Health_and_Wellbeing

Dancers often neglect the health of their bones, yet their neglect can compromise their overall health says Nicolette Aisen a sports dietian specialising in Dance.

At around 20 years of age, bones have generally reached their peak strength, commonly referred to as the "peak bone mass". At about 35 years of age, the bones slowly start to lose calcium, up to one per cent a year, except during menopause when the calcium is lost at a faster rate.

Weight bearing activities, such as dance, help increase or maintain "peak bone mass". In adolesence a dancer's exercise helps build bone mass, while in adulthood it plays a vital part in maintaining the bone mass established earlier in life.

If "peak bone mass" is low or decreases, the bones may be more vulnerable to breakage. This is particularly important to dancers, who may find themselve with ongoing stress fractures.

Of course, an adequate intake of calcium is important for dancers of all ages. The best source of calcium comes from dairy products. The calcium found in these foods (such as milk, cheese and yoghurt) is more easily absorbed by the body than other calcium containing foods. As a guide, the following foods contain approx. 300mg of calcium:

* 35g cheddar cheese
* 250ml milk
* 200g yoghurt
* 135g ricotto cheese
* 100g sardines or salmon (with bones)

Unfortunately as adults we tend to limit our dairy intake with the perception that all dairy products are high in fat. This is inaccurate. An extensive range of low fat dairy options is available. Dairy food also contain other important nutrients such as protein (for muscle repair), carbohydrate (for energy) and vitamins A,B and D.

Excessive protein, salt, caffeine and alcohol interfere with the absorption of calcium, but their effect is not as significant if the recommended daily intake of calcium is met.

In conclusion, dancers of all ages should be aware of the consequences of limiting their calcium intake, even if those consequences are far off in the future. With the extensive range of low fat products available today, there is no excuse for dancers not to include dairy foods in their daily intake.

For a variety of different reasons (excuses?) many people feel they cannot walk away from a boring and unsatisfactory job to secure themselves something more satisfactory and personally fulfilling to do. Okay... you hate your job but you feel you can't quit. I get that! But regardless of whether you hate your job or love your work we all have experienced work burn out at some time or another. Daily routines and mundane tasks can feel like drudgery or become a stressful burden for all of us.

The first step to being happier in your job is realizing you are burning out. The next step is making changes that allow you to climb up and out of the burn out cycle you are in the midst of. If you don't do it soon your overall health will be at risk.

MAKING CHANGES

Change Your Focus

Q. Is your job your life? Or is your job your job?

A. Your job is your life if you are allowing it to consume you by not taking time off, not leaving at a decent hour, not breaking for lunch, bringing your work home after hours and working night and day.

Set Limits/Boundaries
Avoid bringing your work home. If you have an home office, then decide on a certain time each day to shut the door to your office (lock the door if you have to). Never mind that the office phone is ringing or your computer is bleating You've Got Mail. You're no longer at work! Ignore it. The answering machine will record your calls, and your e-mail will be waiting for you the next day.

Spend Your Lunch Break Differently
If you usually have lunch alone, ask a co-worker to join you or have a friend or spouse meet you out somewhere for lunch. If you generally eat with your co-workers it is likely you are spending your break in the midst of office discussions or politics. These types of lunch chatter aren't normally conducive to good digestion, and is certainly not a real break from your job. Instead of eating with your co-workers.... go off by yourself. Brown bag it at least once a week and find a place outside to enjoy your peanut butter sandwich and fruit cup.

Re-organize/Re-prioritize Your Schedule
If you are disorganized in your work schedule it is time to take the bull by the horns and build some kind of structure that will make your work routine flow better, thus reducing your stress level. On the other hand, if you are the type of individual who keeps to a strict schedule consider juggling things around a bit. Most jobs involve a variety of tasks. As long as you perform the tasks required it likely is okay to change the order they are accomplished.

Examples:

Office Worker: Make your phone calls to your clients in the afternoon instead of first thing in the morning allowing you to get caught up on back logged paper work while your mind is fresh and uncluttered.

Food Service: Prepare those lunchtime dinner salads at the end of your shift (storing them in the refrigerator overnight) instead of arriving an hour before your shift. This allows you to sleep in an extra hour the next day.

Also, if you are in a position to delegate some of your work on to others... do it, don't assume you have to do everything.

Plan A Vacation
Everyone needs a break, whether you are a stay-at-home mom, the president of a company, self-employed, or an employee. If you have vacation time, even if it is only a 2-3 day week-end get out of town! Staying at home during vacation breaks is fine for some people who understand how to relax, but often times workaholic type individuals tend to slave away when at home doing yard work or household repairs.

Don't Forget To Play
Try not to take life so seriously. Keep your heart light. Fear of not meeting deadlines and burying yourself in work, becoming a slave to your tasks is not in your best interest. Surprisingly, taking time out each day to play, exericise, and/or meditate will magically alter your psyche and will awaken your body, mind and spirit. Afterwards, you will miraculously begin to feel more refreshed when you tackle the tasks required on the job.

Make time for youself and especially make the time for your Irish Dancing Classes!!!

BEAT THE HEAT

As the temperatures rises, keep drinking � writes Nicolette Aisen.

Summer is a great time of the year, but the heat can be detrimental to a dancer�s performance if care is not taken to avoid dehydration. A well dehydrated dancer will function at a superior level and also be less prone to injury than on who trains in an even slightly dehydrated state.

When dancers train they produce body heat which, in turn, is ost via sweat. During a high intensity dance class, in a hot environment, as much as two to three litres of fluid per hour can be lost through sweat. Typically though, most dancers can expect to lose approximately one litre of sweat per hour. Sweat keeps the body cool by evaporating on the skin. Make sure you wear appropriate clothes to allow this to happen. For example, avoid tight, clinging clothes and sweat pants.

In general, the rate of sweating depends upon the training intensity, body size, air temperature and humidity. If fluid lost through sweating is not replaced, then dehydration will have an affect on the dancer�s overall well being. Some common symptoms from dehydration include:

# Cramping
# Fatigue
# Headaches
# Nausea

The symptoms above will obviously result in a decreased performance level.

Dancers should ensure they are well hydrated before training, rehearsal or performance and it is vital to consume fluids up to this time. Some dancers worry that they may feel bloated and that the fluid will �slosh� around in their stomach. However, this is unlikely to occur with the right fluid and timing. One litre of fluid an hour prior to training or performance should allow time for the stomach to empty. Also, every effort should be made to maintain the fluid intake during activity. Try to drink 150-250ml every 15 minutes. Obviously, these quantities are the ideal and may not be totally practical for everyone.

To monitor and estimate how much fluid you usually lose. Weigh yourself before and after training or performing. Every kilogram lost represents one litre of fluid. If you know how much fluid you have lost, then your should plan to consume an extra 50 percent over the next couple of hours to bring back your fluid balance. As an example, consume 1.5 litres if you have lost 1kg.

Alcohol will interfere with rehydration. If you want to drink alcohol, consider your recovery needs first, then enjoy a sensible amount.

Water is one of the best fluids: it is cheap, readily available and free of kilojoules. However, if you find it boring, you might prefer sports drinks. In addition to flavour, sports drinks provide the carbohydrates which can help top up the glucose levels. The sodium found in these types of drinks also aids in increasing the body�s absorption of fluid.

Dancers can be big consumers of coffee and cola diet drinks, both which contain high levels of caffeine. Caffeine acts as diuretic (as does alcohol), and actually depletes the body of fluids. (In other words, you lose more fluid than you actually take in). If you must have these type of drinks, make sure you drink plenty of water at the same time.

Fluids play an extremely important role in the maintenance of our bodies. This summer, be aware of the role fluid balance plays in your daily dancing life and drink up!!!!

(Nicolette Aisen is a sports dietitian specialising in dance, specifically the adolescent dancer. She is the director of a dance school in north-west Melbourne)

Article from DANCE Australia magazine - December/Janaury Issue

Feng Shui and your Sports/Dance bag

The Principles of feng shui - the ancient Chinese art of understanding the energy in your environment - are incorporated into the most major building plans throughout Asia.

"A property with good feng shui means its occupants will have better health, wealth and happiness," explains Julie Rocka, Principal of the Feng Shui college of Melbourne, Australia. And the same theories apply to the smaller things in life�.. such as you sports/dance bag.

"A sports bag is an important symbol of what you are trying to achieve with your exercise," says Julie.

WHAT TYPE?

FOR FUN: "If you're doing your chose sport for fun, you should have a softer textured, "fiery" bag - such as triangular-shaped one, and bright red in colour"

FOR WINNING: "If you're more serious, the colour needs to be something that inspires you, with more pockets and more compartments to organise your things. It should be a rounder shape, because this relates to metal elements and carries the idea of routine and structure"

FOR STABILITY: "A bag that's yellow, earthy or brown/gold in colour is best for stability, for someone who won't sprint to the finishing line, but still has serious staying power"

AND INSIDE YOUR BAG........

Julie also has some feng shui tips for all the bits and pieces inside your bag.

"Always try to take out your dirties at night, then re-pack clean clothes the next morning - that's the positive, empowering 'Yang' time of the day," she says.

And while it's neat and tidy for everything to have it's place, Julie warns against being too strictly organised.

"If a bag is too 'tight', it means that you are being too stagnant, or unbending with your sport, and that rigidity can increase your chances of injury such as strained muscles," she says.

"Basically, a healthy sports bag equates to a healthy body and mind".

Article from "Good Medicine" Magazine - September 2001 issue