Dancer Nutrition & More!

So, dancers, as you know, rest and recovering to dance and rehearse at full capacity is crucial! We tend to overexert and under-recover. You may be dancing for a few hours (even just a one hour class) with minimal breaks, can be extremely taxing. You first use your [immediate] ATP-PcR (the quick, 0-15 second type, across the floor or huge jump/turn combos or lifts) energy systems up, then you transition into your short-term, anaerobic/lactate system for those longer bouts (a few minutes), but by the end of class, you'll also have used your aerobic system! Dancers do it all, you cycle between these systems throughout classes/rehearsals.  So, we know a bit about eating & hydrating throug hout the day at this point, but, how do we refuel to recover?! Re-hydration: If you weigh yourself before and after a workout, make sure you rehydrate per pound lost! (1 c water/sports drink per lb!!) 1.  This may also entail a gatorade-water or  electrolyte  mix! Be sure t...

Welcome back, dancers! It has been a minute. Hopefully, you're on your way with a bit more well rounded diet, keeping you going through all those rehearsals. We've discussed vitamins and minerals that may be beneficial to add into your daily routine. Now, I'd like to touch a bit more on other supplements that may pose great benefits to your performance and/or recovery! Just a friendly reminder, not all supplements/ergogenic aids out there are created equally, actually do what they claim and are wallet friendly! If you wanted a bit more of the nitty gritty on supplements, check back to the other post I made about them  HERE! Caffeine--> Performance Supplementation Caffeine is natural! Outside of coffee and some teas, it can be found in dark chocolate. 1,2.  It can give you a mood  boost , a spike of energy and focus and help you feel a bit less fatigued after a  looooong across the floor or adagio series! I'd just be mindful of how much you...

Welcome back, dancers and friends! It was recently international ballet day! Or world ballet day. Or something like that. Hopefully, you, as dancers, celebrated! This week, I'd like to touch on different dietary supplements outside of vitamins and minerals that you may or may not take, or even know about! What the heck is an ergogenic aid?! Well, it's a fancier word for a supplement OR training technique, device, practice, ingredient, pharmacological or psychological technique that can improve your exercise performance. 1   For instance, one you might find common in the dance world is protein! You may also have heard about BCAAs, L-Glutamine and L-Carntitine. Maybe even creatine for the male dancers! Another commonplace aid may be practices like Intermittent Fasting (for which we can discuss another time...I have my thoughts!). Just so you know, the FDA and FTC have oversight on dietary supplements. Usually, ingredients of supplements go through different research...

Dancers of all ages, genres and levels...you should now have a good background on how to fuel yourself, especially during long days of rehearsals and shows! But, with all that food and training, we need to figure out how the heck to remain hydrated. Of course, an individuals caloric and macronutrient requirements will differ vastly based on a  variety of factors. But, whether you do well with 3 square meals a day, or 4-6 smaller meals/snacks a day, you still need to get the right amount! Dancers, you may need to eat around 1650-2500 kilocalories a day (~50-90 kg). As far as carbohydrates, they should be 45-55% of your intake, aim for about 3-6 g/kg. Filling in the rest with proteins and fats, you should have 1.5-2.0 g/kg protein and another 25-30% kcals coming from fats (1.0-1.2 g/kg)! 1 But, you may have friends or partners that need to quite literally eat 3 times as much as you! For example, a huge football power athlete/linemen weighing possibly twice ...

Before I tell you all you need to know about fats, vitamins and minerals, let's refresh your memory on calories, carbs and proteins! Carbs on carbs on carbs! Protein Pro  &  Protein 101 So now that I've jogged your memory, I'm going to discuss why getting some fat in your diet is just as essential as carbs and proteins! Furthermore, why getting some vitamins and minerals in will help you perform and feel your best! FAT! I know it can be a triggering word to some, but, really, it's not so bad! It does weigh in at 9 kilocalories a gram, making it super energy dense! Fat plays a critical role in absorbing some of the vitamins you need, giving your body insulation and protection, fuel for energy metabolism/fuel overall, creating hormones, maintaining cell membrane integrity, your hair and skin's health and appetite management . 1. In order to help your body perform its best, I recommend getting 30-35% of your calories from fats. This can range from .5-1...