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...