How To Control Your Nerves [Through Breathing]
Have you ever stood backstage with a mind that won't stop racing? If so, you're not alone.
It's normal to be nervous before your performance, whether you’re about to step on stage for the first time or you have dozens of shows under your belt.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can manage your nerves and one of those ways is through breathing!
Breathing techniques bring you into a calmer state by deactivating the ’fight or flight’ system in your body and is something that has been used by Lauren across many of her big competition days.
Instead of standing backstage and watching the competition warm-up, Lauren practiced controlled breathing, which in turn kept her heart rate down, made her body more relaxed and most importantly saved more energy!
In today’s blog, I am going to teach you the exact same techniques so that you too can calm your nerves at a competition, and make your performance reach new heights!
So let’s get started.
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How The Menstrual Cycle Impacts Dance Performance
Have you ever noticed that your menstrual cycle influences your dance performance? If so, you’re not alone! While the menstrual cycle doesn’t impact the performance of all Irish dancers, for some, it certainly does.
In this blog, you’ll learn how the menstrual cycle can influence dancing abilities. Plus, you’ll discover what you can do to manage the effects of your cycle.
So How Can The Menstrual Cycle Impact Performance?
Various hormonal levels fluctuate during the menstrual cycle. Some of these hormones impact how you feel, your coordination, and how fast you recover from your dance sessions.
Therefore, you may feel better at certain times of your menstrual cycle than at others (although other factors can also influence how you feel and perform, such as your sleep and nutrition).
Now, we are oversimplifying a bit here, but there's one menstrual-cycle- related hormone in particular that can influence dance performance. It's the hormone...
Protein Powders - Which One Should You Choose?
It’s not always easy to get the amount you need through diet alone. Especially for those of you who are younger, busy or generally just don’t like to eat as much as you need. Thankfully this is where protein supplementing comes in.
Protein Powders Make It Easy to Get Enough Protein
This is because they are cheap to buy, even easier to drink, and with a little creativity, you can even blend one into a smoothie with milk, meaning you can make it even more enjoyable than eating food itself!
If you are not hitting your daily protein requirement through food, then I recommend getting the rest through protein powder, and drinking it directly after your workout!
Each serving contains around 20 to 25 grams of protein. So by mixing just one serving with water or milk, it would ensure you’ll achieve your daily requirement of protein.
Now before we look at the types of protein powders you can get I want to make one thing clear:
Protein Powder is NOT Bad for You and...
Why Protein Is Vital For Recovery!
To recover well from your dancing sessions, it’s essential to get enough protein. In this article, you'll discover why that’s the case. Plus, you'll find out how you can ensure you hit your daily protein needs.
Why is Protein Vital for Recovery?
When you dance you can cause small tears in your muscle fibers, something we call “muscle damage.” This ‘damage’ is the exact reason why your muscles may feel sore the day after class.
Now, while the word “damage” may sound negative, muscle damage is actually a really good thing. That’s because your body will repair that damage when you rest. Plus, it’ll strengthen your muscles to prepare them for a similar stimulus in the future.
In other words, muscle damage is what triggers your muscles to adapt to your workouts and that’s why it helps you become a better and well-conditioned dancer.
To repair that muscle damage, however, your body needs to have access...
How To Regain Lost Dance Motivation [6 Proven Tips]
Regardless of whether you’re a beginner dancer or you have countless performances under your belt, a drop in dance motivation will happen to all of us at some point. And so the question is not IF this is going to happen to you but WHEN, and what can you do about it when it comes around.
Fortunately, I am going to share six tips with you that you can use to revive your dance motivation. Tips that have helped me throughout my dance career. So let’s get started!
1. Set a Goal That Excites You
One of the best ways to get your motivation back is by setting a goal. That’s because goals have a gravitational pull that move you forward. They give you something to strive for.
It must be a goal that excites you. You should feel at least somewhat enthusiastic when you think of your goal, because if that’s not the case, it won’t benefit your motivation much.
Ideally, your goal also has a deadline. You can, for example, set a goal to enter a competition...
Tight Hips After Dance Class? Try These Stretches!
Do your hips sometimes feel tight after dance class? If so, you’re not alone.
Intensive dance training can cause tiny tears within your muscle fibers, which can produce that tight feeling you are all too familiar with.
This is what we call 'muscle damage' and it is actually a good thing. That’s because when you rest, your body will repair and strengthen those muscle fibers, so that you’ll be fitter and better prepared for your next workout.
That doesn't mean that we cant work on the tightness during the recovery however. In-fact there is lots that we can do, and so today I am going to show you 5 top stretches to perform after dance class to get rid of those tight hips!
1. Kneeling Flexor Stretch
Stretches: hip flexors
Your hip flexors, which lie at the front of your hip bone, are highly active while you dance. You contract this muscle every time you lift your leg, which is why this muscle may feel tight after class.
- Kneel on your right knee. ...
