Sassy Gregson-Williams is a former Professional Ballet Dancer turned fitness and wellness guru. Her recipes and workout programs are available on her site Naturally Sassy where she shares her philosophy about food:

“The Naturally Sassy philosophy is all about embracing foods that are the most beneficial to your body. There is no one-size-fits all answer for what we should eat, food should be a journey of personal discovery. As a society, we are so trend led when it comes to health. How you choose to eat should be entirely bespoke to you, based on how YOU feel.”

Sassy’s outlook is so aligned with what is promoted at The Whole Dancer. I’m thrilled to share this exclusive interview with her! Enjoy.

The Whole Dancer : What got you into cooking and creating recipes?

Sassy : As a ballet dancer, food and nutrition was always something that was considered important to my training, but was never something I had learned much about. In my early teens I was injured and spent more time watching my friends dance than dancing myself.

I felt like I was falling behind and started dieting to keep me feeling in control of a situation that felt uncontrollable. With lack of education around food, and an unfortunate bout of food poisoning I was left injured and far from healthy. It took some time, but I realized from a low point that in order to rehabilitate my injury and continue training towards being a professional dancer food was one of the best tools I had.

A switch in perspective was what started an interest in cooking, and as I moved away from home and started cooking for myself I became passionate about nutrition and creating nutritious meals.

TWD : Where do you find inspiration for your recipes?

S : 5 years ago when Naturally Sassy began my recipes came from creating healthier versions of classic meals I used to love, and I suppose this still rings true. Now however the foods and meals I create are really inspired by flavors and seasonal ingredients.

TWD : What’s your best cooking/food advice to dancers who have long rehearsal days with little time for cooking or food prep?

S : It all starts with a plan. Schedule in a time each week you think about the meals you’re going to be making for the week ahead. Write your ingredient list down and stock the fridge. If you have some time on a sunday, prepping a few staples is a must.

I often make three salads, a dip, a grain and dressing for a tupperware lunch on the go during the week. If you don’t like that idea, and make an extra portion or two at dinner, you can freeze it or have leftovers the next day.

TWD : What is one ingredient you think every dancer should have in their kitchen at all times?

S : Turmeric. If you don’t love it, learn to!

TWD : What’s your go to snack to throw in your bag for after the gym?

A protein smoothie with Form Nutrition protein powder or an RXbar.

TWD : How did changing to a healthier diet increase your body self-confidence both in and out of the studio?

S : I think the biggest change was my energy and therefore my overall mood. I felt better, had more energy to smash gym sessions, and those side effects made me feel better within my body. Having a good relationship with food and eating well was all part of learning to appreciate and love my body as much as I do now.

TWD : How do you balance a loaded schedule of teaching Ballet Blast classes, creating new recipes, creating content for your blog, and having time for yourself?

S : I leave my laptop at the office! Having just launched the Naturally Sassy Online workout studio, a lot of my hours are spent online. It’s so important I spend time looking away from a screen, so I’ve started leaving my laptop at the office at night so I have no choice but to chill.

I have movie nights with my girlfriends each week, and make plans that force me out of the tech-vortex I can easily spend my day in. I hike every other day, go on beach runs, anything to change things up and get inspired from things that don’t relate to my business. Having the night off makes me work harder the next day.

TWD : How did you maintain a positive mindset while dancing and currently while running your business?

S : Finding people that keep you sane. I couldn’t keep as positive as I do everyday if it wasn’t for the people that support me.

TWD : What advice would you give your younger self? Whether it be dance, life, or food related.

S : That you don’t have to stick to the plan, you can do and be anything that you set your mind to. I’m still telling myself that.

The post Naturally Sassy: Ballerina turned Fitness Guru Extroadinaire appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

As a serious dancer, many of the options out there are silly to me. Most of them claim to have ballet influences however, I’ve definitely taken barre classes where the only ballet influence was the fact that there was a barre attached to the wall.

I’m not going to give you an overview of all barre classes but rather I’m going to share one that I’ve found that speaks to my sensibilities and abilities as a dancer – because it can do the same for you.

As I’m retired from dance and have struggled with pain from my ankle injuries I don’t take ballet classes regularly anymore and even some workouts cause issues for me.

In August, I started teaching and taking Xtend Barre regularly. With Xtend Barre, I’ve seen a steady increase both in my ankle strength and stability as well as increased flexibility and overall body strength. I got my ballerina arms back (there’s even an exercise in the arms section called “black swan arms” – a personal fav.).

The class starts with a dancey warm up followed by arms, barre – targeting thighs then glutes, Pilates inspired abs and a final push through seat muscles before ending class with a stretch.

Xtend Barre provides a big cardio element, something you don’t get in all barre classes or a ballet class with all the stopping and starting. It’s high energy and provides a really great balance of movement and sculpting.

Instructors use actual ballet terms to take you through class – 1st and 2nd position plies, tendus, battements, port de bras, attitude, passe. And, there’s a focus on alignment – with familiar cues like shoulders over hips, knees tracking over 2nd and 3rd toes, belly button to spine, ribs knitting in – the familiarity is really comforting and you’ll feel right at home.

You’ll likely find a more balletic class with a former dancer and you can read instructor bios right on each studios website to see who you’d like to work with.

Last week I went back to a ballet class for the first time in over 6 months. In the past when I’ve gone to class after being away for that long it felt nearly impossible – even when I was incorporating other exercise or barre classes.

This time, however, I was able to control my breath from all the cardio I had gotten used to. I noticed right away the strength I had from Xtend Barre and my extensions were close to where they were when I was dancing professionally. Even more importantly, my ankle felt awesome throughout the entire class and I was able to jump – I haven’t done that in nearly 3 years!

I wanted to share Xtend Barre with you because it’s on 5 – continents, it’s growing, and I think it’s a great way for dancers to cross train – you’re working your muscles the way you’re supposed to but with a different intensity and energy. It can improve strength, flexibility and stamina.
If you’re in the Burlington, MA area you can come check out my class – I’d be SO thrilled to meet you in person!!

I’d also love to hear your experience with Xtend Barre or another barre class you’ve tried. Share your thoughts in the comments below!

photo: Sydney Rose Photography

The post A Barre Class that Speaks to Dancers? appeared first on The Whole Dancer.