November 11, 2013

Dance Magazine’s 7 Deadly Sins

dancemagazineI’m a little bit ashamed to admit I’ve had to correct quite a few of Dance Magazine’s 7 Deadly Sins throughout my short time as a dancer–most notably rolling my feet in when forcing my turnout (a big no-no, I know) and generally because I have flat feet.

I’ve also given into hyperextension before I really knew better than not to do so. Thanks to Physical Therapy, I’m slowly but surely working to correct both of these bad habits. I’ve also used too much tension, as well, as I get nervous about some things in ballet class like small group work.

Which of these haven’t I dealt with?! I’ve been stuck in a rut, too–although that’s been an easier “habit” (if it even really is a “habit”) to break.

How have you been working on breaking old habits or avoided getting stuck in a dance rut?

 

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog Tagged With: , , , 1 Comment
November 5, 2013

Poll: What Dance do you do?

Adult Ballerina Project is curious, what kind of dance do you do? What type of dance do you watch? What type of dance are you interested in?

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October 16, 2013

Homemade Protein Bars and Fuel

Last week, I mentioned some of my favorite dance and running fuel. Unfortunately, some of those can get quite expensive (paying 2-3 dollars per bar or gels can add up in a hurry). Another issue arises: many of us have allergies and intolerances (I may or may not–I’m not sure–have a slight soy intolerance). While I’ve been able to find many bars and supplements that meet my needs, they often come with a high price tag. So over the next few weeks, I’m looking to try some new recipes to make my own homemade bars. Here are some of the recipes I’m looking at:

homemade protein bars via Healthy Green Kitchen

I love the sounds of these, and that they use coconut oil and Greek yogurt!

Homemade Peanut Butter Protein Bars via Chocolate Covered Katie

These looked really, really simple. They also seem to have the same consistency as real food barre and other similar bars–and while I’m not the hugest fan of it, it does make the bars easy to eat. I also love that they don’t have huge chunks of nuts, because sometimes I want something that is nut-free.

Quick ‘n Easy No-Bake Protein Bars by oh she glows

These look absolutely delicious, and I love that they include rice crisp cereal and chocolate, which will be perfect when I want something desert-like but also want to get in some protein as well!

If you have any suggestions or any recipes (or dietary guidelines) that you’d like me to test out, let me know! I’d love to know what recipes you’ve found work really well (or not so well). I’m also on the hunt for a yummy baked oatmeal recipe after my last one horribly failed.

Do you buy or make your own protein bars? Why?

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October 14, 2013

Shin Splints and Dealing with Injuries Emotionally via Pointe Magazine

Image via Pointe Magazine by Colin Fowler.

Image via Pointe Magazine by Colin Fowler.

I should really subscribe to Pointe Magazine.

I bought an issue about 6 months ago while I was working on a design project (one of my assignments was to transform the layouts of an already established magazine to fit my own, for adult ballet dancers). I love some of the things that are written (a lot moreso than some of the other dance magazines).

For instance, this is one of my favorite articles on shin splints. So often, most articles mostly talk about shin splints and running. And while I’m doing all that I can to help prevent shin splints on that front (I finally have insoles and will probably get fitted for my next pair of sneakers once I’m up and running again)–the problem still persists in ballet because of my super flat feet. This article helps address what causes shin splints in ballet dancers and gives some really good tips for treatment–I love my pinky bouncy ball for massage and using a cup filled with ice to ice massage.

I’ve been in PT for about a week now, working on strengthening my feet, ankles and calf muscles to get back to ballet. Hopefully, this will finally help me get better and I’ll be able to dance (and run) pain free.

I also loved this column about dealing with emotions while injured. I had such a tough time coping with being out of ballet back in April when everyone around me was seemingly really busy. It seemed like I was always  at home watching TV while people were out having fun because the boot made it really tough to get around and I couldn’t go to ballet or run to keep myself occupied.

Luckily, thanks to PT I should be back soon and I’ve been pretty well occupied since I’ve stopped running or dancing (after the Rescue Run 5K). I may even be able to start barre as soon as Thursday or Saturday!

Filed Under: Ballet, Blog, Running Tagged With: , , , , , 2 Comments
September 23, 2013

Blogtember Link-up: “Life Lately”




Here’s the next in my series for the Blogtember link-up, a “life-lately” post, described as “What you’re up to, how you’re feeling, how you’re doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!”

While I don’t have too many photos, here’s what my September has been like so far:

Another Trip to the Zoo

 

My best friend and I taking the same photo we took four years ago in the same place freshman year of college.

My best friend and I taking the same photo we took four years ago in the same place freshman year of college.

One of my best friends came to visit for her birthday and we went to the zoo.

photo 1 (1)

He was trying to escape and come home with me.

This time, I got to hang out with the turtles even more than I did the last time (and if you saw my Wordless Wednesday post, you know I love turtles). It was a fun day, and my best friend finally got to try the mac and cheese truck here in Philadelphia.

Baseball players foam roll and theraband just like ballerinas do!

Baseball players foam roll and theraband just like ballerinas do!

HQ and I also went to a baseball game for the first (and only) time this season.

Started a Part-Time Job

I said goodbye to my summer internship (which I’ll miss, a lot) and started a new part-time job in an office building a half a block away. It’s a pretty nice job, and I get to do a lot of writing, which I love.

Struggled with Allergies…

Ugh, normally, I love fall. But not this fall. My allergies have hit full force and it’s made getting to ballet and getting running done difficult because of constant headaches and congested sinuses. Lovely, I know. It’s part of the reason I feel like I’ve fallen behind in ballet class and why I’m nowhere near ready for this 5K next weekend like I wanted to be.

…and with Shin Splits (again)

Because of my lack of practice in both dance and running lately, leg pain hit me full force last week in my Thursday ballet class, so much that I wanted to cry. I had some realizations about my hyper-extended legs (partly thanks to @dancinbranflake on Twitter!) and learned they’re an extra thing (along with my overpronating feet) that I really need to be careful of in class. I took the entire weekend off from both, but I’ll hopefully be back at it this week.

What has your September looked like?

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