How to lose weight for ballet dancers

The 8 Best Weight Loss Tips For Serious Dancers — Ballet Folklorico de Los Angeles

Why do you dance?

Well, I dance for the same reason that I live, which is the mind, the body and the soul! I believe that for the serious dancer, dancing should be a way of life. How can you be in true harmony with life, if you only have the mindset of a dancer, the spirit of a dancer, but ...you are out of shape and/or overweight?

(Oops! I can hear it now, a lot of angry folk yelling at me for what I just said!)

But think about it...

True dancing should cater to the overall essence of your existence which is being in harmony with your life. When one of these elements, the mental, spiritual and physical, is out of balance it is almost impossible to give yourself IN FULL to your audience.

So I ask again, why do you dance?

You see, it is your responsibility, as a dancer, to deliver the HIGHEST VALUE and RESPECT to your audience, by keeping your physical body as healthy, fit and beautiful as possible. How can you deliver your BEST performance if you are out of shape? Think of it as if you were an Olympic athlete who is going for the gold!

Now, if you are just starting out, or have not danced for several years, it's normal to be out of shape or overweight. It's not a bad thing, and I'm not here to talk down to anyone. But, if you are serious about this profession, then you understand the importance of delivering to your audience the VALUE they deserve, which is your BEST you!

So, to help you out, what I have done below is listed the "8 Best Weight Loss Tips for Serious Dancers."

#1 DRINK 10 GLASSES OF WATER DAILY

Dancers should drink at least 10 glasses of water daily. Drinking water can boost your body's ability to burn fat. Studies show that drinking water increases a person's metabolic rate by 30% and that even mild dehydration can slow down metabolism by as much as 3%. Studies also show that drinking water before meals can help fill you up so that you don't overeat.

#2 GET A LEAST 8 HOURS OF SLEEP DAILY

Being short on sleep can most definitely affect your weight. When you lack sleep you might be tempted to skip exercise, or in your case, dance rehearsal (too tired). A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that when people are in need of sleep, late night snacking increases, and they are more likely to choose high-carb snacks. A sleepy brain and body appears to crave junk food and lacks the impulse control to say no to certain foods.

#3 FAST 14-16 HOURS PER DAY

Fasting is a great method for losing weight. When I say fasting, I don't mean to say that you're not going to eat anything for days. There is a method to be followed. Fast for 14 (women) to 16 (men) hours each day, and then “feed” for the remaining eight to 10 hours. During the fasting period, you consume no calories, though black coffee, calorie-free sweeteners, diet soda and sugar-free gum are permitted. What and when you eat during the feeding window also depends on when you workout. On days you exercise, carbs are more important than fat. On rest days, fat intake should be higher.

#4 EAT FOODS THAT EXISTED 10,000 YEARS AGO

If it existed 10,000 years ago, it good for you. If it didn't exist 10,000 years ago, then most likely it's bad for you. Some examples include, meat, fish, veggies, fruits, fats, nuts, and seeds. Protein consumption should be fairly high every day, though it will vary based on goals, gender, age, body fat and activity levels.

#5 STRENGTH TRAIN

There are so many benefits of strength training. Strength training helps keep weight off for good. Strength training translates to more calories burned because you'll burn calories while you're strength training, and your body will continue to burn calories afterward through a process called "physiologic homework." Additionally, it will help you build lean muscle mass and lean muscle will burn fat faster. More calories are used to maintain muscle than fat. Strength training also boosts your metabolism up to 15 percent!

#6 DO BODY STABILIZATION EXERCISES

Top athletes and dancers recognize the importance of stability exercises because it helps them perform better. These exercises benefit your neuromuscular coordination. In other words, they help improve communication between your brain and muscles. Stability exercises also help with muscle isolation and help you burn more calories because your body has to work much harder to stabilize. Something that is also very exciting about these exercises is that they help with core stabilization which translates to better coordination, athletic skill, and POSTURE.

#7 START DOING PILATES

Pilates truly is whole-body fitness. Pilates exercise focuses on core strength which is absolutely necessary for a dancer's movement. You have to have core strength to be a good dancer. Pilates helps build strength and helps develop balanced muscle movement as well as flexibility. Doing Pilates will also help you build strength without bulk and before you know it, you'll have a long and lean appearance.

#8 DO CARDIO AT LEAST 30-60 MINUTES/DAY

Cardio is absolutely necessary to lose weight and live a healthy life. You should do at least 30-60 minutes of cardio on the days when you don't have rehearsal. Another reason to perform cardio is for its effects on your metabolism. Along with speeding up your heart rate, cardiovascular exercise also increases the rate of other processes in your body, AKA YOUR METABOLISM.

Now, you wanna burn fat without spending a lot of time at the gym? Then, do some HIIT Training! HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and it's one of the best ways to burn fat off your body. You can do this outdoors jogging or at the gym on any cardio machine. Just do this for 20 minutes and no more. You're basically going to sprint for one minute and then jog for a minute. Then sprint for a minute and then jog for a minute and you keep doing this until the 20 minutes are up. Try it out. And be ready to sweat!

So remember, if don't feel as confident as you would like to on stage, stop wishing you looked and moved a certain way and start doing. I'll leave you with some words of encouragement.

Believe in yourself. I believe in you!

Maestra Kareli =)

P.S.

Don't forget to leave your questions and/or comments below and share with your friends. Become a VIP Member below to get our latest updates and blog posts!

How to Lose Weight for Ballerinas

Share on Facebook

Ballerinas are required to be slim and muscular, which makes them effective performers. While the potential for eating disorders is high among ballerinas, Linda H. Hamilton, author of "The Dancer's Way: The New York City Ballet Guide to Mind, Body, and Nutrition" suggests weight control practices that help ballerinas stay at a healthy weight without constant dieting.

Calorie Intake

Ballet dancing burns many calories, particularly for professional dancers who practice or perform all day. Restrictive dieting may not give you enough calories to maintain your demanding schedule. The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science recommends getting 45 to 55 calories per 2.2 pounds of body weight. For example, if you weigh 130 pounds, you need about 2,659 to 3,249 calories per day. This might not sound conducive to weight loss, but makes up for the large number of calories you burn doing ballet. If you need to trim down a little bit, cut 500 calories per day for a loss of 1 pound per week. Talk to your doctor before beginning a new diet program.

Food Choices

It is important to get adequate amounts of nutrients to support your ballet training. This is still possible if you are trying to lose weight, but takes careful planning. Safety and Health in Arts Production and Entertainment suggests combining protein and carbohydrates at each meal. This supports energy levels and builds lean muscle, both of which aid in weight loss. Whole-grain bread with peanut butter, oatmeal with nuts, chicken breast with brown rice, salmon with whole-wheat noodles and whole-grain cereal with milk are options that contain carbohydrates and protein, but aren't too high in fat and calories.

Exercise

Exercise is a vital part of losing weight. However, as a ballerina, you already burn hundreds of calories each day. A 130-pound ballerina burns 350 calories per hour during practice and performances. A professional ballerina may burn several thousand calories each day. It isn't always safe to exercise more than this. Talk to your doctor about whether adding some additional exercise to your day is appropriate for weight loss.

Tips

When and how you eat is just as important for losing weight as is what you eat. Safety and Health in Arts Production and Entertainment recommends eating small meals throughout the day and making sure you eat every meal. This gives you consistent energy for your ballet practice and prevents hunger, which can lead to overeating. Don't avoid fat in your diet. Small amounts are necessary for energy and health. Choose healthy sources, such as nuts, avocados and olive oil. Eat a meal within 40 minutes of finishing ballet for the day. This promotes recovery and reduces muscle soreness.

References

Safety and Health in Arts Production and Entertainment: Good Nutrition for Dancers
The Dancer's Way: The New York City Ballet Guide to Mind, Body, and Nutrition; Linda H. Hamilton

Writer Bio

Eliza Martinez has written for print and online publications. She covers a variety of topics, including parenting, nutrition, mental health, gardening, food and crafts. Martinez holds a master's degree in psychology.

Image Credit

Jupiterimages/Pixland/Getty Images

SHARE SHARE TWEET EMAIL

Secrets of losing weight Nikolai Tsiskaridze - how ballet dancers keep fit

Star diets055. 7k.

The famous dancer, ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze is quite strict about his appearance. Despite leaving the big stage, he does not like to relax. With a height of 183 cm, the weight of the honored worker of art does not exceed 70 kg. To keep the body in shape, moderation in nutrition and a high level of physical activity help him.

Gourmet habits

The artist spent his childhood in Tbilisi. On vacation, the family often traveled to Moscow. The nanny of young Nikolay was from Ukraine. Caucasian cuisine was loved and welcomed in the house, rich Russian pastries, dumplings, pancakes and cheesecakes. The favorite dishes of the future ballerun were fried potatoes in butter and homemade cakes with custard. He preferred them even to gentle Georgian satsivi or lobio.

As an adult, Tsiskaridze fell in love with dishes from other peoples of the world: German pork sausages with sauerkraut, French croissants, Japanese sashimi and shabu-shabu. But the main cuisine was still Ukrainian. The taste of black pudding, potato pancakes and Kyiv cake is still dearer to Nikolai than the most expensive delicacies.

Tsiskaridze can discuss restaurant menus, comparing them with home cooking creations, for hours, despite the strict dietary restrictions inherent in people of his profession. As the artist admits, the problem of excess weight during his studies at the ballet school and in the first years of his career did not bother him. Tsiskaridze owes his graceful build to genetics, so in his youth he could eat whatever he wanted, in any quantity. Diet for him remained a conditional concept. The scales invariably showed less than 60 kg, and the waist did not reach 66 cm. All the calories received quickly burned out during intense hours of training.

Years go by, kilograms grow

Having celebrated his 30th birthday, Tsiskaridze began to notice that he had difficulty getting into stage costumes after heavy meals, and his body was gradually losing its former lightness. To cope with the trouble, Nikolai decided to revise the diet and switched to separate meals. Meat dishes began to be consumed with cheese, vegetables and lots of greens. I ate potatoes and pasta separately. For a while, the results were pleasing. However, soon I had to urgently look for a more radical method - there was a responsible performance ahead.

A little bit of everything

To lose a few kilos, Tsiskaridze fasts regularly. For almost two months, the artist does not consume animal fats and favorite meat, thanks to which he achieves the desired result without denying himself pies and sweets.

To get rid of excess body weight without feeling severe hunger and weakness, Pierre Dukan's method helps Nikolai: refusal for several weeks from simple carbohydrates, flour, potatoes, cereals. The diet consists mainly of fish, cottage cheese, eggs and meat.

The artist has been accustomed to discipline since childhood, but he cannot stand the regime of restrictions or mono-nutrition. According to him, not eating is generally much easier than finding out the fat content or calorie content of foods, wondering if the desired dish is harmful.

The method of experiments Tsiskaridze solved the problem with the diet simply. He refused any food after 4 pm.

In the morning the artist drinks black coffee.
Snacks and dine in a restaurant: steak, sausages with cheese.
Periodically orders his favorite fried potatoes, chakhokhbili, khachapuri, meat pie.
For dessert, she can afford a piece of cake with fresh fruit.

After dinner, which is no later than 4:00 pm, Nikolay does not allow himself even a sip of tea. In the summer, in the heat, he even tries not to drink water in the evenings, as he begins to suffer from edema. Such a weight control system helps the artist to keep the weight at the same level and to put on the stage costumes of his youth without any problems.

Tsiskaridze does not do sports additionally. Ballet, according to him, gives the body a load that is incomparable with any type of fitness, and dancing works out and strengthens all muscle groups. Nikolai combines daily teaching activities with home workouts and stretching.

Figure of Nikolai Tsiskaridze, photo of the artist on stage

Loading ...