July 1, 2013

July Challenge Abs and Legs

My plan for July is to work on both my abs and legs with a challenge, considering I’ve slacked on both recently (I was a standard #plankaday participant for most of April and May before I started to slack off). Since I’ve had some free time (I missed ballet this weekend because of a stomach bug) and I’m taking off this weekend because of Fourth of July. Both ab strength and leg strength are essential in ballet. Here’s my challenge based off what I think I’ll be able to do:

absandlegschallenge

 

I’ve chosen 3 of my favorite ab exercises and 3 of my favorite leg exercises, based on what I think will help me work out my own legs and abs based on what’s worked in the past. I’ll probably end up using my 3 pound weights in my hands for the lunges and eventually for the sumo squats.

Feel free to make adjustments as needed, and make sure you take a rest day each week. Let me know if you’re participating, I’d love to know how you’re doing with the challenge!

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July 1, 2013

Dealing with Sore Muscles

IMG_3017

The best thing you can do is stretch

Oh boy! I just finished my first class in a few weeks and I am hurtin’! It was a really strange circumstance of me leaving my studio just in time for the new studio to be closed for two weeks, then I was out of town. So It had been three weeks of no structured class. I have been stretching and trying to practice at home as much as possible but I think that there is definitely something to be said for the rigor of a structured class. I got to class a bit early to stretch and speak with the instructor and thought I was ready for anything- I couldn’t have been more wrong! Haha. It still surprises me, adjusting to my body as an adult and how it works, to see how just a little break in activity can send me right back to square one (okay maybe like square five, but still not where I was at!). I got home a sweaty mess, plopped down on the bed, and told my fiancé that I know I need to eat but I’m not sure how to go about it because 1. I can’t move my legs and 2. I’m nervous that the second I put food into my mouth I might throw up. Ok, I’m slightly dramatic but I really was whooped! I knew that I instantly needed to get on top of making sure my muscles don’t tighten up much because I knew if I didn’t I probably would be in a world of hurt tomorrow. I thought I’d share a few of my tips for avoiding that next day of crying when you drop your keys because you know how much it will hurt to pick them back up. 😉

1. Stretch it out: I like to lay on my back on the floor, stick my leg straight up at a 90 degree angle and just make slow circles of varying sizes with it. The slow motion really makes you stretch it out. Then I bring my leg straight over across my body for a while, bend it for a while, then I bring my knee to my chest. I also like to borrow some yoga moves like these here. I particularly love doing the cat, cow, child, and half downward dog because they feel so relaxing but they also really do stretch those muscles out. The key is to keep stretching throughout the day so that the lactic acid doesn’t settle in your muscles which is what makes you sore. It seems like the most obvious tip but I also think that it’s the first we forget.

2. Soak! I love a good, warm Lush Bath Bomb (or essential oil) and epsom salt bath. I find the that the combination of heat and scent take the epsom salt to the next level because you’re not just relaxing your muscles but your mind too. Personally, I get super stressed from being so busy and having a stressed mind leads to a tense body and there’s no amount of salt that can take that away. So lock the bathroom door, tell the kids or partner that you’re out of commission for 20 minutes and relax! I also enjoy partaking in a good foot soak, perfect for a dancer. I love trying new “recipes” that I find on pinterest. Today I tried one with green tea, baking soda, vinegar and epsom salt. The result wasn’t too pretty… the water, well it looked a little gross. However, my feet felt AMAZING after.

3. Enlist a loved one for a massage! This is self-explanatory and can be fun!

4. Fuel your body properly. This one is hard. There are so many different resources with conflicting ideas about what to eat in general, but when you add in what to eat for working out there are one thousand more ideas. What I have found that has really worked for my body is to have a protein AND carb heavy snack about an hour before I go to ballet. Something like bagel with peanut butter or hummus. Occasionally I throw an apple in as well. I also make sure to follow my class up with a balanced yet protein and fresh food heavy meal or snack. For example, today I had a burrito in a whole wheat tortilla with eggs inside, lots of lettuce, carrots, avocado, and cabbage. I feel that I almost always feel so much better when I have something that is substantial but not heavy. I’ve read in a few places that blueberries (or any antioxidant heavy food) work well because they soak up all the free radicals left. Anti-inflammatory foods like kelp, salmon, ginger, green tea,  and sweet potatoes are also supposed to be really helpful in telling your muscles to calm the heck down. And, of course, stay hydrated!

5. Try some topical treatments like white flower oil, icy hot, peppermint oil, or salonpas. My personal favorite when it comes to this is to, right after my hot bath, rub a little white flower oil diluted in baby oil all over my legs, bottom, back, arms, and shoulders and then bundle up in warm clothes for a while. This really lets it soak into my muscles and feels SO nice.

6. Finally, don’t be too afraid of the occasional ibuprofen or Tylenol. Sometimes the pain is just too much to manage with home remedies and that’s totally fine. You don’t have to do without!

Hopefully some of these tips are helpful/new to at least one person. What do you do to keep the aches and pains away?

-Caysie

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June 28, 2013

Poll: What Content Should We Post More Of?

Polling Station

Since we’ve recently gone through a transition, I want to get an up-to-date feeling for what I should be posting more of: interviews, tips, how-tos, etc.  Please take a second to fill out the poll below. I will still keep doing blog type posts on a regular basis, but I’m looking to do more. If you have any specific how-to or tips posts, ie. you want to learn more about tendu tips or grand battements, leave me a note in the comments! Generally my tips or how-tos come from something I personally struggle with and do research on, but if you’ve got something you want to see, let me know. If you’ve got something you want to share, feel free to send me an e-mail (info at adultballerinaproject dot com) about contributing.

 

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June 27, 2013

Do Love and Running Go together? Running with Your Significant Other

Slightly cheesy post alert. Do love and running go together? I’m looking for couples (or individuals in relationships) to interview about running (or not running) with your significant other.

Running Styles

Not us.

It’s my two year anniversary with my boyfriend today (cheesy, I know). I’m working on a post related to an article in Runner’s World a few issues back, Can Love and Running Coexist? Both of us were extremely interested in this article and writing about it because we have different views on when we should run together and the things we do to annoy each other or help each other when we do run together (I’m a slow turtle runner, he’s relatively fast). We run together about 50% of the time.

We’ll both be doing a post on our own blogs about the topic (he’s over at The Active Gamer). I’m looking to put together an additional post with thoughts from other people on running with their significant other as well as their own personal experiences. Feel free to shoot me an e-mail (info at adultballerinaproject dot com) or leave a comment if you’re interested in sharing your experiences. I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks on this topic!

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June 27, 2013

Calf Stretches for Ballet and Running

This one applies to you runner’s out there too: calf stretches. Both ballet and running cause me to get horribly tight calves and shin splints, but they’re getting slightly more manageable. Here’s some of my favorites:

Downward-facing cat

Downward facing cat

 Downward Facing Dog:

Arms should be shoulder width apart, legs hip width apart, balancing your legs equally. Knees can be bent if you’re a beginner. I like to alternate between keeping one knee straight and the other bent to feel a full stretch.

Runner’s Stretch:

This one’s really popular. Stand at a wall with your hands placed straight in front of you, with one leg bent in a lunge and the other extended behind you. Sometimes I have to bend my back knee ever so slightly to get a good stretch in this one as well ( I have hyper-extended knees).

 Wall or stair stretch:

I don’t have any stairs in my apartment, so I often do this one just on a wall or on the foot of a ballet barre if I’m in class. Stand by a wall with one foot pressed up again the wall at an angle; or stretch one heel down off a stair while the other remains of the step.

Towel Stretch:

The same basic stretch you used to do in high school gym class with some help. Sitting on the floor, extend both legs out straight in front of you and wrap a towel or theraband around your feet and pull yourself down to your toes. While I can reach my toes, I like the extra stability this gives me. Another variation is to start by gripping the towel with a straight back and then lean back slightly to stretch the calves.

Foam Rolling:

The foam roller is my frenemy. It hurts but also helps so much. For calf tightness I like to roll both by shins and my calves. I roll my shins both at the same time which is pretty easy; I roll my calves individually by holding myself up with my arms with one leg crossed over the other.

I know there are lot more great stretches out there, so let’s hear them! What are your favorite ways to stretch out your calves?

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