Monthly Archives: November 2011

November’s Theme: Stress Management with a focus on Biofeedback and Visual Imagery

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‘Tis the Nutcracker season.  A time when dancers live in the theatre, perform day after day, and fulfill family traditions and eager children’s hearts.  In preparation for December’s busy month, dancehealthier will conclude it’s November Movement Wednesday theme – Stress Management for the dancer, in hopes that it will come in handy in the weeks to come.  In earlier November weeks, I covered two stress management techniques including, Yogic or Pranayama Breathing and Progressive Muscle Relaxation.  Today I will discuss the remaining two topics – Biofeedback & Visual Imagery.

It is important to mention that the stress management techniques discussed in detail this month may not appeal to all individual’s needs and personalities.  Instead, the intention is to serve as an educational tool/reference, reminder and/or motivator.  I do, however, hope that you find these techniques helpful.

Biofeedback:

The objective of biofeedback is to simply bring awareness of psychological processes to which individuals are not normally aware of through the use of instrumentation.  This is brought to awareness by enhancing awareness of internal states connected with deep levels of relaxation.  The simple form of feedback, which I believe is most appropriate for the dancer, can be obtained by biodots.  Biodots are miniature thermometers that measure skin temperature, which generally indicate skin temperature variance and are triggered at a temperature higher than 87 deg F.  A biodot can be applied anywhere on the body, but typically is placed at the dip between the thumb and forefinger.  Biofeedback is used to assist stress level awareness, which in time helps to trigger useful application of coping mechanisms.

Biodot Color Chart

Color Changes on Biodots and their Interpretations chart:                                   COLOR – TEMPERATURE – INTERPRETATION

  • Black – 87.5 deg F – Indication of highly tense moment
  • Amber – 89.6 deg F – Indicative of tense moment
  • Yellow – 90.6 deg F – Unsettled
  • Green – 91.6 deg F – Involved with the things going on around the person
  • Turquiose – 92.6 deg F – Starting to relax
  • Blue – 93.6 deg F – Calm
  • Violet – 94.6 deg F – Very relaxed

Biodots can be purchased from Biodot International, P.O. Box 2246, Indianapolis, IN 46206, (317) 637-5776.

Visual Imagery:

Visual Imagery for a dancer can be quite helpful and many of us probably already use it.  Simply, visual imagery is mental visualization with the help of imagination.  It is somewhat analogous to dreaming.  It is based on the principal that whatever we think and imagine will have a deep impact on our body.  Regular visual imagery training, makes it possible for any dancer/athlete, in all spheres of life, to mentally visualize situations before they occur.  With regular practice of this technique, performance has been shown to improve.  Specifically, dancers can practice this technique for class, rehearsal, performance, and throughout injury recovery.  Visual Imagery may also be helpful within the context of relaxation.  Imagining relaxing scenes and images may be a useful way to bring about relaxation.

**Thanks to all dancehealthier readers and subscribers for all of your support so far. If interested, you may subscribe to dancehealthier at the right hand side of the homepage.  You will only be e-mailed when new posts are published. Dancehealthier also has a facebook page.  To check it out, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.**

Reference:

Sharma, M., & Romas, J. A. (2007). Practical Stress Management, A Comprehensive        Workbook for Managign Change and Promoting Health – 4th Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.

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Behind the Writer

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I hope everyone had a nice, relaxing, and food filled Thanksgiving.  For today’s Conversation Sunday piece I’m going to share some of my answers to questions asked to me by a great dancer blog, DIYdancer!  I hope you enjoy this read and if you get the chance, be sure to check out DIYdancer.

Blog: What inspired you to create your blog, dancehealthier.com?

Jill:  I had been thinking about creating this blog for sometime, but really what triggered its start-up was graduating from college.  While in college, I worked hard studying and preparing to become a health educator, all while knowing that I wasn’t quite ready for my dancing days to be over post graduation.  Selfishly I use the blog to keep my mind fresh and focused on health related material while gaining a deeper passion for educating others.  I’m thankful that this blog is allowing me to reassure my passion for health while (hopefully) helping others along the way.  One day while interning this summer I asked my supervisor, Jill Vonderhaar Nader, what she thought about my idea and from then on she encouraged me to press the publish key.  Finally, I believe there is a lack of dancer specific health education programs out there and so I hope that dancehealthier.com will encourage further growth on the subject.

Blog: What is your background with this topic?

Jill: I will admit I have a lot more experience and background on the dancer side of the integration.  I have been dancing virtually my entire life, and thankfully professionally for the past 10 years.  Throughout most of my professional career I attended college classes at night, on-line, or in the summers and recently in August I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education with a focus in public health.  I have also interned with Jacqui Haas, director of Dance Medicine Wellington, as well as Jill Vonderhaar Nader at Prehab Pilates and Physical Therapy.

Blog: Where do you see this project going/what are your goals in creating the blog?

Jill: I don’t know exactly where this project will go but I do have many hopes and ideas.  In many ways I think it is hard to foresee the future and so planning too much sometimes becomes a tricky thing. I’m however optimistic and very hopeful in continuing this blog as long as I feel that people are being impacted.  I have a strong desire to promote and educate dancer wellness, so whether that means I take it upon myself to develop and implement programs myself, or work to spread the already existing programs out there, is still undecided.  Other goals of mine include providing health workshops for summer dance programs around the country, promote community dancer health programs, and holding health conventions/seminars for professional ballet dancers.  How I get there, or whether I do, is all in the process.

Blog: Do you find that health is encouraged in the dance world? Are there mixed signals at times for dancers?

Jill: One reason for starting up this blog is that I believe there is a lack of emphasize or encouragement for overall health promotion in the dance world.  Other than a rare nutritionist talk here or there (which let’s be honest – is not always so helpful), there tends to be an overall lack of education on balanced health.  My blog is built around the theory which I believe lacks emphasize in the dance world.  The theory of balanced health includes six dimensions, all pulling from different directions to create a continuum of balance and purposeful direction to self.  These dimensions include physical, social, mental, emotional, spiritual and environmental.  Dancers have a high level of demand for performance, often times feeling pressure to be perfect.  The loads of pressure and stress that is put on a dancer, especially at a young age, often times creates mixed signals for dancers.  These mixed signals can often times lead to poor health decisions.  However, with proper attention to educating and promoting health, I hope that dancers of all ages can put more thought and attention into making dance/health related decisions.  Ultimately, peak performance is generated when dance and health work in concert.

Blog: What do you do to stay healthy? How do you integrate health into your dance practice?

Jill: No one is perfect, and I will be the first to admit that to be in “perfect health” (if there is such a thing) would be impossible.  Balance, however in my mind, has always been a key characteristic of health.  In high school I advocated for a sense of balance from my strict but amazing ballet teacher, Timothy Draper.  Now looking back, I think he understood my needs more than I thought, when he ACTUALLY allowed me to go to my high school prom, as well as attend my senior trip to Boston.  I extended this trend later on when I attended college while dancing professionally, as well as always finding time for “non-dance” related activities.  So I guess, the way I stay healthy is by balancing myself. Balancing my professional career, my education, my family, my friends, my social life, my eating, my mind, and where I spend my time.  I find that when I’m most balanced, I’m most confident and my dancing feels the best.

**Thanks to all dancehealthier readers and subscribers for all of your support so far. If interested, you may subscribe to dancehealthier at the right hand side of the homepage.  You will only be e-mailed when new posts are published. Dancehealthier also has a facebook page.  To check it out, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.**

Ambition at its very best. . . Barre – A Real Food Bar!

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“We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” ~ Alice May Brock

Julia and Aaron in action!

Dancers tend to be ambitious people.  Luckily, our ambition (in most cases) tends to stick to us like glue, naturally creating new fascinating and desirable paths for us to experience and share. I recently had the privilege to talk with cofounders, Julia Erickson and Aaron Ingly, of Barre – A Real Food Bar. Julia, a Principal with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre along with her husband Aaron, a retired dancer from PBT, serve as perfect examples of dancers whose ambition is far from being on the shy side. Today, Julia and Aaron are on the fast track with their new business endeavor – Barre – A Real Food Bar. It all began with a little heart, creativity, intelligence, but most importantly the glue that stuck. . .  Ambition to create healthier lives for dancers.

*By the way, a portion of the proceeds benefits arts education!

dancehealthier:  Tell us, what is Barre – A real food for dancers – and what inspired you guys to create this product?

Barre:  As I’ve gained experience as a dancer, I’ve become increasingly more attuned to how I fuel my body. I created Barre because I was looking for a better pre and post rehearsal snack. I started futzing around in the kitchen, getting creative, and realized I could make something more nutritious and tastier than the bars out there on the market. You know how we, as dancers, are always trying to find that perfect pre-show snack…something that’ll support you yet not weigh you down? I’d found it! I designed Barre to serve dancers perfectly as a balanced source of slow and fast burning carbs, protein, fiber, and naturally occurring electrolytes – to provide great energy, muscle support and recovery. My creation was a hit at PBT among my colleagues; Aaron and I then got to thinking that we should share it with the rest of the dance world and beyond.

dancehealthier:  What is Barre’s mission?

Barre:  This is our mission statement:  In order to fuel their bodies for top athletic performance in rehearsal and on stage while remaining lean, dancers have very specific nutritional needs. The mission of Barre is to provide exceptional nutritional fortification—inspired by these needs—for dancers and everyone else who demands clean, wholesome, nutritious and great tasting sustained energy. To accomplish this goal, Barre produces and distributes health-minded snacks and performance products specially formulated to live up to the rigors of such a demanding artist-athlete lifestyle. Barre supplies all levels of the performing arts and related exercise industries from studio to stage. But this isn’t the limit of Barre’s scope: the attention to detail given to nutrition by dancers can benefit people in all walks of life, whether it be picking up your kids from school, running a 5k, or combating the dreaded midday office slump. Barre uses simple ingredients that everyone can pronounce, in their purest and most unadulterated form. And while good nutrition is the foundation of wellness, as artists we believe great taste is paramount! When all natural, healthy ingredients are artfully combined, nutrition and taste need not be mutually exclusive. We believe in aiding performance in the fine art of life through our superior quality gourmet nutrition products.

dancehealthier:  What flavors do you currently have on the market?

Barres!

Barre:  We currently have two main flavors, Pirouette Cinnamon Pecan and Black Swan Chocolate Berry, on the market. We also have a limited edition flavor, Pirouette Crunch, which has an extra added crunch.

dancehealthier:  The barre is good, tasty and pure – using only real ingredients? How important is it for barre to promote healthy nutrition for dancers?

Barre:  We saw a void in the dance world of healthy, readily accessible snacks, and we have set out to change that. We’d love for Barre to be sold at every dance studio in America – so kids and adults alike are never presented with that situation we’ve all been in: when there is no healthy snack around so you’re forced to eat something not great or witness your energy level suffer and risk injury. It is so important that good nutrition is advocated for in the dance world, because it is an environment with a naturally high risk for disordered eating. This being said, it seems that more than ever dancers are embracing healthfulness as the new paradigm for success, and we are thrilled to partake in this positive change! Our charge is really to help educate dancers and their families about why it is so important to take great care, through great nutrition, of the very tool with which we perform our art. And to make great nutrition readily accessible!

dancehealther:  If barre could give dancers any piece of advice, with integration of dance and health in mind – what would it be?

Barre:  Work hard, stay balanced, and eat well!

To order barre, be sure to visit http://realfoodbarre.com/products-page/.  If you think could/should/would be interested in carrying Barre – pilates/yoga/dance studios/stores, of course including your workplace (if you think there’s a place for it there) feel free to contact Julia and Aaron for further inquiry at info@realfoodbarre.com.

**Thanks to all dancehealthier readers and subscribers for all of your support so far. If interested, you may subscribe to dancehealthier at the right hand side of the homepage.  You will only be e-mailed when new posts are published. Dancehealthier also has a facebook page.  To check it out, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.**

November’s Theme: Stress Management with This Week’s Focus on Progressive Muscle Relaxation

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Thanks to Kathleen Rae Theilhelm (Bejart Ballet Lausanne) for last week’s Conversation Sunday – Behind the Scenes Interview.  Click HERE to take a look!  I’m also stoked to publish this coming Conversation Sunday Post – An interview with founders, Julia Erickson and Aaron Ingley, of Barre – A real food.  I’m taken aback by their talent, dedication, and mission to make a dancer’s world healthier.  It’s a must read!

Continuing along with November’s Movement Wednesday Stress Management Theme, I will discuss yet another technique that I find enticing and above all, quite helpful for dancers. With Nutcracker approaching, it’s a good time to utilize our limited downtime to rest and relieve any unneeded stress and/or anxiety.  It is important to mention that the stress management techniques discussed in detail this month may not appeal to all individual’s needs and personalities.  Instead, the intention is to serve as an educational tool/reference, reminder and/or motivator.

The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. ~ Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) was first designed by a Chicago Physician Edmund Jacobson, with the intention to ease tension of patients heading into surgery. Therefore, Jacobson taught his patients to first consciously contract a small muscle group (hand) and then gradually release the contraction to achieve a relaxed state. This process was repeated for all the muscle groups of the entire body. Over time, this method has been proven to be an applicable way to achieve desired relaxation of skeletal muscles, the mind and internal organs.  Over seven decades of collecting data in order to evaluate the effectiveness of PMR, this method has proven efficacy in reducing tension and stress.

Compared to last week’s exercise on Yogic or Pranayama breathing, PMR takes a bit more time, commitment and energy.  However for dancers, the amount of strenuous demands we place on our entire musculoskeletal system is enormous, making this technique fully worth the effort.

PMR Exercise: 

Preparation: Find a quiet place with no interruptions for 30 minutes.  Lying-down in supine position with arms placed along the body and eyes closed is proven most effective.

Step 1: Relaxation of the Arms (6 minutes)

  • Clench the left fist
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the left hand
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the left hand
  • Repeat for right fist
  • Bend the left arm at the elbow
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the left arm
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the left arm
  • Repeat for the right elbow
  • Repeat sequence for both arms together
Step 2: Relaxation of the legs (7 minutes)
  • Bend the left foot upward
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the left foot
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the left foot
  • Bend the left foot downward
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the left foot
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the left foot
  • Now repeat sequence for bending the right foot upward, followed by repeating the downward sequence
  • Bend the left leg at the knee and tighten
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of left leg and thigh
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the left leg and thigh
  • Repeat sequence for right leg at knee
  • Bend both knees together, and repeat the same sequence using both legs together
Step 3: Relaxation of the face (5 minutes)
  • Place wrinkles on the forehead by lifting the eyebrows
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the forehead
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the forehead
  • Frown by drooping the eyebrows and repeat the sequence
  • Close both eyes tightly shut and repeat the same sequence
  • Clench the jaw and repeat the same sequence
  • Purse the lips tightly and repeat the same sequence
Step 4: Relaxation of the Neck and Shoulders (6 minutes)
  • Bend the neck gently forward
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the neck
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the neck
  • Bend the neck gently backwards and repeat the sequence
  • Bend the neck gently to the right and repeat the sequence
  • Bend the neck gently to the left and repeat the sequence
  • Shrug the left shoulder to touch the earlobe and repeat the sequence
  • Shrug the right shoulder to touch the earlobe and repeat the sequence
Step 5:  Relaxation of the trunk (2 minutes)
  • Inhale deeply to tighten the chest muscles
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the chest
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the chest
  • Exhale with force to tighten the abdominal muscles
  • Feel the tightness in the muscles of the abdomen
  • Now, let go
  • Feel the relaxation in the muscles of the abdomen
Step 6:  Relaxation of the Whole Body (4 minutes) 
  • Give yourself autosuggestions for each muscle group that you have worked on.  For example it may be helpful to say,”My feet are relaxed, my ankles are relaxed, my legs are relaxed, etc.”  Basically you want to tie all of your work together to conclude the exercise.
Thanks to all my readers and subscribers for all of your support so far.  If interested, you may subscribe to dancehealthier at the right hand side of the homepage.  You will only be e-mailed when new posts are published.  Dancehealthier also has a facebook page.  To check it out, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.
Reference:

Sharma, M., & Romas, J. A. (2007). Practical Stress Management, A Comprehensive        Workbook for Managign Change and Promoting Health – 4th Ed. Pearson Education, Inc.