA, and to prevent fatigue (which can lead to serious injury) keep your body fed with healthy foods -- protein, fruits and veggies AND CARBOHYDRATES.  Dancers need these for the type of physical work we do, so keep your bodies fed with carbs and other yummy treats.

Keep our bodies healthy, and here's to a great summer!
It was a great first day! 

Another summer... smarter, stronger, ready to go!

It's 1:24pm.... I sit and wait for my 1:30pm class to begin at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga Springs, NY. 

I am again on faculty at the New York State Summer School of the Arts and I'm ready to start four weeks of my residency working with some of NY State's finest young dancers. I am about to have my first Dance Conditioning session with them, and I'm eager to get to work sharing information and gathering information that will help keep the dancers safe and healthy this summer. 

My blog is up and running again ready to highlight our work this summer, and share info related to questions from the students.  Can't wait to get to work!!!! Stay tuned for more info through the end of August. 

Happy reading!!!