Guest Post: Finding the Right Studio

Caysie face pictureUnfortunately over the week I seem to have developed a bit of a chest cold that prevented me from going to dance (among other things). What’s with this summer cold business?? Anywho, I was hoping to post a nice tutorial blog with photos of a DIY stand alone barre that I made before I started feeling unwell but because I am not up to setting up to do the pics for that post, it will have to wait until next week. Why even tell you, you ask? Perhaps then maybe you’ll be motivated to check back because that DIY barre is a life saver for a busy lady like myself who just wants a 20 minute tendu sesh here and there. Now that I’ve dangled that like a carrot in front of your face (mwahaha), I’ll get on to my post for this week which is a bit inspired by the lovely Queen Michelle at Kingdom of Style, but a more beginner focused version.

I’m currently in the process of switching studios because the one I currently go to is so far away. I figured that since finding a studio/class and going to the first class is a huge hurdle for a lot of adults who want to begin ballet but haven’t yet I’d write about that process. I’ll address some of the most important concerns I first had myself.

1. I’m going to look like an idiot. Ok. So this fear of mine really was the absolute biggest I had that stopped me from starting up a class.  It’s hard to start something if you have little to no experience with it. You can be nervous that people will laugh at you or that you’ll be the center of attention cause you can seem to EVER get into first position. I have tested the waters with a few classes and can tell you, from personal experience, that this is 95% of the time not the case. Adult beginner classes are just that- BEGINNER. Even if you don’t know a plié from a piqué, it’s unlikely that anyone will judge you for it. You’re there to learn and build these skills just like everyone else. From my experience it’s just been an hour of laughing and commiserating because no one is perfect! We all have our “looking silly” moments, and you know what… it’s ok that it’s funny because it’s fun!

2. I have no idea what studio is the best fit. This one has the easiest solution: try them all! Many studios offer the first class for free or allow you to come watch for free. If you’re concerned with fit of the style of class and the instructor, it’s always a very good idea to check it out. Sometimes you’ll love it, sometimes you won’t but HEY! it was a free ballet class and that never sucks!

3. I’m nervous about the other people in the class being WAY better than me, judging me, or being cliquey. This one is a little similar to the first but not quite the same. This was a big concern for me for my first few classes. I’d arrive early, sitting in the lobby stretching and no one would talk to me. It was a weird feeling to be on the outside. I’d look around and see some women in their 40’s talking about their daughters’ recitals and having a hard time stretching. Then I’d see a 16 year old who could not possibly be in my class (just look at her with her perfect ballet bun in the front splits reading a school book!). Then I see a 60 year old woman with her leg stretched over her head in the corner. I am like absolutely none of these ladies. How on earth do I belong here?! Let me tell you how we ALL belong here- we love ballet. After class begins each time, any sort of social barrier gets left at the door and we all have a great time focusing on our technique, stretching together, and joking around. Moral of this story is: you may meet some friends at ballet, but if you don’t that is OK too. You’re there for dance and in the end that is what will unite you!

4. I don’t have time! This is something that I still struggle with when it comes to ballet. I find myself tempted after a busy week and when I know that I have lots of homework to skip ballet (whether at home, using a video, or in a studio). We’re all busy but it’s really important to make time to take care of your mind and body and ballet is great for me to do both. I fought myself for hours last week whether or not I was going to go to class. I was grumpy the whole way there. But about 10 minutes into class, I forgot about being busy and just enjoyed moving. So, if ballet is for you then make time! Even if its just 30 minutes at home or an hour of class a week. On occasion if I’m particularly busy or if I’m traveling, I just squeeze in a 15 min Ballet Beautiful workout along with some stretching.

Hopefully that covers some of the fears some of you may be having about starting a ballet class or about being in one. If there are any other things you can think of, I’d love to hear them in the comments and we can talk about them as well! I’d also love to hear any ideas about what you’d like to hear about from the beginner perspective, I’m open to it all! Again I apologize for the lack luster post due to my being sick, but I promise I’ll make it up to you with that DIY barre post when I’m better.

Any advice on overpronation?

Ballet shoes, showing the dancer's feet in fif...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Overpronation is when your feet roll inwards too much towards the big toe side of the foot. It happens a lot when dancers try to “fake” their turnout using their knees and ankles instead of their hips (guilty here). It was brought to my attention last class that I should instead be trying to distribute my weight equally among my toes and place it more back on my pink toes as well (people in this dance.net forum recommend the same thing.) I tried to maintain this throughout class, but it was tough–and I feel like the rest of my technique suffered and my arches were crazy sore throughout class. Sigh.

My overpronation is probably the cause of all my ballet-related shin splints which have been really bad as of late and haven’t been much motivation for me to get to ballet class. Since getting new sneakers and running more often, my running shin splints have been reduced to almost nothing (almost).

I know that overpronation can be created by forcing turnout (you can try it and see for yourself) but I also know I overpronate when I stand “naturally”–which I figured was caused by the fact I am one of the most flat-footed people ever–especially since new sneakers have helped. So I took to the Internet to try to get more of a solution…and pretty much came up with a variety of different explanations…and no real answer.

Some say that overpronation is purely a technical problem (sure, I can correct it, but it’s still how I naturally stand and feel like I have for a while). Others say it’s caused by being flat-footed. Others, ankle weakness.  A lot of websites recommended orthotics (which won’t work with ballet) others say if it’s not caused by flat feet, that’s not a solution. My head is spinning.

Advice anyone? I’d appreciate help whether you know about overpronating in runners or dancers.

 

June Challenges (#RWRunStreak Alternative)

Life always likes to get in the way of my monthly challenges. See: College graduations, job interviews, and a back muscle strain/pull. But, here I am again, trying to plan one for June. Unlike the other challenges I’ve planned, this one is just going to include my personal goals for developing my overall fitness.

I’m finding myself desperately wishing I could handle Runner World’s #RWRunStreak, where the goal is to run at least a mile a day between Memorial Day and Fourth of July. No matter how badly I want to do it, I know I shouldn’t attempt it because of how injury-prone I am. So instead, my #RWRunStreak alternative is:

  • Have a decent run at least three days a week (by setting a goal of at least 30 minutes a day, instead of a distance goal, so I don’t push myself too hard)
  • Complete 3 days worth of Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred a week
  • Attend at least 2 ballet classes a week (there are 3 offered at my studio)
  • Stretch everyday for at least 10 minutes (baby steps, since previous goals have just led me to give up).
  • Have a dedicated rest day.

I’ve planned my goals at like this so I can try to get in better general shape and fit in some sort of cross-training in now that I’m gym-less (not that I really ever did much at the gym either). I might try to squeeze in some swimming as well, since I (probably) still have access to the school’s pool.

What are your June goals? Are you attempting #RWRunStreak?

FlipBelt Review + Giveaway

FlipBelt provided by FlipBelt free of charge in exchange for a review. I was not paid for my review.  The opinions contained in this review are mine and based on my experience, and do not reflect the opinions of FlipBelt or anyone else.

Last week when I arrived back to college, I got a cool little package in the mail, my FlipBelt! I was super excited to try it out–I can’t stand using the armband I got (my iPhone + Otterbox just feels so damn heavy).

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But as you probably know, last week was a terrible week weather-wise. It rained most days in Philly and on the one nice day, I  had a job interview that involved a fair bit of travel, so I opted to lay around for the rest of the day.

Finally, Thursday I got a chance to try it out on the track at my university, but only for a mile or so because a huge group of people came on to the track for practice (I’m a slow runner and I felt like I was going to get trampled). Since I had ballet that evening (and it felt like it was starting to rain), I decided to call it quits. But, I LOVED using the FlipBelt. It didn’t slide, and with my phone slid to right in front of me (versus off to the side) it didn’t feel awkward and I could barely tell it was there. My headphones didn’t annoy me because there wasn’t too much slack like with my armband. My keys didn’t bother me either. My Otterbox makes it a bit heavy and tough to get into the FlipBelt, but once it’s in there it’s not moving.

I took to my neighborhood again to test it out for a bit of a longer run and it worked just as well. My only issue with it this time was because of the material the FlipBelt is made out of (an athletic one) and my athletic (and for some reason extra slippery) leggings, it slid a little in the beginning of my run. Once I got it to a good place on my hips (I ordered a medium so I could wear it on my hips versus my waist) it didn’t bother me at all–and stayed perfectly in place on my shorts on Sunday’s 5k run as well.

Want to try one out for yourself? Enter “ABP” at checkout until 6/27 for 10% off or enter to win one from FlipBelt here!

FlipBelt provided by FlipBelt free of charge in exchange for a review. I was not paid for my review.  The opinions contained in this review are mine and based on my experience, and do not reflect the opinions of FlipBelt or anyone else.

(Almost) 30 Day Yoga Challenge

EDIT: Oops. It appears I can’t find today’s (May 7th) yoga video anymore, so pick one you’ve enjoyed so far or try a new one! (I did yesterday’s since I was in a yoga class yesterday). I will find replacement videos for the other times this one appears in the schedule.

I’ve decided to go with a yoga challenge for the month of May, since it’ll help with my general flexibility (and for those of you who voted for splits challenge, I focused on a lot of leg yoga stretches). They’re all beginner level videos, so feel free to participate no matter what skill level you are at!

Here’s the challenge:

mayyogachallenge

All the videos can be found on my favorite yoga website, www.doyogawithme.com. Just do a quick search using their search tool and you’ll find the video. I still think I’ll try to post photos of my flexibility throughout the month for motivation.

How are you challenging yourself during May?