Realistically, if you’re a young person in your 20s (for example), you won’t actually “get out of shape” and lose muscle this quickly. Research suggests you’ll start to lose muscle 3–4 weeks after you are “inactive.” It’s also suggested that you can get back to your peak fitness level more quickly after a period of inactivity than when you originally started. 

Your body has the capacity to maintain a high level of fitness. The problem is your brain. You need to train your mind for resilience as well. 

Time off doesn’t have to stress you out

Being realistic with yourself about what you need is going to help you enjoy time off without stress. If you’re coming out of a season where you felt great physically and mentally, you might be motivated to simply keep up with your training and activity levels.

If the season wasn’t your best, you may need a longer period of true rest or time away from dance to recover mentally. This is something to give yourself permission to take, especially now that you know you won’t be instantly losing tons of strength. 

Use your time away from dance productively

Establishing goals for a level of productivity is going to help you feel good about the time off. It can mitigate any guilt you might create in your mind if you accomplish some things you find fulfilling.

Before you jump into action, give yourself time to truly reflect on what went well in your season and what you’d like to improve. This way you’ll be able to set goals and intentions around what you’d like to see shift in your next dancing season.

The truth might be that you want to fully disengage from dance for a period of time. If that’s the case, how will you find movement that’s enjoyable and motivating? 

• Try a new workout class
• Sign up to work with a personal trainer for dancers
• Consider health, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching for direction, support, and accountability: book your coaching consultation here
• Get active with friends or family
• Plan for activities that involve movement that makes you feel good, like amusement park visits, museum trips, hikes, or swimming

As the season gets closer: 5 ways to feel more ready

When it comes closer to your next dancing season, work to feel prepared both mentally and physically.

• Get back into the studio.

If you’re still feeling resistance, find a friend to go with you. Maybe re-enter with a class that’s outside of your genre of focus. Keep it low stakes. No pressure to do 5 pirouettes on day one. Instead, give yourself permission to take baby steps towards your full dancing potential. 

You might begin by just taking barre or putting your pointe shoes on for 10 minutes at the end of class. Really think about what you can handle and how you can find inspiration as you get back into it slowly.

• Stay aware of stress surrounding your food choices.

Stressing out about what is the “right” thing to be eating or what amounts of food are “perfect” is counterproductive. It will only lead you down a path towards guilt and overthinking.

Instead, connect to what feels good about your food choices. Focus on foods and meals that provide your body with energy and easy digestion. The more you connect to mindful eating, the better you’ll get at meeting your body’s needs with ease. 

• Create a schedule that’s flexible but intentional. 

During the season, most dancers have very regimented schedules. Your rehearsal schedule is dictated to you, and you might have outside work hours that are set or consistent. 

Give yourself the flexibility in summer to make space for some spontaneity and extra time with friends or family. If someone invites you to go to the beach, you don’t want your workout plans to get in the way.

• Find support to create goals.

If your goal is to go back into your season feeling stronger and more prepared than when you started last season, the best way to accomplish that is to work backwards from the goal. 

It can’t just be about physical preparation. Keep in mind we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in shorter periods of time (days or weeks) and underestimate what we can accomplish with more time (months or years). 

If you’re struggling to find clarity on your goals or achieve them, coaching could provide the support and accountability you need to make your goals a sustainable reality. 

• Check in with your mindset. 

Your internal narrative and self-awareness have a huge impact on how you feel in your body. When dancers accept that some body change is normal and to be expected during time off, they’re much gentler with themselves. With this approach, you’re able to take the changes (which are usually small) in stride, which facilitates a much healthier approach as you get back into your dancing season. 

By avoiding extremes, the fluctuations come and go with ease. In terms of mental approach, if you let yourself let go of the attachment to always being “in shape,” you’ll have much greater odds of actually staying in shape. 

Remember, your perspective on your body is built in your mind…

As a dancer, you may have heard: your body is your instrument. And it is, but it’s also so much more. Your body is your home. It’s the place you’ll spend your entire life. 

When you find you’re feeling overly concerned about “being in shape,” it can be helpful to come back to the intention of caring for yourself. Above all else, you want to nourish and care for your body so you’ll feel your best from the inside out. 

For dancers, in a world that’s so aesthetically focused, it can be hard to come back to that intention on your own. If you’re struggling to put your well-being first, reach out. Start your coaching journey by scheduling a complimentary coaching consultation call here.

The post Get Back in Dancing Shape appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

For dancers, some of the most common questions are about meal prep, quick meals and short cuts to healthy eating. I’m all about making healthy eating as simple as possible. There are times when it’s really just a matter of building the habits to prep and have the healthy food available.

Other times, like when you’ve got performances or your schedule is just packed it’s best to take a simpler route. Obviously, meal delivery services are about ease but many of them are not quite as concerned with quality of food and healthy options.

Splendid Spoon goes against the grain by prioritizing nutrition packed foods, nutrients and even principals of intermittent fasting.

My favorite plan from Splendid Spoon is The Program 2.0. It includes smoothies, soups and blended soups and can help you to get back on track if you’ve felt like your eating habits have gotten out of whack. While I’m usually a “soup only in cold weather person” I’m also super aware that the summer can easily take your healthy eating habits off track.

When I tried Splendid Spoon in the Spring, I used it to supplement my cooking. I always have time to do some cooking but I don’t always have time to cook 3 meals a day. With Splendid Spoon I was able to use the meals when I needed. This meant, I’d sometimes have a smoothie for lunch or one of the soups for lunch or dinner.

The blended soups I’d usually heat up at home then take with me on – the – go, in a travel mug, as a snack or just to energize me through midday. There are so many ways to integrate Splendid Spoon into a healthy lifestyle and the time it will save you is amazing. When we have 1 less thing to think about it really frees up some space to focus on our goals!

If you can’t fathom soup in the summer, try a smoothie delivery option – hellooooo time saver! Even just one meal being pre – made for you can save you time and mental energy. Did you know that the average adult makes nearly 200 choices about food in a single day? With Splendid Spoon you can eliminate a good number of those choices and know you’re making good decisions for your body.

For dancers, during the busy season you may require more food that a day’s allotment from Splendid Spoon. In that case I’d suggest adding some healthy whole foods that will nourish you and sustain you through rehearsals, classes and performances. There’s really nothing worse that being distracted by hunger when you’re trying to perform at your best.

If you’re in a good place with your mentality around food – you feel like your practices with food are generally balanced and healthy but you’re having a hard time reaching a body goal. Or maybe you’re looking for a little pre – season detox of sorts to get your body and eating back on track, The Program 2.0 from Splendid Spoon could guide you in the right direction.

The daily mean plan includes 1 smoothie, 1 blended soup (which they call their “soup cleanse”) and 1 regular soup.

From Splendid Spoon : “Our Program is the culmination of over five years of diet and fasting research, customer feedback, hundreds of thousands of meals, and a whole lotta hard work. It’s a foolproof wellness plan that keeps your body fitter, stronger, and cleaner. Beyond the body, we provide the mindfulness training and support that help you take ownership of your well-being. Together, these are the small changes that make a big impact on your health.”

I would caution that if you are an emotional eater, binge eater, or feel like you have a negative relationship with food and your body than you’re better off participating in a program like The Dancer’s Best Body Program before giving any sort of meal delivery service a try.

Trying any diet, meal plan or pre – determined food plan if you haven’t first worked through your relationship with food (as silly as the concept of a relationship with food might seem) will not yield long term body changes.

Also remember that any temporary plan – 1 week of Splendid Spoon eating – won’t transform your body unless you take what you experience forward. How can you use a delivered meal plan as a stepping stone to take healthier eating forward?

If you’d like to try Splendid Spoon – please click here and you’ll get $25 off your first 1 month starter or 9-5 box!!!

The post Splendid Spoon – For when you have NO time to think about food. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Breakfast with Kirsten Kemp

Kirsten Kemp, YouTube ballerina behind Twin Talks Ballet shares a unique cold – weather breakfast. At Kirsten’s YouTube channel you’ll hear more of her thoughts on healthy eating and the importance of nutrient dense food for dancers. She also shares tricks of the trade and some intimate experiences from her dance journey. Kirsten is currently dancing with Oklahoma City Ballet as a member of their Studio Company.

Ingredients : 

1/2 cup of dry amaranth

1 cup of water

1/4 – 1/2 cup of plant based milk

1 spoonful of natural peanut butter

1 tbsp of maple syrup

cinnamon to taste

a pinch of salt

Toppings :

1 sliced banana

peanuts

Method : 

Place amaranth and water in a small pot and bring to a boil, cover, then turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Take off the lid during the last few minutes if you desire a thicker consistency. Turn off the heat and stir in your desired amount of plant based milk, peanut butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Place in a bowl, and top with a sliced banana and peanuts. Enjoy!

Amaranth is an ancient grain that is rich in minerals, fiber, and protein – great for muscle repair, reducing inflammation, digestion, and bone health.

It is often overlooked, but I have found it to be affordable and available at most grocery stores. It is possible to make porridge out of most any grain, but I love amaranth for its unique, nutty flavor and creamy texture that somehow also offers a little bit of a crunch when you bite into the tiny grains!

In my experience, it is also more filling than oats or quinoa, which is excellent for sustained energy. I usually enjoy this on a weekend and make a little extra to reheat for a weekday breakfast. If you don’t have as much of an appetite (like me on weekday mornings) try reducing the amount of amaranth to 1/4 or 1/3 cup per serving. I hope that you will enjoy this unique and delicious porridge option as much as I do!

The post Amaranth Porridge from YouTube Dancer Kirsten Kemp appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

You start to really see yourself dancing the roles you’ve dreamed of next to the dancers who’ve inspired you. It’s actually coming true!

Hearing from clients about their most recent successes is truly one of my favorite things. When Jessica C. recently texted to tell me she had gotten her first official ballet company contract, I was beyond thrilled!

Jessica’s story is one you might relate to so I asked her if I could share. Here it is :

“I was in a pretty dark place emotionally when I found the The Dancer’s Best Body Program.  I was dancing with a company that had no regard for my well – being and didn’t seem to care when my peers or I tried to voice our concerns and fears about the position they were putting us in.

I was left doubting everything about myself- my talent, my professionalism, my overall self worth.  

This career is already so hard that having any ounce of uncertainty can completely derail, if not destroy, any chance of “making it”.  I have always loved to dance and always looked forward to being in the studio everyday, so when those feelings turned to dread every morning I knew I had to do something…

Joining The Dancer’s Best Body Program was that ‘something’.

A lot of the concepts in the program seem so simple until you really sit down and go through all of the worksheets.  Having to literally write down your thoughts opened me up to a lot of things that I didn’t consciously know I was feeling.

Jess is so amazing and I cannot say it enough – at first I was nervous to open myself up to a complete stranger but Jess creates such a safe place with absolutely no judgment.

Being in a situation where I wasn’t being used in the studio made me feel useless.  I felt like I was wasting a year of my life.

The program gave me a purpose, I felt accomplished.      

When I talk to friends considering The Dancer’s Best Body Program, I tell them that Jess is literally the best!

I think that this is a program for everyone.  I think even people who are happy and satisfied with where they are physically and emotionally can benefit from what The Dancer’s Best Body Program has to offer.

The program allows you to explore so many things:

You learn to listen to your body.

You get to play around with different food ideas to see what works best for you.

And you definitely do some serious ‘soul searching’.

But the thing that is most important is that throughout the whole process you never feel alone.  Jess is always there ready to tackle anything so that you get the most out of the course.

Because of my participation in The Dancer’s Best Body Program, I went into audition season feeling confident.  I got so much positive feedback that the company I was currently dancing with no longer mattered.

I was able to go into the studio knowing I wasn’t crazy, that I have what it takes.  It sounds silly but I was no longer the victim, I felt empowered.

As for my actual career, I was offered my first paying ballet company contract! There are still a few other potential jobs I am waiting to hear from but it is a huge relief to know I have an option!

After the program, I continue to look at food as a source of fuel as opposed to a “treat”.  I think that having that mind – set helps take the pressure off when trying to make food choices.

I am also still working with Jess! Being able to touch base for 30 minutes once or twice a month keeps me motivated and inspired. ”

Are you in need of similar support? Check out The Dancer’s Best Body Program!!

Photos of Jessica by Rachel Neville Photography

The post From The Dancer’s Best Body Program to Paid Company Contract appeared first on The Whole Dancer.