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!!!

Distorted thinking...

I love this article shared with me by my mom.  There is a lot of value in looking deeply into the kind of "thinking" we spend our time invested in.  It can really shape our daily lives...  Is it positive?  Is it self-sabotaging?  Is it judgmental?  The article mentions a few types of thinking that I feel are quite relevant to us, especially as dancers:

Filtering

• bringing negative details to the forefront while ignoring the positive aspects 
• allowing one tiny mistake to negate the remaining efforts and your success 

Mind Reading

• you think you know what people think and feel, without them even telling you 
• then you act on it, or react to it, when it isn't even real 

Catastrophizing (I'm not sure that's a real word?) 

• thinking you are always in DANGER! 
• constantly expecting a disaster! (who wants to live like that?!) 

Emotional Reasoning 

• if you feel something, it must be true 
• if you feel ugly, you must be ugly
• stop allowing emotions to flow freely in your head -- sometimes they are just not true! 

Heaven's Reward Fallacy (my personal favorite) 

• making sacrifice while thinking that someone, somewhere, is keeping score 
• living a wonderful life is great, but don't beat yourself up if you make a mistake -- there is no one keeping score, and everyone makes mistakes

Don't let this type of thinking control you... it can lead to a distorted self-image and we don't want that!

Hyperextended knees!

Today's post is for Gillian...

Let's investigate: HYPEREXTENDED KNEES! 

Actual name: Genu Recurvatum 

Some causes: disorder of connective tissue, laxity of knee ligaments, irregular alignment of tibia and femur, difference in lower limb lengths

Problems: the knee will go beyond full extension and with this excessive mobility comes problems like knee pain, muscle imbalances, instability with endurance based movements or jumping, among others

What it might look like:

What to do: many of our strengthening exercises from Dance Conditioning are perfect(!!!) and some others  will work too... 

• hamstrings: pelvic bridge, hamstring curl with a physioball, straight leg hamstring reach 
• quadriceps: single leg extension while seated
• did I mention SQUATS?! 
• foam roll the quads and glutes, and stretch the hip flexors -- which may be tight 

A great reminder for us all is to think about our alignment even while casually standing (at the grocery store, a bus stop, while chatting with a friend...) If you suffer from hyperextension in your knees, soften them ever so slightly to put them into full extension or "neutral" as seen above.  This will reduce pressure on the knees, realign any misalignment in the pelvis (anterior pelvic tilt), and take reduce back pain.  

A new motivation

Thanks to one of our students for posting this great article today:

10 Things I Want My Daughter To Know About Working Out

The author encounters a not so inspiring moment in an exercise class, and it enables her to reformulate her thinking around the motivations for "working out" or being active.  It shouldn't be to "look great for your vacation" or to finally "fit into THAT dress."  It should be for so many other meaningful reasons: 

• Being strong is empowering -- feel great carrying your own suitcase down that long stairway in the airport.  Be proud of your power!  
• Doing "fitness" related activities, like biking or skiing, enables you to get out and see the world!  Appreciate nature, a new city, your family and friends through these meaningful activities.  
• Living a healthy lifestyle will keep you healthy: you will be surrounded by positive habits and positive people to create lasting relationships while keeping in good health. 
• Networking is no longer just inside of the office space -- get out and meet people while being active! 
• Feeling beautiful will make you beautiful :) 

So the main idea is that working out is not merely a way to achieve "looking good".... it's a way to feel good, develop good habits, be a role model for others, meet new people, appreciate the world differently, push yourself farther than you ever thought possible.... the list goes on and on.... and on...   

I just received this awesome new water bottle as a gift and it reminded me of the importance of staying hydrated and ensuring that your body receives it's needed fluids daily.  By the time we realize we are dehydrated or feeling thirsty, it's too late, and the body already feels the impact.  

Why drink water? 

• The body is made of roughly 60% water which aids in digestion, transportation of nutrients, maintaining proper body temperature and other important functions, so keeping hydrated helps to keep this balanced.  
• Water helps to regulate your bowels and prevent constipation while keeping your intestinal tract functioning.  
• Water helps rid the body of its major toxin, blood urea nitrogen, through the kidneys and out through your urine.  If you're in good shape, urine should be light in color and flowing freely.  

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking fluids before AND after exercise.  Drink 17 ounces about 2 hours before exercise and keep drinking throughout the workout to replace water that's lost from sweating.  The Institute of Medicine determined that adequate intake for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) and for women -- 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) of TOTAL BEVERAGES (not just water) per day.  

So keep your glasses full to stay healthy and able to perform at your best this summer!  With the hot, hot heat we need even more fluids, so keep it up :)