How To 'Ice,' Yourself

If you have not a strained/pulled muscle, one of the first things you are probably going to do, is to put an ice pack on it. But did you know that there is a particular way to ice yourself?

Well ...... there is!

You see, if you put the ice pack on yourself for say, 20 minutes straight, then take it off, it will actually probably do more damage to yourself than if you just left it be.
Why?
Because if your leg, let's say, has a strained muscle and is at room temperature, then you go and wack a freezing cold ice pack on it, you leg isn't going to appreciate that sudden change in temperature.

However, if you put the ice pack on for 5 minutes, then take it off for five minutes, then put it one for four minutes, then take it off for four minutes, until you are down to one minute, it would be a much better idea.

Just recently, I really hurt the tendons in my foot. My teacher said that I should ice my foot just like I told you in the paragraph above.
It actually really works, and is way better than just putting ice on it for 20 minutes straight.

Below are instructions on how to properly ice yourself, so you can print them out and keep them out and keep them stuck to your fridge or somewhere like that, so that when you need to ice yourself, you can easily glance at the instructions and know exactly how to do it.


INSTRUCTIONS:

1) Get an ice pack out of your fridge (not freezer. A frozen ice pack won't work as well as just a cold one.

2) Apply the 'ice,' pack to the injured part of your body for 5 minutes.

3) After five minutes, take the ice pack off for another 5 minutes.

4) Apply the ice pack for 4 minutes.

5) Take the ice pack off for 4 minutes.

6) Yep, you guessed it, put the ice pack back on your sore muscle for 3 minutes.

7) Remove the ice pack for another 3 minutes.

8) Re-apply the ice pack for 2 minutes.

9) Keep ice pack off for 2 minutes.

10) For the last time, put the ice pack on your sore muscle for 1 minute.

11) Now you can remove the ice pack for good. Rest your foot for another 7 -8 minutes. Do this at least twice a day for 7 days, or until your muscle is healed.


Thanks everyone for following. You are all awesome!

My Ballet Treasures

Hi Followers!

I would like to share with you today three of my most precious ballet treasures. Here they are, I hope you enjoy .....

My first pair of ballet shoes. I got them when I started ballet when I was only five years old. That was almost ten years ago! I have had them ever since!

This was my first ballet leotard that I also got when I was only five years old. When I got it, it was way pinker than it is now. I wore it for a year at class, then I used it for dress-ups for about four years afterwards!

And last but not least, my very first pair of pointe shoes. As precious as these shoes are to me, they actually weren't very good pointe shoes. The 'pointe,' was too small, so it made it very hard to dance on. These shoes bring memories of great joy ..... but also of great pain!

A Dancer's Diet

Being one of the hardest working athletes on the planet, ballerinas need a good, stable diet.


A rough estimate are that female dancers need at least 45 – 50 calories per kilogram of body weight. Having enough calories is very important. If your body doesn’t have enough, you won’t have the energy to get you through the day.


A dancer’s diet should be made up of at least 55 % carbohydrates. One – two hours before training, ballerinas should have a meal that mainly consists of carbohydrates. Also, during a long stretch of training, dancers should stop every 40 minutes or so to have a drink of something such as Gatorade or Powerade.


The body uses proteins to produce and heel body tissues. A ballerina’s diet should consist of up to 13 % proteins, so that it can strengthen your muscles so you can perform complicated dance moves. To get proteins, eat meats (including chicken) and beans.


Many dancers are scared that if they eat fat, they will put on weight and not be able to dance anymore. However, fats help organs to function properly, and help absorb vitamins. It can also be used as a secondary energy force. Fats should make up to a quarter of a dancer’s diet! ‘Good,’ fats are available in avocados, nuts and seafood. Preferably consume unsaturated fats, rather than saturated fats.


Minerals and vitamins help the body to function properly. Ballerinas should consume up to four servings of fruit a day to provide minerals and vitamins needed. Vitamins A, C and E are particularly useful in helping a dancer recover from a day of hard work.


Now, last but not least: water. Despite the fact that water doesn't contain vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates or calories, it is one of the most important parts of a dancer’s diet. Water help to keep your body temperature down, and keep your circulation consistent. Ballerinas lose a lot of liquid through sweat, so be sure to drink lots of it!

What I Wear To Ballet

Hi All!

Have you ever wondered what a ballerina wears to dance class. Well, those of you who are reading this, probably not, because you are all professional dancers yourselves.
However, I guess all dancers dress ..... just a little different for one another.
Here's what I wear to ballet:

Tights

Black ballet leotard from BLOCH

So that's what I wear to ballet. I haven't included shoes in my list, since there are so many types that I wear (pointe, demi pointes, flats, character etc ...) that I just decided to leave it be.

If you are wondering how often to wash your ballet clothes, it's as simple as this: whenever they start to smell.

ha ha ha, well, you don't actually want to be smelling in your class, so if you know that they are fine for, say three lessons, and then after the fourth they get a bit smelly, then wash them every three lessons. That's what I do!