Yeah…I can’t do this. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ballet requires stretching. You need to be flexible. But as a busy college student, the want to be flexible and get my splits just wasn’t motivation enough. If I had actually started stretching regularly when I started I’d probably be there by now–but I haven’t. I developed challenges and plans and even tried yoga–but it didn’t work. I would only occasionally stretch.

Things have changed now that I’m running. In order get my calves into tip-top condition, I’m stretching them everyday and after every run. My foam roller is also seeing more use than ever. As my hips get tighter, I keep stretching them out more and more as well. Although my body is probably overall ending up tighter than before I was running, I feel like I’m getting somewhere as I incorporate stretching into my routine because for the first time in a while I feel like I HAVE to stretch or my body is just going to be ridiculously tight. So maybe running isn’t such a horrible thing for dancers after all.

How do you stay motivated to keep stretching?