Likely the most common new year’s resolution for anyone is to lose weight, which of course includes exercise. For dancers, staying in shape is all the more vital. I have a confession: I am OUT of shape. When I drag myself out onto the dance floor, I end up huffing and puffing before too long. It’s awful. I have a pretty legitimate excuse, I’m pregnant. However, exercise during pregnancy is also important. I gotta get moving!
When I am going strong, here’s my fitness routine to get in shape for dancing:
- Aerobic exercise every other day (step-aerobics, fast dancing, treadmill, or whatever strikes my fancy that day)
- Every fourth day I do 20 minutes strength training for my lower body/core.
- On the remaining days I do 20 minutes strength training for my upper body.
- I do a little stretching daily. (Usually yoga.)
- So, it looks like this: aerobics, lower body, aerobics, upper body, repeat.
I got this routine from my personal adaptation of the “Body for Life” workout. (Which I’ve never read, but was told about it by my MIL.)
I don’t count a night out dancing as exercise, even though it could be.
I wouldn’t say I’m anyone to look up to when it comes to fitness, though. I don’t work myself hard enough, and I give up really easily. I would do better with a personal trainer pushing me to work harder, but who wouldn’t? I’d love some advice here:
- What’s your dance fitness routine?
- What keeps you motivated?
- Do you count a night out dancing as exercise?
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*Photo by “Homies in Heaven” on flickr.
1 response so far ↓
1 kait // Jan 9, 2008 at 12:07 pm
first off, i’m chubbier than i want to be! but i’m fairly sure it’s more of a chocolate/late-night diner food problem than an exercise one.
lately, it’s been the gym 3 days a week (my company’s been bringing in a trainer to torture us, so that’s generally an hour mix of ever-more-challenging weights and calisthenics and cardio), plus 2 or more nights of dancing… then jogging or hiking or something at least one day of the weekend if it’s not a dance event.
having a routine and being at least a little accountable for it seems to work best for me — if there are people expecting me to be in a class, i’ll be there.
and, on the one hand, dancing is too much fun to count as exercise! on the other, though, i can’t mix too much other serious training and too much dancing — when i tried starting a marathon training program while dancing regularly, my knees wouldn’t take it because they weren’t getting REAL rest days. so i modulate based on what my body can do–i try to fit in other cardio, but i don’t feel too bad if i don’t.
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