Pulled Muscles The best and only way to prevent a pulled muscle is to properly warm up, and most importantly, STRETCH before you begin to dance. You'll probably want to get your muscles warmed up a bit before you stretch, so do some light jogging or simply jump up and down for a minute. Don't do any strenuous exercise or moves which require great flexibility (i.e. glides, kicks, or clicks) before you are thouroughly stretched out. If you're uncertain about what types of stretches to do, visit The Connors Website for some helpful tips.
Blisters Sometimes, blisters are an inevitable part of dance, like those times when you have to break in a new pair of shoes. But at other times, you might be getting blisters for no apparent reason. Before you go broke buying out your local drugstore's supply of blister band-aids, consider these points. First, do your shoes fit you properly? If your shoes are too big, they will rub against your foot in all sorts of uncomfortable places. You might need to buy a smaller size shoe, or wear two pairs of socks. Which brings me to my second point - check out your socks. Are there seams across the toes that rub once you put your shoe on? You might want to invest in some seamless poodle socks - check out Irish Dancing Magazine for information on where to buy them.
Another way to prevent blisters is to buy some moleskin from your local drugstore. Use scissors to cut it to your desired size, and place it on your foot where you are most likely to develop a blister. (One side is sticky so it should stay all day long.) Works like a charm!
Heel Pain and Achilles Tendon Pain Pain in your heels and Achilles tendon area is usually caused by one of two things: floors without "bounce" such as concrete, and unsupportive shoes. The only way to solve the floor problem is to find another place to practice. For the second problem, you can get cushy insoles to slip into your shoes which will give you some support and cushioning. If you want even more, consider buying a pair of Hullachan Pro Irish dance shoes. They are specifically designed to cushion your feet, and come in all different widths from extra narrow to extra wide.
Shin Splints These often occur if you dance too hard too often, or if you are dancing on a surface without any bounce, like concrete. Make sure to take at least one or two days off of dance every week so you don't wear yourself out. If you absolutely can't stand the thought of not dancing, try doing a lower intensity workout, or cross train by swimming, biking, running, etc. When you are practicing, be informed about the type of surface you are dancing on. The concrete floor of your basement is not a good place to dance.
Twisted (Sprained) Ankles To prevent these, be sure that your are stretched and warmed up properly. You might also want to do some extra ankle strengthening exercises. An excellent way to increase ankle strength is to do some resistance band exercises. The Dancer's Dozen is a book of such exercises that comes with two bands of different strengths. It's great to do while watching TV!
If there is a specific injury that you want prevention tips for, drop me an email at treble_reel@yahoo.com and I'll work on it!
Injury Care
It's possible, that despite all of your careful preventative methods, you get injured dancing. It's happened to me before - I'm well warmed up, well stretched, and I go up to do a glide and somehow land on the side of my foot. (One time I fractured it, the other time I tore a ligament. Neither was very pretty :-p). So what do you do now?
The most important word to remember if you have a muscle or joint in jury is rice, which stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. (Go to Sports Medicine for a more complete definition). If pain doesn't subside within a day or two, you'll want to get the injury checked out by your doctor, trainer, or sports therapist.
If a doctor tells you not to dance for a certain period of time, follow that advice! I know the feeling, your injury is healing and you are sure that you'll be able to dance in the feis next weekend, even though the doc said no dance for 2 weeks. Believe me, it's better to skip the feis. You'll likely end up re-injuring the area and hurting it even worse, and you'll be out for even longer. (Been there, done that.)
When you do go back to dance, take it easy! Your body won't be used to all the pressures of dance, and you need time to adjust.
What about other, more minor injuries? How do you take care of them?
Blisters Clean the area well with soap and water. Do not pick at or pull the skin if the blister is still intact. Cover with a blister bandaid, and follow the directions on the package. (Usually the band-aids are meant to be left on for a few days.) To remove the band-aid, don't try to tear it off - you'll tear the skin along with it! Instead, soak your foot in some warm water until the band-aid becomes loose and you can easily peel it off.
Skin Splints Two words, ice and rest. Check out skin splint prevention while you're at it.
If you're interested in tips for an injury not listed here, email me at treble_reel@yahoo.com, or even better, talk to your doctor!
Diet and Food Choices
The great thing about being a dancer is that we can eat almost anything that we want, because we exercise so often. But that doesn't mean we should always eat what we want. And what are the best types of foods to eat before, during, and after competition or dance class?
Everyday Snacking
When You're Craving: Try:
ice cream yogurt or frozen yogurt
chips, fries microwave popcorn
Coke or Sprite sparkling water, iced tea
cookies rice cakes, Fig Newtons
candy strawberries, fruit
Before a Dance Class
(I'm going to make an assumption here and assume that most people have dance classes in the evening on weeknights.)
Early in the day: Make sure to eat breakfast and lunch to fuel your body for the day. It's also important to stay hydrated - drink water throughout the day if possible. If your class is really late, eat dinner too. Just make sure you're not eating a huge meal right before dancing.
One & a half - one hours before class: Have an energy packed snack. Fruit is always a good choice, also make sure you are getting some carbohydrates. Examples are peanut butter and jelly sandwich, NutraGrain bars, an apple and a bagel, etc. Also make sure you drink something (Gatorade, water).
Half hour before class: Keep drinking, you want to be well hydrated before you start dancing. (When you are in class and become thirsty, you are already beginning to get dehydrated. Find out more about dehydration here). If you are hungry, have another small snack such as a piece of fruit. Don't have anything really greasy or spicy - you'll be uncomfortable when you dance.
Before a Competition
The night before a competition, you'll want to have a healthy meal that includes lots of carbohydrates. A good bet is pasta. Don't forget to include some veggies and fruits as well. (No, apple pie a la mode doesn't count as a fruit. Sorry;-) Again, stay hydrated.
The morning of, you'll want a good breakfast. I know so many feises are in good hotels where there are eggs, bacon, and sausage galore that is ohh so tempting, but think about how uncomfortable you will feel while dancing if you eat a large, greasy breakfast. Instead, have some fruit, a bagel, toast, or even pancakes, so long as they are not drenched in syrup or butter. Have a big glass of orange juice, milk or water as well.
During Dance Class
Unless you are at a very long workshop, you probably won't want to eat anything during class. You will, however, want to stay hydrated. Bring a water bottle or sports drink with you, and take sips from it often. You won't want to gulp it all down in one swig, though, because then you'll have liquid sloshing around in your stomach while you dance. Not fun.
During a Competition
What to eat at a feis is largely a matter of personal preference. I have a friend who would only eat chocolate throughout the day, nothing else. She said it gave her energy and it was the only thing she would feel like eating. She's in Championships now, so I guess whatever works. Some common food items, however, include granola bars, fruit, pretzels, bagels, sandwiches, small candies (Skittles, M&Ms, etc.) as well as water and sports drinks. Don't forget to check out the food vendors - sometimes there is little more than burgers and hot dogs, but often there are premade sandwiches or salads.
After Class or Competition
After dancing, it's important to keep drinking water, and also to eat something with protein in it. Protein helps to rebuild and strengthen muscles, which is important after you've put a lot of stress on them. Other than that, eat something that you really want - you deserve it!
Check out this article from Dance Spirit Magazine fore more tips on eating healthy.
The wonderful thing about Irish dance, unlike some other dance forms, is that people of all body types are accepted. There is no need to be supermodel thin to be a champion Irish dancer. Unfortunately, eating disorders are very common among dancers and teenage girls. Visit www.eating-disorders.net for more information, or if you or someone you know might have an eating disorder.
Sleep
In order to dance our best, we need to feel our best, and in order to feel our best, we need to sleep. Exactly how important is sleep? Just ask the average teenager, or a college student around exam time. When we are well rested, it is easier to perform our best.
So how many hours are recommended? You've probably heard eight before, and that's about right for most adults. Ironically enough, over 63% of Americans don't get that much sleep every night. For more reasons to catch your ZZzzz's, read the excerpt below:
"Sleep deprivation affects us physically. Our coordination suffers. We lose our ability to do things with agility. Sleep improves muscle tone and skin appearance. With adequate sleep athletes run better, swim better and lift more weight. We also see differences in immune responses depending on how much someone sleeps. The amount of sleep a person needs will vary from individual to individual. But most people require around eight hours.
Read more at Why Do We Sleep?
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News Updates :.
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12.19.2004 :. Finally Done! |
| Links are on the right - I'm still in the process of adding some new content, but it should all be up by Jan. 1. |
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