Written by Chloe Anderson, Nutrition Therapy student
As we approach the start of a new dance season, now is a great time to build healthy habits that nourish and support your body. Dance asks a lot of your body, and the way you care for it outside of the studio plays an important role in how you feel during class. Whether you’re a parent wanting to support your dancer throughout the season or a student wanting to feel your best for class, there are a few foundational habits that can make a real difference in your energy, recovery, and overall performance throughout the season.
1: Build a strong routine
After a summer full of fun events and later nights, getting back into a routine can take some time. However, consistent routines are one of the best ways to help your body feel rested and prepared for the demands of dance. The predictability of routines helps your body and nervous system know when to rest and recover, and when to feel energized for class. These routines don’t have to be complicated. Honestly, the easier they are to incorporate into your life, the more likely they are to become lasting habits. Here are a few routines that truly support your body:
- Quality sleep: Sleep is your body’s built-in recovery time. Winding down before bed with screen-free activities, aiming for a consistent bedtime, and getting adequate sleep each night sets you up for more sustained energy throughout the day and throughout class.
- Consistent meals: Between school, work, activities, and all of the busyness of life, full days can sometimes make it difficult to prioritize meals. While every schedule looks different, the most important thing is making sure your body is getting the nourishment it needs. Creating a consistent rhythm with meals and snacks helps support steady energy, focus, and performance throughout the dance season.
- Movement: Incorporating movement throughout the week helps your body transition back into the physical demands of dance. Whether it’s going for a walk, stretching, spending time outside, or doing light mobility exercises, regular movement keeps your body engaged and ready for class.
- Prepping for class: Packing your dance bag the night before, filling your water bottle, and prepping a balanced snack can make busy days feel less rushed. It’s easier to make choices that support your body well.
2: Fuel for class
Often, social media and our culture can make food feel more complicated than it needs to be. The most important thing to remember is simple: your body needs consistent nourishment to perform its best. The truth is, dance is physically demanding, and your body needs fuel to support the energy, strength, and focus required during class. Food is fuel, and the foods you choose can impact how you feel before, during, and after class.
When you are preparing your body for class, a helpful pairing to reach for is carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates help provide quick energy needed for dancing, while protein helps support your muscles as they work and recover. They work really well hand in hand, and including both allows your body to be fueled before, during, and after class.
Some quick snack ideas before class:
- Cheese and crackers
- Beef stick and apple
- Hard-boiled egg and rice cake
- Hummus and veggies
- Turkey roll-ups and pretzels
- Yogurt and berries
3: Prioritize hydration
Hydration is essential for dance. It helps your muscles engage and recover, and supports your energy and stamina. As you dance, your body loses fluids through sweat, so it’s important to make sure you’re replacing that water throughout the day.
Having a water bottle to sip on throughout class is definitely helpful, but one of the most overlooked parts of staying hydrated is making sure you are drinking water before and after class. Drinking enough water throughout the day and before class helps ensure your body is hydrated and ready to support focus, muscle function, flexibility, and sustained energy. It’s also important to remember that while things like coffee, energy drinks, and soda can all contribute some fluid (and yumminess!), they cannot hydrate your body as effectively as water. Making sure you are getting enough water throughout the day is truly one of the best ways to support your body before class.
Another important thing to consider on the topic of hydration is electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals that work to regulate nerve signaling, muscle contractions, and overall fluid balance. This is especially important to consider as a dancer, because dancing places significant demands on your muscles. Just as you lose water when you sweat, you’re sweating out electrolytes as well. Replenishing your body’s electrolytes after physical exertion, like dance, is extremely important to prevent muscle cramping, lightheadedness, and fatigue.
Electrolytes are found naturally in many foods and beverages, so whole, fresh foods like fruits and veggies really support that balance. After consecutive classes, long dance days, or even a really tough class, adding in an electrolyte packet or sports drinks like Gatorade or BodyArmor can be very helpful. If you’re in a pinch, you can even add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt to your water to get some electrolytes in!
4: Support recovery
As we’ve discussed, dance asks a lot of your body, and it’s important to make sure you’re giving your body the time it needs to recover. Recovery is not a setback—it’s an essential part of becoming a stronger dancer. Just as the habits you build before class help prepare your body to dance, many of those same habits after class support recovery.
- Cooling down: Taking just a few minutes to stretch and cool down after class helps your body transition into recovery. It also helps keep your muscles flexible rather than tense and tight. A quick walk or even just a few minutes of stretching when you get home will support your muscle recovery.
- Nourishment: Eating a good, supportive meal after class helps your body replenish the energy you’ve used during class. Your body actually continues to burn fuel for a couple of hours after class as it cools down, so making sure you give your body enough food after class is very important. Like we discussed before, pairing carbohydrates and protein is very supportive here. Including protein after class helps support muscle repair, strengthening, and growth.
- Quality sleep: As we talked about earlier, sleep is so important for recovery, especially after class. Getting enough sleep allows time for your muscles to repair and rest so they can show up even stronger next time.
- Rest days: While movement during the week is so important, so are restful days. Taking days off from intense activity lets your body regain energy to be ready for your next class.
- Supportive foods: If your muscles feel tired, or you are dealing with an injury in your body, there are some foods that really help calm your body and reduce inflammation. Foods like cherries, blueberries, citrus, spinach, avocados, salmon, and oatmeal can all be helpful to support a healthy inflammatory response and muscle recovery.
As you prepare for the new dance season, remember that learning to listen to your body is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a dancer. The habits you build now will continue to support you throughout the entire season. I hope as you read this, you feel empowered to continue learning how to care for and support your body. Wellness doesn’t have to be complicated. The simpler it feels to take care of your body, the better you can show up each day.