The danger with keeping a close eye on the scale...

The students filled out some questionnaires regarding their strengths and weaknesses, their short and long-term goals, previous injury history, and a ton of other important pieces of information.  I was struck by some of the goals, especially those around specific "weight loss" goals.  To me, your weight should not be reflected by the number we see on the scale, but in how you feel and the tracking of your energy levels, physical strength and performance.  I turned to a great article from the Harvard Medical Center for some thoughts on this topic. My question:

How do we assess our size in a healthy way, and how do we get away from worrying about being "fat"?!

Harvard Health Publications states that most people have their own "private" way of assessing how "fat" they are -- like feeling your pants getting tight or loose, or catching your reflection in the mirror.  But how do we determine what is body fat, and what is bone structure, muscles, organs, hair... all that other stuff that comprises the mass that is our weight?  There are three common ways in the mix right now:

• Body Mass Index, BMI -- your weight in kg divided by the square of your heigh in meters.  It's generally a good measure of health risk as most studies show that with an increased BMI comes an increase in cardiovascular disease related deaths.  
• The down side... BMI does not separate pounds from fat from pounds that are created by fat-free tissue like muscle and bone.  It also doesn't tell us what kind of fat it is.  Could it be from healthy subcutaneous fat that's below the skin which protects us and keeps us warm?  Who knows?! 
• Waist Measurement -- not about weight or total body fat, but about the metabolically active fat that collects around the organs in our abdomens.  Waist measurement is a great predictor of diabetes and a good indicator of heart disease risk. 
• The down side... where do you measure "the waist" on the body?  Is it at navel level?  And it just might not be scientific enough to add to more quantifiable things like cholesterol, or blood pressure screenings.  
• Waist-to-hip ratio, WHR -- your waist circumference divided by hip circumference. Basically a smaller waist and larger hips is usually associated with a decreased right of heart disease, stroke, and other health problems.  

So... what to do?! How do we manage all of this?  What's in a number?

To me... nothing really.

As dancers we are so in-tune with our bodies that we know (quite easily) when we are out of shape, easily fatigued, and not performing at our best.  We don't need to step on a scale to know this info, and I encourage our students to step off the scale, and to begin to understand when they are FEELING their very best.  Muscle weighs far more than fat does in pounds, so when building muscle and developing your fitness you often GAIN weight.  Our bodies fluctuate so much (especially for women) and it's important to pay attention to any rapid weight gains or losses as this could be a sign of a major health issue, but try not to get too caught up in the number.  We must find a way to ignore the information around us in the news about what "beautiful" is and begin to feel what beautiful is.

Day Two: Bones, Muscles, and our first Circuit Workout

This afternoon brought us a discussion on key bones and bony landmarks for dancers to know as well as a some information on key joints we use often and the muscles that facilitate their actions.  One of the more important parts of the body for a dancer to know is the spine.  Each section has particular movement ability and when realizing this we can see the true value in the "expressivity" that is added to create beautiful dance movements.  

For instance-- the thoracic spine does not actually allow the body to hyperextend.  These vertebrae are shaped in such a way that they become locked against one another; it's actually your cervical and lumbar spines that allow us to travel beyond 180 degrees as you would in a back port de bras at the ballet barre.  

Similarly, the large vertebrae of the lumbar spine cannot rotate.  When spiraling the spine we imagine a starting place at the base of our pelvis, but he curve begins much higher.  In order to see the beautiful expression of dancers, we incorporate our arms, our focus, and quality, to create the spiral.  If we just look at the spine itself, very little mobility may be used -- it's all the other things that make dance beautiful.  

This expressivity that we spend years and years training and developing is what separates dance from athletics and makes what we do an art form.  When you're in the gym lifting weights or on the treadmill for a run, it's about the mechanics and proper form and alignment are a must.  Onstage, it's about feeling and expression.  It's about sharing that with the audience.  It's about communication.  

Back at NYSSSA!

Day 1 for NYSSSA 2014!!!

We welcomed 30 of New York State's finest dancers back to Saratoga Springs today, and began with our first day at The National Museum of Dance.  This summer in addition to teaching several Dance Conditioning workshops, I'll also be setting a new piece of choreography. I'll be keeping up with the blog again this summer, so check out postings featuring photos and videos of the students, interesting articles, and fun facts!  Today we began with some assessment and wonderful conversation.  Lots of excitement-- let's get to work! 

Check out Dutch in an overhead squat with his partner, Lucy: 

In the assessment we're looking for any deviation of the arms, head, lower back, knees and feet.  This will give us information about any muscle imbalances and help to guide our sessions.  We also investigated joint mobility, and strength testing.  

Most importantly the students shared some of their summer goals, which helped to spark a conversation about what someone looks like vs. how strong they might be.  We often think that the grass is greener on the other side, without really knowing the grass, personally. We see high legs and think, wow - that's so beautiful.  What we might not realize is that the dancer with an incredible amount of flexibility may have other issues, like developing strength.  It is about finding the best YOUR body can offer to you for what your goals are, not someone else's.  

It's a tall order, to accept the things we cannot change about ourselves -- like the skeleton we were born with or previous injuries -- and to improve the things which we CAN control.  That's our summer goal. Not to be someone else, but to be our best self.  And it starts today!  

SQUASH!

Not the game... but the vegetable! Thanks to Fitness Magazine for today's yummy recipe... I see it in my future weekend plans.... enjoy :)

_______________________________________

Sausage-and-Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash 

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4INGREDIENTS

• 2medium acorn squash, about 3/4 to 1 pound each
• 1cup  low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3cup  quinoa, rinsed
• 1 1/2teaspoons  toasted sesame oil
• 4ounces  fresh turkey or chicken sausage, casing removed
• 1teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1/2teaspoon  coarse salt
• 1/2cup  chopped red onion
• 1/2cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 2 1/2tablespoons  minced fresh ginger
• 3ounces  Gouda, shredded (about 3/4 cup)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees . Cut squash in half horizontally and remove seeds; place cut side down in a baking pan filled with 1 inch hot water. Bake 45 minutes, or until a sharp knife easily pierces squash.

2. Meanwhile, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa and simmer, partially covered, over medium-low heat 15 minutes. Turn off heat and cover pot.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, cumin and salt. Saute 4 minutes, breaking up meat with a spoon. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic and ginger. Cook 2 minutes; stir in quinoa.

4. Transfer squash halves to a dry baking dish, cut side up. Pack each with an even amount of filling and bake 20 minutes. Press shredded cheese into each filled half and bake 5 minutes more, or until cheese has just melted.

Funny fitness Thursday!

Well, it's pouring in NYC and it makes me feel totally gloomy, unmotivated, and lethargic..... just like yesterday's post might suggest! So, what better way to cheer up, then with a few funny, fitness jokes??!!

_________

Jack, decidedly overweight, and not at all bright, asks Doctor Mayo at Portchester Health Centre, for help in losing weight. The doctor advises Jack to run 10 miles a day for 30 days. 
This, she promises, will help Jack lose as much as twenty pounds in a month.

Jack, naturally very excited, follows Doctor Mayo's advice to the letter, and, after thirty days, he is delighted to find that he has, indeed, lost twenty pounds.

Delighted, Jack 'phones Doctor Mayo and thanks her profusely for the wonderful advice which had produced such a tremendous result.

At the end of the conversation, however, he asks one last question, 'How do I get home now, Doctor, since I am some 300 miles away?'

_________

And finally... some special Tennis humor for Tim.... 

Never date a tennis player; to them love means nothing ;) 

Weather and YOUR body...

This week it's been COLD! I am feeling the season change, along with the darker afternoons and my chilly walk to work... I feel like a bear who wants to hibernate.  Why?

Weather affects our bodies for many reasons, so many that we have scientists constantly investigating biometerology -- the study of how weather affects people, plants, and animals, and importantly, how weather can affect your health.

There are so many factors included in weather (temperature, wind, an increase or decrease in precipitation...) that it's hard to tell specifically why we feel different when the weather changes.  Our emotional health, joints, body pain, mood.... so much to consider.  One reason we DO know that our joints often ache is the change in barometric pressure -- that's known.  The change in pressure also affects your blood pressure which in turn affects EVERYTHING about your body.  This we know.

Dr. Pawan Grover tells us this falling barometric pressure....

"frequently precedes a storm alters the pressure inside joints. Those connections between bones, held together with tendons and ligaments, are surrounded and cushioned by sacs of fluid and trapped gasses."

So, with the change of weather upon us, be prepared for your body to change.  You may feel more aches and pains, more exhausted, off balance.... your body may demand more rest, more fluids...

Listen to it. Give it what it wants, and enjoy the start to winter that will be coming soon :)


 

Marathon!

What were you doing on Sunday? 

I was cheering on the 50,000 runners who completed 26.2 miles around the five boroughs of New York City.  It is my most favorite day of the year and I am continually motivated and inspired by the passion, effort, and heart that thousands share in a few hours, whether as a participant or an observer.  It reminds me of why a "we're all in this together" kind of attitude actually works.  

Every year I think, next year I'm gonna do this.... and then life gets in the way and before I know it, suddenly half a year has gone by and it's too late to begin training.  Well, not this year.  I am DETERMINED to do this next year as an "I can do this" present to myself :) 

Who's with me?!