Pain Free Again

Any tender, sore, or achy parts of my body can hinder my ability to dance my best.  In an effort to speed up the healing process, I massage Traumeel on the areas that are in pain.  Usually the gel does an amazing job of eliminating any signs of injury.
My upper thighs have been killing me for the past couple of weeks.  I don't know why I didn't think to use Traumeel sooner, but after applying some last night I woke up this morning feeling no pain.  I can't say it works for chronic pain, but for any minor infirmities it seems to be a wonderful cure.
http://truthinaging.com/body/traumeel-homeopathic-ointment-does-a-body-good

Health Benefits of Ballet

If practiced regularly, ballet is an excellent way to get in shape.  Here are a few rewards that can be obtained from the studio.

Increased flexibility-Lifting your leg to your ear and executing leaps in a split position require a great amount of flexibility.  The stretches you learn in class are done to achieve these incredible movements.

Greater Strength-When looking at a graceful ballerina, most people aren't aware of the physical demands she has to meet.  The fact is however, many of the difficult steps and positions in ballet aren't possible without strength.  The exercises done in class build up this strength, while creating long, lean, and toned muscles.

Better Posture-Standing up straight looks better and is healthier for the body.  Focusing on proper alignment in ballet will transfer to everyday life.  It will create an awareness of posture, which forces out bad habits, such as slumping.   
Based on this infomation, I'd say it's worth it to keep going to class.

Push-ups

Although difficult to master, the push-up is an ideal exercise for increasing upper body strength.
Push-ups on your toes are extremely challenging if your like me and starting out with zero arm strength.  So why not begin with something more manageable and work up to doing a full push-up?
Start out with knee push-ups.  Once your fairly comfortable with these, begin the push-up on your toes and lower down keeping this same position.  Try to raise yourself back up while still on your toes.  You probably won't be able to accomplish this at first, but just the simple act of trying will bring progress.  Switch from the toes to your knees to complete the second half of the push-up.  Eventually you'll be able to do the entire push-up on your toes.

Busy Schedule

I don't know if anyone remembers, but on Monday I was posted about the possibility of me taking an exercise class at college.  I wasn't sure if I would have enough time for it though, and was on my way to the orientation that morning to learn more about it.
Unfortunately, it's not going to work out.  There just isn't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I wish I could do.  Between the other four classes that I'm still enrolled in, ballet lessons, and rehearsal schedule for Nutcracker that has yet to be determined, I'll be fairly busy.
I haven't given up the idea of being a personal trainer though.  It may take me a little longer to get there, but get there I will.  For now I'm focusing on getting all the general education classes over with.  The ones you don't want to take, that have nothing to do with your planned career, but you have to take anyway.  I guess I'm saving the best for last.
Next week I'll go back to posting health and fitness tips.

Another Goal For Life

Today is the fresh start of a new school year, and guess what? I'm actually excited!
This time last year I set out on the college path not sure where I was going or what I was doing.  I didn't even think I wanted to be there.  My only desire was to dance in a company.  Things are different now.  I know what I'm going after.
You can tell by the name of this blog that I'm interested in health and fitness.  I've decided I would love to be a personal trainer with my own business.  To accomplish that I have to take a certain amount of exercise classes, which shouldn't be a problem because I like to exercise.
I still haven't given up my dream of being in a company, however.  With my level of commitment rising at the dance studio it's going to take longer to finish college.  I'm not sure if I can start my exercise classes this semester.  I signed up for one anyway, and will use today's orientation to determine whether or not I'll be able to fit it in my schedule.  I hope I can.

Cooling Down

Cooling down after ballet class and before going home prevents injuries, while reducing the chance of next day soreness.
Going from one extreme to the next, such as sitting down immediately after a rigorous ballet class, can be dangerous.  A safe, gradual, decrease in the heart rate isn't allowed, and blood pools in the lower limbs.  The result is sore muscles, achy joints, and decreased stamina.  Obviously this interferes with your ability to dance your best.
An easy, short cool down should be relaxing.  Continue moving for at least five minutes, avoiding standing still or sitting down during this time frame after class.  Whatever you do, make sure the intensity is kept low.  You could walk around or repeat some moves done in class in a less strenuous way.  Once the heart rate has gone down you may sit to stretch, making an conscious effort to hit the muscles worked the hardest during class.  At this point be gentle and refrain from doing deep stretches, letting a minimum of one hour pass before indulging in those kind of stretches.
Warming up and cooling down play key roles in assisting the fight against injuries and staying in top shape.  Try to make both a part of your dance training.

Warming Up

Making an effort to arrive early for ballet class gives you the opportunity to warm up.
There are some convincing reasons to support why a dancer should bother with making this a habit.  The body will adapt to the exercises quicker.  This leads to ease of movement, better coordination, and allows for full flexibility sooner rather than later.  Injuries are also less likely to occur during activity when the body has been given a warning of what's in store for it.  I think all dancers will agree this is a great benefit.
It's important to realize that warming up doesn't mean stretching.  Both should be done before class, but warming up should proceed stretching.  A warm up involves moving around to elevate the temperature of the tissues.  The result of an effective warm up should include smoother use of joints and a raised pulse.  Only then is it safe to stretch.
Your warm up should be aerobic that doesn't last longer than five minutes.  You can also incorporate some modified moves that resemble what you'll be doing in class. Cluing the body into what you'll ask from it later on will make attempting those movements easier.  Focus on finding correct alignment and placement while warming up.  Use the warm up as a way to listen to your body.  Let it tell you what's happening on that particular day.  Things change in a short amount of time, and one area that was perfectly fine the day before might be tight the next.

Cooling down is just as beneficial as warming up.  My next post will be based on that topic.