January 8, 2013

Beginner Ballet Tips: Two Week Stretch Challenge

twoweekstretchchallengeLast Friday I updated a page on the blog entitled the Two-Week Stretch Challenge. It has a 14 day plan to help encourage you to stretch everyday as well as vary the stretches you do each day. Each day has a different set of stretches from various fitness websites. Like the other stretch challenges I’ve (and some of my fellow adult ballerinas) have attempted, I recommend that you do some additional stretching so that you’ve stretched for a total of 30 minutes in a day (which can be broken down into 10 or 15 minute segments).

Although some of the stretches are specifically for running, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try them since a lot of running stretches are good for tight legs and hips.

Like the page says, this is a  total work-in-progress, and I would love your advice on how the stretches went for you. If you have any stretches you’d like to see worked in, that’d be great too! I’m hoping to eventually build on this to make a complete, 30 day challenge. I’m working on testing each day (I’m on Day 3) and I’ll have an update once I’ve completed it on which stretch routines I liked best.

Here’s what the challenge is right now:

Day 1: How to do Splits  From About.com

Day 2: 15 Minute Beginner’s Yoga Routine

Day 3: Fat Burning Yoga

Day 4: Post-Run Stretches from Back On Pointe, A Dancer

Day 5: Yoga Poses for Headaches

Day 6: How to Do Splits From FitSugar

Day 7: Yoga Poses to Get Rid of Back Fat

Day 8: Essential Stretches for Tight Hips

Day 9: Stretches You Can Do in Bed

Day 10: Good Morning Yoga Sequence

Day 11: Pick your favorite set from Days 1-10

Day 12: Runner Stretches (Good for Tight Hamstrings)

Day 13: Stretches that Help You Sleep

Day 14: Stretches for Splits–Barre Stretches (Don’t have a barre or these look tough challenging? Pick your favorite individual stretches to create your own stretch routine today!)

 

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Info, Outside Class Tagged With: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment
November 24, 2012

Catching Up on Ballet and Real Food Barres

I’ve been MIA lately, I know. With two cases of strep throat in three weeks (yes, two) I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with school work and haven’t made it to ballet in a while. The last class I made it to was a Tuesday night between both cases of strep–and that was only for barre. Hopefully this week will be at least 2 (hopefully 3) classes.

Other than that–I plan on finally starting my next 30 Day Stretch Challenge as I described in my last post tomorrow. How is your split coming? Is it where you expected it to be? Any suggestions for those who might just be starting out?

P.S. Has anyone tried out real food barres? They were developed by a professional ballerina for dancers. I just ordered one of each today because they have free shipping today for Small Business Saturday and I plan on having a review up once they arrive! I’ve yet to find an energy/snack/granola bar I really like. If you have one you like, what is it?

 

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Info Tagged With: , , , , 2 Comments
November 14, 2012

A Different Take On Stretching

I’m not going  to lie, I failed at keeping up with the 30 day stretch challenge. Between my injury and not being able to attend classes (which killed my motivation)–stretching for a full 30 minutes didn’t happen everyday.

split rock pose : sutro baths, san francisco (...

split rock pose : sutro baths, san francisco (2012) (Photo credit: torbakhopper)

Yesterday, when I talked to my boyfriend after his Tae Kwon Do class, he mentioned how his instructor said that instead of stretching for just one period a day, you instead should stretch for shorter intervals multiple times a day. This allows your body to get used to being stretched several times and not just being exposed to it once a day. This gymnastics article also says that “short, repeated exposure to stretching is more productive than a single intense or long bout of stretching.”

It’s better to stretch for 10 minutes a day than 70 minutes once a week–which is what I would end up doing because I’d avoid stretching and then try to make up for it

So for the next 30 days, my plan will be to try to stretch for still 30 minutes total a day, but in three segments: 10 minutes when I wake up, 10 minutes during my lunch break, and 10 minutes in the evening.

How are you working on becoming more flexible?

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Ballet Class, Info Tagged With: , , , , , 4 Comments
October 18, 2012

TweetChat and Stretch Day #9

UPDATE: 930 PM EST for the tweet chat, sorry for any confusion!

So, I’m thinking TweetChat Sunday at 9:30 PM EST, hashtag #adultballerinas?

And here is my photo incase you didn’t catch it last night from Day 9:

My nose can touch my knees! (and my knees are slightly bent because they overextend, if they were straight they’d bend backwards!) I’ve been avoiding actual splits because my ankle is in SEVERE pain.

And favorite spam comment ever?

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet, Etc. Tagged With: , , , , 9 Comments
October 10, 2012

Day 2 of the #30DayStretchChallenge

The pink socks are for you, Legal Ballerina, since I didn’t take the picture by the rest of my pink room!

20121010-201009.jpg

I really despise my left side and this photo is to remind me to keep stretching it and not just favor my right!

Several of us adult ballerinas started the 30 Day Stretch Challenge on October 9th! Feel free to join us, even if you missed the start date! If all goes well, I’ll probably start a new one once this one has finished!

Filed Under: 30 Day Stretch Challenge, Ballet Tagged With: , , , , , 1 Comment