May 14, 2014

How Yoga is Useful for Dancers (and Runners): My Yoga Works Review

Disclosure: I received a free six-month trial of MyYogaWorks in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Use code “Blogger14” to get your first month for $5, or sign-up for a free trial at My Yoga Works.

I’ve always known that I should be doing more yoga to help with my flexibility and injury recovery. The truth is–however–that I just don’t ever seem to find time between ballet, running, work, blogging and learning web development. What I love about My Yoga Works is the same reason I love Code Academy (which offers super quick coding lessons)–there are a lot of quick and easy short yoga videos for you to pick from, no matter what your skill level is.

I love all the different options you can search by--especially the time option--perfect if you only have 5-10 minutes!

I love all the different options you can search by–especially the time option–perfect if you only have 5-10 minutes!

The first video I picked was Lift With Your Legs by Alexandria Crow, a video I found via My Yoga Works pain-relief section. It turned out to be exactly what I needed, with lower leg stretches and strengthening moves for my sore calves and shins from running. I’ll definitely be incorporating this video into my routine a few times a week to keep my calves happier.

The next video I tried out was 5 Minute Hips with Vytas Baskauskas. I know my hips need a lot of work, but I don’t often have a lot of time, so I wanted to try this video out. While this gave a great explanation of some hip stretches (and how to do them correctly)–there wasn’t enough time for you to even test them out on each side. Happy Healthy Hips was just what I needed, on the other hand. It was a quick 14 minute sequence of hip openers that made my hips pretty happy.

I’m looking forward to using My Yoga Works in the future for short workouts to help keep me injury-free and more flexible.

Use code “Blogger14” to get your first month for $5, or sign-up for a free trial at My Yoga Works.

Do you use yoga as part of your ballet or running training?

Filed Under: Ballet, Reviews Tagged With: , , 2 Comments
May 6, 2014

Avoiding the After-Work Workout Slump #teamX2

I’ve never dealt well with late afternoon or evening workouts. When I was a kid—my body never seemed to take after school or night swim practices very well—I was always more sluggish and slow whenever I exercised later in the day.

I’ve adjusted to night ballet classes somewhat and usually can handle them somewhat decently. However, I always feel slightly more sluggish during a night class (especially a late night class) versus a morning class. My nighttime runs nowadays always seem more sluggish then my morning ones do. Unfortunately, HQ and my schedules don’t always align super well and that usually means we’re running later in the day(someone please give me tips on how we can become better early risers and wake up and run).

Disclaimer: I’m a #TeamX2 blogger and excited to work with X2 Performance in a paid campaign to help me achieve my fitness goals.All opinions are my own.. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

I mentioned in my introductory post about X2 Performance that I’m not a huge supplement person. Sure, I take a few vitamins (a multi-vitamin and calcium and vitamin D supplement)—but that’s about it. I’ve taken shot bloks with caffeine and salt before to help pre-post ballet class or run, as well.

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Ballet, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , , , 3 Comments
April 24, 2014

Why I love Compression Gear: Zensah Socks and Sleeves

I love my compression socks, sleeves (and leggings too!). I have about six different pairs of compression socks and three different pairs of compression sleeves.  By far, the best pair of socks I have are the Zensah compression socks that I won in a #runchat tweet chat a few months ago. I recently bought a pair of Zensah sleeves that I love, too.

Why does compression gear work? Zensah’s got a great blog post on it, but here are some main points:

  •  Compression improves circulation and oxygenated blood flow to improve performance and enhance recovery.
  • Improved circulation reduces the buildup of lactic acid
  • Enhance athlete’s warm-up by increasing the temperature of the skin and the muscle
  • Provide an extra support to stabilize the muscle tissue, reducing inflammation and micro trauma

I mostly wear socks for recovery, but I’ll use my Zensah sleeves during ballet and sometimes while running.

zensah_socks

Chilling in my Zensah socks in my messy room

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Ballet, Clothing and Gear, Info, Outside Class, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment
April 14, 2014

Refueling Before, During and After Workout Tips!

My local dance studio recently ran an article about how to fuel, before, during and after dance workouts, Eat While You Workout?

The article has great tips such as making sure you aren’t running on empty when you show up to class–I’ll admit, I’m  guilty of this a lot of time. To prevent this,   munch on some fruit, an apple, a granola bar, or even some gels or gummies like many of us use for running (I love Clif Shot Bloks)!  You should also consider eating during (again, the gels or shot bloks are great for this) if you’re taking classes back to back. As always, make sure you refuel afterwards, too. And don’t forget to hydrate!

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Ballet, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment
April 9, 2014

I’m Looking Forward to Trying X2 Performance #TeamX2

Disclaimer: I’m a #TeamX2 blogger and excited to work with X2 Performance in a paid campaign to help me achieve my fitness goals. All opinions are my own.. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.

I recently became an X2 Performance Brand ambassador and I’m excited to share with my readers and fellow #Teamx2 bloggers my experiences with the product. While a lot of the other bloggers are runners, cross-fitters and triathalon runners, I think being both a ballet dancer and a runner makes me kind of unique. Although some people may see ballet as not as intense as some of these, it definitely can be. Add in the occasional run, and I’m a super active person throughout the week.

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Info, Outside Class, Reviews, Running Tagged With: , , 7 Comments