Hello, hello, hello, good morning everyone!!!
How’s your day so far??
This week I’m attending a local dance intensive and I’m soooo pumped. I did this intensive last year and I feel like I’ve improved a lot since then. Not even just technically, but physically and mentally as well. I feel much stronger and happier with myself than I ever have before! 🙂
(Image Credit)
And no, that’s not me. Haha I wish!
Props to this awesome girl for getting her legs up like that….WORK IT! Anyway, comparing yourself to others doesn’t solve anything. You just have to be yourself! 🙂
I used to compare myself ALL THE TIME last year, but who did that really help?
No one, that’s who.
Since I am a Dance major, most people might find dancing almost everyday for 8-10 hours a day is a strange way to prepare for their life/career. However, that’s exactly what I’m doing and I wouldn’t have it any other way! I started dancing when I was 4, eventually deciding to pursue my passions for dance at a university. Let me be the first to say that dancing almost everyday in college has done things to my body that I’ve never experienced before, and a new relationship to food and my body began and changed and evolved to what it is today.
I haven’t talked about my life as a dancer on the blog in a long time…but hey, my blog’s name is A Dancer’s Live-It. 😉
Here are the five most important lessons I’ve learned about my body over the past year:
1. Pain and fatigue are messages.
The body is an amazing machine designed to do wonderful things, but it also sends messages when things aren’t right. I now know that pain or fatigue are my body’s way of telling me to rest so it can repair and recuperate. We all push ourselves in various ways, but it’s crucial that you listen to your body when it’s telling you its tired, hungry or hurt.
2. What you choose to focus on will grow.
In dance, ballet especially, it’s common to focus on what’s wrong and how we can work to correct or make it better. The trouble with this is that our brain is trained by repetition. What you can do is train your brain to see positive or negative by what you focus on. I’ve learned that nothing is ever all bad (or all good), but I’m trying to change the channel of my brain to the “positive station” whenever I can.
3. Habits are more important than talent.
There are many dancers with natural talent, but unless they work hard and develop it, they won’t flourish. Dancing is usually a series of repetitions performed to create improvement, and over time, those repetitions become habits, which eventually leads to success. Given enough consistency, you can do more than you think.
4. Priorities lead to success.
As dancers, our rehearsals, training, and performing take priority over everything because dancing is instilled in our hearts and cores. If leaves us feeling inspired, close to our love of music and art, and creating something beautiful. I’ve seen people put their own self-care at the bottom of their priority list. Even if they decide to make themselves a priority, it’s common that they’ll give up that time for something else. I believe self-care is crucial to your overall health, so make sure it’s a priority in your life that’s connected to something you love and care about. 🙂
5. Food is not just fuel, but information.
In the dance world, the popular focus seems to always be about being thin. Nutrition is so much more than calories in versus calories out. The nutrients in food create the cells, organs, chemical and hormones that affect how you look, feel and function. I like to focus on eating good fats, proteins, vegetables and fruits as 80-90% of what goes into my body. I spent so much of last year struggling with improper fueling, too much calorie counting, and too much mental stress.
But remember: it’s your life. You are the CEO of your own health.
I hope you all have a fantastic day, and remember, you have the power to change your life.
Make it a great one 🙂
<3