Part of the solution is how you think about bloating, which can  improve your relationship to your body and bloating. There are also practical shifts you can make like how you approach food, meal timing, and habits that can actually reduce bloating and help you find more comfort in your body.

What is bloating?

Bloating is when your stomach feels full and tight, often due to gas. Many dancers experience bloating. When you’re at a lower body weight, which is also relatively common in ballet, the experience or appearance of bloating can be exacerbated. 

What causes bloating?

The most common assumption is that bloating is always caused by certain foods or food intolerances. While this certainly can be the case, it isn’t always. 

Some of the more commonly known causes of bloating include:

1. Food intolerances or allergies 
2. Not getting enough whole grains and fiber
3. Poor hydration: drinking more water helps remedy bloating
4. Consuming lots of gum or carbonated beverages: swallowing more air leads to bloating

Less commonly acknowledged causes of bloating

Not eating enough or not eating consistently.

Dancer schedules are busy and irregular, which can make it challenging to eat regularly. It’s beneficial to eat every 2–4 hours and not let more than 5 hours pass between eating. Eating too quickly or too close to intense movement can cause bloating. 

Eating slowly, chewing food thoroughly, and finding more presence when you are eating can help reduce bloating. Making sure you’re eating enough is also essential. 

Chronic restriction can cause the muscles of your stomach and intestines to weaken from underuse. This leads to sluggish digestion and bloating. A dancer who stops eating consistently, gets into the habit of restrictive eating and then overeating, or who experiences an eating disorder can experience more bloating. 

Constipation can also be a culprit in bloating, and one of the causes of constipation is simply not eating enough. 

Stress in your life and/or dance environment.

When you’re stressed, it puts your body into fight-or-flight mode, which inhibits digestion. The opposite of this is rest-and-digest, which aids in digestion. In times of stress, blood is redirected away from your stomach and digestive system and instead flows to your muscles. 

Your mental state and digestion are deeply connected. There’s two-way communication between your brain and digestive system—often called the gut-brain axis—which involves your nervous system, hormones, gut microbiome, and immune function. Feeling nervous before class, rehearsals, or auditions can impact this communication system, leaving you feeling bloated with sluggish digestion. 

Hormonal changes.

Some hormonal fluctuations are normal and to be expected as you see cyclical hormonal changes associated with your menstrual cycle. Bloating in the days or week leading up to and during your period is quite normal. Food choices and overall approach to nutrition and food timing can impact the severity of bloating during this time.

There are also hormonal changes associated with stress. When you’re stressed, your body produces more cortisol and adrenaline, which increase gastric acid production and leads to heartburn, indigestion, and bloating.

Dairy consumption. 

The older you get, the less lactase you produce. This is the digestive enzyme that breaks down lactose (the sugar in milk). Without being able to properly digest dairy, you’re likely to experience gas and bloating.

What you can do about bloating in ballet

Movement and bloating.

While you are already incredibly active with your dancing, calm movement around eating can help you digest your food more efficiently. Gentle movement like yoga, walking, or stretching can aid in digestion and reduce bloating. Even light walking after meals can help support digestion and reduce the chance of bloating.

Supplements for support.

You might explore digestive enzymes or soothing options like peppermint or ginger tea to aid your body’s digestive processes. While these should never be relied on as quick-fix options, they may provide temporary relief in times of need. 

Your mindset around bloating in ballet.

As you can see, some bloating is unavoidable. My hope is that by understanding all of these less common causes of bloating, you can be less self-critical when it happens. Do what you can to find clarity with what might be causing your bloating. It might be worth seeing a gastroenterologist who is equipped to diagnose more serious causes of bloating like celiac disease or gastritis. 

For normal levels of bloating, it’s important to come to a point where you accept it as a part of life. Wear the leotards that make you most comfortable on those days. If you’re allowed to wear some sort of warm-ups that increase your comfort level, do it. 

When you see yourself in the mirror, check in with yourself mentally. If you’re fixating on the bloating and your stomach, shift your focus to your dancing. Remind yourself what’s going well in your dancing. Try literally bringing your focus upward—shift your attention to your port de bras, your artistry, your intention.

You’re not alone.

So many dancers bring up bloating as a concern. When we discuss it in coaching sessions, finding possible culprits and identifying ways to cope or mitigate some of the bloating causes is incredibly productive because bloating is something the majority of dancers experience at some point. 

If you’re looking for support to find an easy, effective, and personalized approach to food, book a coaching consultation to see if health, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching is the right fit for your needs. 

Bloating doesn’t define you or your dancing. With awareness, self-compassion, and some strategic shifts, you can build a healthier and more relaxed relationship with your body—even on the bloated days.

The post Bloating in Ballet: What Dancers Should Know appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

You’ll want to eat for your summer dance schedule in a strategic way. The summer season brings an adjustment in schedule for most dancers. This means your eating plan and meal times will likely need to change as well. It’s a good idea to think ahead, so that you don’t go through a time when you feel totally off track.

For some, the adjustment will be to the intensity of a summer program schedule. For others, you’ll need to adjust to a quieter, possibly less active “lay-off” schedule. Either way, you can eat for your summer dance schedule with balance.

Here are tips for both scenarios!

5 Tips for Eating at a Summer Intensive

1. Front-load your day.

It’s common to feel that you need to overeat in anticipation of a long rehearsal or a long day. Front-loading can work, but it needs to be done strategically to ensure that you’re actually eating when you’re hungry and not just when you think you should. This concept of front-loading is to eat more earlier in the day. That might mean a larger breakfast or a larger breakfast with a snack or 2 before you even start dancing. This can work if you get up a bit earlier in the morning (2-3 hours before your first class) allowing plenty of time to digest.

In addition to eating a bit more earlier in the day, bring lots of snacks that you can eat when you’ve got 5 or 10 minutes here are there. Include a variety of foods, tastes, and textures so you’ll be sure you have something you want to eat. You might pack fruit with nuts or nut butter, trail mix with a mix of dried fruit and nuts, hummus with celery or carrots or pita, olives, snack bars, a sandwich (yes, as a snack!), smoothies, or cereal. Snacking options are honestly endless. Here’s a snacking guide with 30 recipes for inspiration.

2. If you’re eating in a cafeteria, make a round before committing.

Sometimes summer program cafeterias provide a buffet-style experience. This typically means you’ve got too many options. Don’t start to pile things onto your tray until you’ve walked around the eatery once and identified not just the healthiest options, but also the things that will be most satisfying to you in the moment. Include a good mix of protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Remember, you’re fueling many hours of dancing. Do your best to tune into your body at meal times to provide adequate fuel.

3. Stay mindful of late night sweets. 

I remember night time in summer intensive dorms being full of candy, cookies, and treats. At the end of a day filled with so much dancing, it’s common to feel like you “deserve” a food “reward.” If you’re attaching your activity level to a food reward, that’s an important thought process to reframe. You can eat candy, cookies, and treats any time. It isn’t dependent on dancing a certain number of hours. Rather than seeing those nighttime foods as a reward, enjoy them if and when you’re truly hungry for and in the mood for them.

If you find that you are hungry for something, consider your options. If you’re allowed to have food in the housing during your summer intensive, have a number of options available so you can choose what you truly want to eat. Some nights you might be in the mood for something sweet, and that might mean having cookies with your friends. Other nights, you might prefer to have some fruit. Allow those variations to truly find the balance that works for you.

4. Don’t make weight loss one of your summer intensive goals.

The first year I went to a summer intensive, I gained weight. When I got back to my home studio, my teacher let me know it. It was pretty devastating as I was really young at the time, so every summer after that, a big goal for me at summer intensives was weight loss.

To achieve that end, I never ate enough and was definitely lacking the fuel and energy needed to power through those long days of dancing.

Instead of weight loss, you can certainly make one of your goals to prioritize healthy, whole foods. You might also choose the goal to get stronger. Pick a measurable way to track this. E.g., time how long you can hold a balance or extension at the beginning of the summer and 1x each week to see how it improves. Keep the focus on your technical and artistic development instead of your body shape or size.

5. Don’t be influenced by the way your new friends eat.

You’re likely to be surrounded by girls with all different body types. They’ll likely all have different approaches to food as well. Don’t change the way you eat to match a new friend, even if you find her body to be “ideal.”

Just because she has found a way to eat that works for her, doesn’t mean it’s going to be the best way for you to eat. If she seems to have a level headed, healthy approach to food, then by all means, open up a conversation about it. We can certainly learn from the positive influences around us! However, for real support on adjusting your approach to food, work with a health coach or other nutrition professional. You can eat for your summer dance schedule with balance.

5 Shifts to Food and Your Body While on “Lay-Off”

If you’re headed into an extended period of time away from dancing, you may be feeling anxious. Try to look at your break as a chance to grow as a person.

1. This is a great opportunity to experiment with food.

While it’s not the best idea to try new eating plans when you’re dancing intensively, during time off, you might try out some new foods or recipes. Your commitments will be different, so you can adjust the way you eat for your summer dance schedule. This way, if you experience digestive discomfort or reactions to new foods or food plans, you’re not going to be distracted during a rehearsal or performance.

It’s a good time to assess how different food choices impact your energy when the stakes aren’t so high. Pay very close attention to how you feel after eating different meals and snacks. If you are someone who relies on caffeine to power through your day, a lay-off is a fine time to give it up and notice the difference.

2. Use this as a time to experiment with new cross-training options.

Since you have more free time and you’re not dancing as much, try out new ways of movement. It’s also worth noting that summer tends to be a slower season for fitness studios, so many of them offer much less expensive memberships and deals.

Maybe join a yoga studio and try all the different kinds of yoga they offer: Hatha, Forrest, Vinyasa, Yin, hot. They’re all different and if you haven’t experimented, it’s likely you haven’t found your favorite yet. It took me a long time to get into yoga, but it was a practice that improved my body image significantly.

3. Craft a routine.

Giving yourself the space to do nothing is lovely. It can be really restorative to take some time to do nothing for a week or so after your season ends. Give yourself some space and time for that nothingness, then make a routine.

Maybe there’s a local studio where you can take class 3 days a week, and you’ve got that yoga membership (see #2), so you can decide which classes to take each day. With this structure, you’ll have an easier time figuring out your food plan and falling into a healthy groove.

4. Keep in mind…you may be less hungry than you were during the season.

Naturally, if you’re moving less, you will likely require less fuel. Don’t intentionally undereat, BUT listen closely to your body and don’t take in more than you need.

If you’re in a warm summer climate, you’re also more likely to crave raw, cold, lighter foods. Focus on salads, smoothies, and nutrient-dense bowls with healthy whole grains, lots of lightly steamed greens, protein, and healthy fats.

5. Accept that your body may change and that’s OK.

During an active rehearsal and performance season, dancers are one of the few sets of people whose bodies are obviously impacted by that high level of movement. The look of your body, your muscle composition, and your weight will likely be different during the season than when you’re not moving or dancing as intensively.

Don’t let this stress you out.

Even with the change in activity level, it’s unlikely that the changes to your body will be drastic. If you gain weight, it will likely be an amount that will easily recalibrate within a month or so once you get back in the studio and return to your regular rehearsal schedule. Make it a goal to eat for your summer dance schedule with balance.

Whatever Your Plans, Prioritize a Healthy Mindset

Cultivating mental wellness is key to a happy life and dance career. Find the things that light you up outside of dance and make them a regular part of your life. If your relationship to food is shaky, get help. If your body image is unhelpful and distracting, seek support. Summer time is an ideal time to prioritize wellness. If you’re looking for support now, apply for Elite Best Body Coaching. It’s an all-encompassing, holistic transformation program that can change your entire experience and trajectory in dance. Click here for details and to apply.

Are you headed to a summer intensive or into a lay-off? Which of these ideas are you most excited to implement? Share your thoughts in the comments below!!

Originally posted: May 29, 2019

Revamped: June 6, 2021

The post Eat for Your Summer Dance Schedule appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Stop Dieting. Do this instead.

One of the challenges you might face is the desire to reach a body goal by a deadline. Sometimes there’s an impending audition or performance that you’d like to be thinner (or more toned, or “have longer lines”) for. So you try a diet – maybe you calorie count or count macros, or try WW, Atkins, Whole30, Cabbage soup, the list honestly goes on and on and on and on.

You’ll possibly see a change if you stick to one of these plans for a couple weeks or a month. And that progress can be a great motivator, but what comes next? Usually, there’s some sort of backslide. This can come in the form of a single binge or weeks of eating off the handle. Even if you don’t go to an opposite extreme, if the “diet” you were following was somewhat restrictive, when you start eating normally again, you’ll likely regain the weight you lost (or more).

This is the whole idea of “yo-yo” dieting which sounds a lot cuter than it actually is. It’s not healthy for your weight to be constantly fluctuating up and down. It’s not great for you physically, and possibly even more importantly, it’s not great for you emotionally. Dealing with those body changes and inconsistencies is exhausting – trust me, I was stuck in the “yo-yo” (definitely not cute) for over a decade.

So instead of dieting, what’s the solution?

First, look at where you are as a dancer. Are you bringing your best energy and attitude to class? Do you show up ready to perform and receive notes and feedback openly at rehearsals? What’s your level of happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment in dance AND life?

If any of those things are out of whack – that’s your starting point. If you don’t address those things and instead put the focus on your body, food, and weight, you’re ignoring the areas that really need attention.

Food is a great distraction and so are diets. They’re something for us to sink our emotions into so that we don’t have to face what we’re actually feeling. Maybe your passion for dance has been waning, or you’re not feeling supported in your current dance environment. What can you do to address those things now?

Prioritize your happiness.

It needs to be the #1 focus. How’s your level of happiness? Think about how you feel in your day-to-day life. Are you enjoying your dancing? School? Meals? Time with friends?

If you’re feeling genuinely happy, and you’re approaching dance, life, and your body with a positive mindset, then yes, it might be an ok time to start working on some food shifts. If the life basics and level of happiness are lacking – start there. Trying to make body progress or achieve body goals becomes 1000x more challenging if you’re not attacking those things from a positive place.

Cultivate confidence in your body now.

The body you’re in might actually be your best body. Sometimes when I start working with a dancer, it becomes quite clear that the body they’re in is actually a wonderful vehicle for a dance career. Nothing needs to change physically. They’ve just convinced themselves for years that losing weight was the answer.

Maybe they’ve gotten those messages from teachers or artistic staff. It’s also possible they came to those conclusions based on what they observed in dance. However they arrived at that end, the mental piece is what needs support.

It takes some mental retraining to accept your body exactly where it is. Dance teaches you to see what’s wrong, what needs to change, or improve. Whenever the negative body thoughts come up, I want you to switch them to positives. In addition to that, each morning write down 3 things you’re grateful for, specifically concerning your body.

But still – no diets. Seriously, it’s time to stop dieting.

Here’s a better approach: work one-on-one with someone or go through a program that will guide you in figuring out the food that really works for your body. You’ll focus on adding more food that supports your dancing and finding balance with indulgences.

As boring as it sounds, making incremental changes to deeply ingrained habits is going to have a lot more benefit for the long term than anything else. It’s tough to tell yourself, “I’ve got to take this slow” when you look in the mirror and aren’t thrilled with what you see. Still, do your best to take it slow. Dieting is exhausting, draining, and dangerous. Stop dieting.

If you’re dancing professionally, and your job is being threatened because of where you are physically, I’d urge you to ask yourself how you feel about your body before jumping to extremes. If you feel good, maybe the answer is looking for other jobs. Easy solution? No. Healthy solution? Yes.

The post Stop Dieting. Do this instead. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

This question comes up a lot among dancers – whether you’re already dancing professionally or working towards that end, you’re not alone in  your desire for guidelines. Unfortunately, ballet companies still expect you to list your weight on your resume. Although, I sort of think this practice should be banned. It’s definitely not helping anyone.

So there’s BMI, different height-weight charts and body fat percentage measurements. Which is the right measure? What about the old Russian Ballerina height-weight charts? Ignore those recommendations. And that the fact is this is a completely personal question.

Don’t let your ballet mistress or Artistic Director tell you what to weigh.

Your Artistic Director (whether of school or company) really shouldn’t get a say in the number you see on the scale. Want to know why? That’s a little bit of what I dive into in this video. Check it out here:

Do you feel conflicted about where you think you should be with weight? You’re not alone. This is super common among dancers and something that might keep you up at night. Your dance goals shouldn’t be a distraction…shift your perspective around weight.

My goal with this video was to share some realities about those numbers on the scale and to assure you that you can support yourself (maybe with a bit of outside help) to reach your healthiest, most powerful dancing weight. And that’s what you should weigh as a pro dancer. It doesn’t matter what any other dancer concludes is her best weight.

Your best weight only has to do with one factor. YOU.

To get started, download The Whole Dancer 7-Step Best Body Guide. It walks you through The Whole Dancer process of reaching your personal best dancers’ body in a healthy, sustainable way.

As you go through the guide, remember that taking the pressure off weight actually helps a lot. Your body goals can feel pressure filled and impossible to reach if you’re obsessing over the scale. What would it feel like to focus on just dancing full out and with energy?

Dance makes it extra hard to stop worrying about your body. Your teachers and artistic staff have told you that the thinner you are, the better off you are…especially in ballet. What you weigh does not determine your worth, nor does it decide your future in dance.

Make your priority feeling good and dancing your best.

This will help you build confidence! When we take the focus off of the external and commit to turning inward, confidence grows. It helps to step out of your comfort zone as often as possible as well. When you do that, you prove to yourself that you are capable.

You can create and reinforce the story that you can dance center stage (or center studio) and shine.

It’s all about the stories we tell ourselves.

Much of life is about the stories we tell ourselves and the evidence we collect to reinforce those stories. If you tell yourself, “when I’m thinner I’ll be a better dancer”  you’ll hang onto the messages that reinforce this story.

Instead tell yourself, “when I’m well fueled and dancing with energy I’ll be a better dancer” you’ll collect evidence to back this up. So really, it’s up to you. Which story will you choose? So to get back to our question: what should a pro dancer actually weigh? Bottom line: the weight where she can dance her best with energy, vitality and JOY.

As always, if you need support reach out. I’d love to hear from you!!

The post What should a pro dancer actually weigh? appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Do you recognize feelings of hunger and fullness? How do you respond?

If you’ve gotten into the habit of ignoring your feelings of hunger or intentionally under-eating when they come up, it’s time to tune back in.

If you’ve gone through periods of restriction, you can’t expect an instant ability to tune into your body. You’ve been denying your true, physical feelings for a while, so it will take time to recalibrate.

Here’s what happens when you get into the habit of ignoring your hunger cues:

1. You’ll have a hard time maintaining energy because you can no longer feel hunger or fullness, and it becomes harder to recognize these cues.

2. You start to crave foods without much nutritional value. It’s likely that if you’re ignoring hunger cues, you’re also paying little attention to what food you might actually need to power through your dancing.

A common practice that encourages you to ignore your hunger altogether:

Dieting.

It’s true. Most diets suggest that you ignore your hunger cues and undereat to meet your goals. I’m sure you’ve heard the myth of “calories in vs. calories out” and the principle that to lose weight, all you need to do is create a calorie deficit.

So many dancers fall into the trap of severely undereating to meet body goals. This compromises your bone health, recovery, energy, and strength.

The value of listening to your body.

Dance training and development is served by the ability to tune in closely to your body. The ability to know when to stop dancing due to injury is invaluable, and knowing when to eat more to support your dancing is equally essential.

Many dancers have a hard time with both those skills — do you?

By listening to your body, you’ll avoid worsening an injury as it’s starting. Early injury intervention can, of course, help lessen time away from dance and speed recovery time.

When you listen to your body and give it the food it needs when it needs it, you’re boosting immunity, keeping cravings at bay, and supporting strong muscles and bones.

If you’re already disconnected from your body’s cues:

Put some regular practices in place to tune back in.

Dancers often say, “it feels good when I feel hungry.” While I understand where they’re coming from (yes, I’ve been there), when you get to a place where you feel good running on empty, it’s possible you’re in disordered eating territory. Obviously, there are other factors, but if you relate to that feeling, take a closer look.

The more disconnected you get from your body’s cues, the harder it is to find balance with food and to reach your personal best body.

You’ll also be more likely to give in to cravings and fall into patterns of undereating or restricting and overeating or binge eating.

If you have the goal to reconnect to your body so you can identify your hunger and fullness cues, but you’re not there yet, start with these tenants of “Structured Eating.”

Structured Eating maintains the following guidelines: 

• Eat within the first 30-60 minutes of waking.
• Eat every 3-4 hours so that you are eating 3 meals and 1-3 snacks per day.
• Balanced meals include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fruits, and vegetables.    
• Balanced snacks include protein, fats, and either complex carbohydrates, fruits, or vegetables. 
• Mini meals may help with blood sugar and symptom control in the late afternoon. 

Here are some additional tips to tune into your body again.

1. Make sure you keep healthy snacks handy — that way, when hunger strikes, you’ll be able to respond.
2. Stay aware of the timing of your meals and snacks, and eat every 3-4 hours. Never go more than the 5-Hour Rule.
3. When you’re hungry, EAT.
4. While you eat, pay attention to how you feel (physically, mentally, AND emotionally).
5. Stop eating BEFORE you’re “full.”
6. If you use an app to track your food intake and calories, STOP.
7. Try to move away from letting food choices be influenced by friends or family.

If you find that these tips aren’t quite getting you to where you want to be, don’t be afraid to seek support from a health coach who works with dancers in order to create a balanced relationship with food and your body. It is often necessary to get an outside perspective to make these adjustments. A holistic health coach can help you adjust your lifestyle and approach to food so you can wholly tune into your body. 

The post Why honoring your hunger cues is essential. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Those “What I Eat in a Day” posts are everywhere. They’re super popular and total clickbait. And while I’m not a fan, I totally understand the appeal. There was a time when I was grasping for any and all information about what I should eat. I was desperate to know what successful and thin ballerinas ate, and since I could never really know for sure, I just assumed it was little or nothing.

Now that there are posts everywhere sharing what dancers, athletes, actresses, and influencers eat, we no longer have to wonder. However, there are some things I’d urge you to stay aware of when you check out those posts.

Remember that it’s possible they’re sharing what they eat in a day when they’re “virtuously” healthy.

No sugar in sight. No indulgences. Just pure #health and #cleaneating.

Also, please keep in mind that just because a certain meal plan works for your favorite dancer, doesn’t mean it can or should work for you.

If you enjoy checking out the “What I Eat in a Day” posts for some inspiration, take the details with a grain of salt. Not every dancer actually practices healthy eating, and unfortunately, some of the eating plans dancers, models, and fitness influencers share are actually deficient in key micro and/or macro nutrients.

If you try following their model of eating and find that you’re not satisfied, your energy is lagging, or it’s not helping you reach the goals you’ve set around your body, it’s not the best plan for you.

The best way to figure out what shifts in your meal plan might benefit from you is to work with someone who can help.

This is one of the key things I work with dancers to figure out. How can you maximize or refine your current eating in order to reach your body goals?

The Dancers’ Best Body Program provides a great option if you’re working towards specific body goals and need support improving both your mindset around food AND your actual food choices.

One of the first things that’s discussed in the program is the fact that there is no “one size fits all” eating plan. What works for your friend may or may not work for you in the long term. That’s the big problem with fad diets and most of the recommendations you see on the Today Show.

So while it’s tempting to copy your favorite dancer’s eating plan, even if you copy it to a T, there’s no guarantee you’ll see the changes you desire in your body. What you eat in a day should be about YOU.

As much as you might wish you had Sylvie Guillem’s body, it’s unfair to compare your own body or body progress to anyone else.

You can’t change your proportions, and there’s only so much you can do about your actual body shape and tendency to carry weight in one part of your body versus another.

Rather than hating on yourself and comparing yourself to other dancers, find the way to turn your “flaws” into strengths. Rather than viewing your quads as “bulky,” see them for the power they can bring to your dancing.

So much of your potential for success in dance is dependent on how you view your body, how you view your dancing, and your ability to rise up and move forward.

This is also true for your potential to alter your physical form in a healthy way. If you view your body as it is in a positive way rather than hating on it, you’re going to see a lot more progress towards your goals.

When you’re seeking inspiration from your fellow dancers, look for those who truly demonstrate a healthy approach to food and their bodies. As outsiders looking in, we can’t always know for sure, but healthy habits tend to radiate from the inside out. Some dancers who might inspire you are Natasha Sheehan, Jenelle Manzi, or Juliet Doherty.

Ultimately, it’s helpful to be willing to pave your own way with food. Try new things. Experiment. Stay positive. Seek support. Reaching your body goals is possible. If you’re interested in support on the journey, check out The Dancers’ Best Body Program!

Photo by Janis Brandt

Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash

The post It doesn’t matter “What she eats in a day” appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

with Olivia Mackinnon

New York City Ballet Dancer and Ballet Inspired Fitness creator Olivia Mackinnon shares how she is staying healthy at home during quarantine. Balance is key as well as recognizing that staying in performance shape isn’t necessarily realistic. Read on for some inspiration!

Of course there are some things we’re all collectively experiencing but what have been the most major life changes for you?

I’ve had to adapt to this new normal of not being able to dance with my company. This pandemic has allowed me to take a breath from my normal lifestyle I’ve had since I was 17. I’ve made many new relationships virtually, and discovered a new love for teaching, and creating.

How are you staying positive and motivated dancing at home? 

Having the ability to still connect with my colleagues each morning by taking class through zoom has helped continue my training, and keeps a consistent schedule each day for myself. I’m also able to see my pilates teacher each week. We work through ways of staying at my best even under the circumstances.

Have you made any adjustments to your meal plan? Any favorite quarantine meals or snacks?

Because I’m not pushing myself to the limits onstage, I’ve adjusted my afternoon regime by not eating as much throughout the day. I started making smoothies around 1:30-2:00pm filled with greens, collagen protein, and flaxseed to keep myself full until an early dinner.

As a performing artist I’m used to eating a light protein filled snack before the show, and then a large meal after performing late at night once I’m home. I’ve been enjoying this treat of eating dinner early, and retiring to bed at a decent time!

Are you coping with any anxiety or more challenging emotions? What are you doing to work through them?

I’ve grown so accustomed to my demanding schedule, and I have that type of personality that thrives off of staying busy, and fulfilled by work. As an athlete who’s career can go by quickly, it’s been difficult to have it put on hold for a year.

Instead of continuing to feel sad, I’ve tried to make my weeks filled with classes. Training for myself as well as teaching and helping others has helped.

Are you worried about staying in shape? What would you say to dancers who are concerned about losing technique or “getting out of shape”?

I have to remind myself that there is no way to stay in perfect performance shape without performing. However, there are so many other things I can do to keep myself in top form. On top of taking classes, and seeing my pilates teacher I’ve loved swimming!

I also launched Ballet Inspired Fitness in April. I’ve created classes for all levels that lengthen and tone the muscles. Teaching ballet privates, and group classes as well as teaching/creating my Ballet Inspired fitness has really kept me going.

Will you share about Ballet Inspired Fitness?

Once I started teaching ballet class privates I realized there was a need for a more inclusive way of exercising with a graceful quality.

There were so many ballet classes being provided online, but not many ways to help dancers condition their bodies in a way that translates into improving their everyday ballet class. I also wanted to make sure those who have never taken ballet were included, and that they would have the opportunity to learn positions and movements from the ballet vocabulary while moving their bodies.

All of the exercises elongate the body promoting long lines kindred to those of a ballerina. I started by teaching livestream classes on my instagram @oliviamackinnon and then transitioned to teaching Zoom based classes to build my clientele.

The Zoom classes provide my clients with more personalized attention, and it’s a fun way to meet and connect with new people from all around the world.

The goal is to have clients subscribe to gain access to a full library of classes. That way they can stream anytime, anywhere! I’ve also created tutorials explaining certain ballet movements you might see in my fitness classes. I want to make sure people understand how to perform them.

Follow Olivia Mackinnon on Instagram!.

Photos of Olivia by James Jin and Gabriela Celeste

The post NYCBallet Dancer Olivia Mackinnon “Healthy at Home” appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

You don’t have to be an expert in nutrition…

Nutrition for Dancers is an important topic but you don’t have to be an expert in nutrition to reach your personal best body. Hopefully you find that reassuring. You don’t have to study up on nutrition science or know exactly what each macronutrient (protein, carbs, fat) or micronutrient (vitamins and minerals) does for your body.

If you’ve got a desire to dive into nutrition for dancers, have at it. Make sure you’re learning from accurate sources like text books or scholarly articles. Diet books are skewed to whatever the authors beliefs are and while it’s possible they’ve conducted studies around their beliefs, many have not.

Remember, if you look to nutritional studies for information, some are funded by food lobbyists. “A 2007 review of 206 studies that looked at the health benefits of milk, soda, and fruit juices found that those sponsored entirely by a food or beverage company were four to eight times more likely to show positive health effects from consuming those products.”1

There are times you’ll find nutritional advice based upon the findings from such studies. The sugar industry has tons of money, whereas the producers of fruits and vegetables do not. Something to keep in mind when you do your research.

Instead of being an expert in nutrition, you have to become an expert on how food works for YOUR body.

Becoming an expert on YOU

When you consider nutrition for dancers and what you really need to know, the most important factor is you. Pay attention to how food makes you feel. It’s so common to ignore digestive disturbances or to just get used to them. So many people feel sick, bloated, or uncomfortable after consuming dairy, but it’s become so normal, they don’t think twice about it.

You might also have a different tolerance for some foods than your friends. Sugar sometimes gives me a headache, even in small quantities and when paired with trail mix. In response, I stay mindful of this and try to eat less of it.

Have high standards for your fuel

Food quality is important. Learn about where your food comes from. If you eat meat or eggs, look for grass-fed and pasture-raised options. If you have a sweet tooth, be discerning about the ingredients in your sweets. Avoiding processed sugar and high-fructose corn syrup can help you perform at a higher level.

A couple of dancer chats I always come back to when I think about the importance of high quality fuel for dancers are Shelby Elsbree, formerly Boston Ballet and Jenelle Manzi, New York City Ballet.

In the first workshop ever presented by The Whole Dancer, Shelby Elsbree said, “If you’re eating these whole foods and superfoods for your body, you will be full, you will be satisfied, and you won’t be craving processed foods as much.”

New York City Ballet dancer Jenelle Manzi dealt with injury and inflammation. Then, she saw the impact of her food choices. Regular sweets and indulgences don’t work for Jenelle. That’s why she combined indulgent and functional foods. As she shared, “functional foods provide your body with nutrients and help you to feel your best, look your best, and perform your best.”

Increase your knowledge of macros

Protein, carbs, and fat are the macronutrients that make up food. There’s often a debate about which you should eat the most often. There are diets out there that highlight each one. Some say eating more carbs will help you perform your best while others promote more protein or fat.

“..A wide variety of diets have been proposed accentuating or minimizing each macronutrient to achieve a desired effect on appetite and/or energy intake. Common experience over the past six decades reveals none has been widely successful.”2

For most, a balance of macronutrients is going to help you feel satisfied and energized, and you’ll maintain your health; therefore, it’s helpful to have an idea of what macros are found in the foods you’re eating most often.

This knowledge will help you to create balanced meals and adjust your food as necessary. You might find that more dietary fat helps you feel more satiated. For others, increased protein leads to greater feelings of satisfaction. When you start to have those insights, you can adjust your meals accordingly.

Nutrition info means nothing if you’re not relating to food and your body in a positive way…

The most common thing I see dancers doing is not eating enough. When you undereat, you do your body a disservice.

If you hate what you see in the mirror, you’re not going to reach body goals. When you’re stressed out, your relationship with food can get crazy. The pressures of pursuing dance pre-professionally and professionally can be overwhelming.

Instead of placing too much focus on the food, put the focus on cultivating a positive mindset. Then, make your healthy choices taste amazing, and you’ll start to find balance.

Nutrition for dancers, what you really need to know.

1. Moodie, Alison). “Before You Read Another Health Study, Check Who’s Funding the Research.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Dec. 2016, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/12/studies-health-nutrition-sugar-coca-cola-marion-nestle.
2. Carreiro, Alicia L, et al. “The Macronutrients, Appetite, and Energy Intake.” Annual Review of Nutrition, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 17 July 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4960974/.

Photo by Cayla1 on Unsplash

The post Nutrition for Dancers: What you really need to know appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Through The Whole Dancer, I work with dancer’s to reach your personal best body healthfully and sustainably. I use a 7-Step Process that has worked time and time again to support dancer’s in reaching body goals. Does it happen overnight? No. But with focus and attention you can make major shifts in just a few months.

Here are the steps so you can start to work in the direction of positive body change on your own. If you’d like to dive in a bit deeper with me, sign up to receive the FREE 7 step best body guide where I break down this process and help you see how you can apply it now!

STEP 1: LEARN THE BASICS OF HEALTHY EATING

You’ve got to have a healthy foundation. Learn about macronutrients (proteins, carbs + fats) and micronutrients (vitamins + minerals) so you can easily put together complete and satisfying meals.

Do research for yourself – stick to learning nutritional science information and seek knowledge on fueling athletes. Be aware that a lot of nutrition information is biased. Look for evidence based research and studies conducted using athletes or dancers.

STEP 2: ADOPT A PRACTICE IN SELF LOVE

Taking good care of yourself through self-care practices is one of the best ways to cultivate self-love. You’re communicating to your body through your actions that you are worthy of time and care.

When you look in the mirror, frame your self-descriptions in a positive way and always look for what’s good. Don’t criticize yourself harshly. Work on getting that little voice in your head to speak kindly to you.

STEP 3: PRIORITIZE MEAL PLANNING AND PREPARATION

Eating healthy, delicious meals is very possible. It does typically take a little bit of planning and preparation. Find the healthy recipes you truly enjoy eating. Seek out options that are quick to cook or easy to heat up and make them ahead.

Have staple recipes that you make every week. Switch them up when you get bored. If you’re not excited to eat something it will be less satisfying. You’ve got to find satisfaction from your food if you want to stay on the healthy track.

If your healthy recipes are bland and boring (they don’t have to be) you’ll be more likely to binge on unhealthy foods.

STEP 4: FIND THE EATING PLAN THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Not all foods work for all people. It’s important to experiment to figure out what works for you. Just because your friend has found success on a Vegan or Paleo diet doesn’t mean you will.

It’s also very supportive from a mindset perspective to realize that you don’t have to fit your eating style into a box. You can (and arguably should) shift your choices around food as needed.

Signs you might need to make some shifts: you’re breaking out a lot/more than usual, you’re feeling lethargic or wired, you’re gaining weight inexplicably, you’re losing weight inexplicably, you find yourself binge eating or emotional eating (these are emotional/mindset concerns but your food choices can impact them or be impacted by them).

STEP 5: CULTIVATE CONFIDENCE

Each and every day, think about all of your gifts. What positive light do you bring to the world as a person and dancer? How can you lift up those around you?

When you step into the studio and watch the other dancer’s, admire them for their strengths. The more you see the gifts of those around you, the more easily you’ll identify those gifts in yourself.

STEP 6: DISCOVER SMART, TARGETED CROSS TRAINING

Cross – training shouldn’t take hours a day and it shouldn’t be exhausting. If you destroy yourself at the gym you won’t be able to bring yourself fully into your dancing.

A lot of dancer’s are turning to weight training for good reason. It can benefit you even if you’re only spending 20-30 minutes in the gym a few days a week. Check out The New Rules of Cross-Training for Dancer’s by Annelise Bryan here.

STEP 7: END RESTRICTION AND A RESTRICTIVE MINDSET

If you’ve gotten to a place where you simply aren’t eating enough or you think you must eat less to reach your body goals, it’s time to adjust.

Depending on how deeply you’ve gotten into restriction you might need eating disorder counseling or support. Find a counselor or psychologist who works specifically with dancer’s.

If your mindset is only somewhat skewed at this point, adjust how you’re looking at food. Food is not “good” or “bad” and you shouldn’t let your food choices impact how you feel about yourself.

It’s not about self control.

It’s about fueling yourself with enough food that is healthy and enjoyable so that you can easily move towards your body goals.

If you’d like to learn the 7-step process to reaching your body goals in more depth, grab my free Best Body Guide. That’s a great place to start!

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

The post The 7-Step Process to Reaching Best Body Goals appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Auditions are right around the corner. You might have some time off after Nutcracker. And, there’s even the issue of not spending as much time in the studio since you’re spending more time on stage. All of these things can lead to a lot of holiday food overwhelm.

Going into Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays with a healthy balanced mindset can make a big difference in your experience.

Here are 7 Tips to help you stay calm, positive and happy!

Tip #1: Remember what the holidays are really about.

They’re a time to be with your family and friends. A time to reflect with gratitude for all of the abundance in your life. And, holidays are an opportunity to take inventory of your life and see both areas of beauty and those of opportunity.

If you’re struggling with negative body image, find time to remind yourself of all the physical attributes you have to be grateful for. A body that is fully functioning and can dance! That shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Tip #2: Eat Breakfast

Eat breakfast. Preferably have a meal with protein, carbs and healthy fats. If possible, include some greens as well. Eggs, avocado, toast and some greens are a great way to start the day. Depending on when your family has the big holiday meal, you might also have a balanced lunch before the main event.

Having a salad with some lean protein and healthy fat will give you a good helping of nutrient dense food without overfilling you.

Tip #3: When it comes to holiday treats, assess the food choices available to you.

Some holiday dishes can be quite healthy (think sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, roasted veggies, etc.), others are going to be more decadent. If you want to contribute a healthy side dish, most hosts will be open to that. I always bring a hearty kale salad and that provides the foundation of my meal.

Tip #4: Drink water!

Throughout the day stay hydrated. Drink lots of water, if you’re chilly drink tea or warm water with lemon. Both lemon water, peppermint tea or ginger tea help to aid and soothe digestion so they’re particularly good choices on a food centered holiday.

Tip #5: Have a healthy mindset about the food.

Don’t make holiday’s a reason to eat to the point of discomfort. People often tell themselves, “this is the only day ALL YEAR that I’m eating this food.” This idea naturally leads to overeating to an uncomfortable degree.

It’s also important to note that this is a totally false notion. Sure maybe this is the only day Aunt Edna makes her famous pie BUT you could definitely get the recipe and make it any time of year.

Tip #6: Make your food goal to eat only to a point of comfortable satisfaction. 

Now, don’t forget about dessert! Of course, especially when it’s an occasion and even more importantly if there’s a dessert you particularly enjoy then you should absolutely have some. Take small bites. Savor the flavors. Just like with your main meal, stop eating when you’re at the point of comfortable satisfaction.

If you do go overboard – forgive yourself! Your food choices will not be perfect all the time and that is totally ok. Do your best to let it go and move on.

I know this is sometimes much easier said than done so if you’re struggling with your holiday eating strategy or need some support in the aftermath feel free to send me an email and I’d be happy to offer support.

Tip #7: No crash diets afterwards!

It’s possible you’ll read all these tips and still have a challenging time putting them into practice. Depending where you are on your journey towards balance, that’s totally understandable!

If you end up feeling like you’ve been “bad” or gone overboard with the food or indulgences, go easy on yourself. Support yourself with healthy, balanced, hearty meals. If you respond by under-eating, you’ll likely get into a yo-yo pattern.

As you look ahead to 2020 and you have big goals for your body and dancing, check out The Dancer’s Best Body Program opening in January. This program is not just about nutrition information. It’s about unpacking your relationship with food and your body so you can reach and sustain your body goals. Check out some success stories here!

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

The post Holiday Eating Strategies – Indulge with Balance appeared first on The Whole Dancer.