A dynamic form of exercise like dancing, engaging multiple muscle groups requires you to choose an appropriate diet to meet the body’s healthy needs. The human body here is like a car. Both may look great from the outside but in the case of a car, it won’t get very far without a tank full of gas and engine topped up with oil and water. In such a case, the performance will also be disappointing. This is similar for humans as well For dance, food and liquid are the fuels for peak performance and an aesthetically pleasing body.
A dancer on a regular day must aim to eat 2 carbohydrate
rich foods at every meal and at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per
day to sustain enough energy for dance. Protein intake, for anyone involved in
physical activities is Essential for muscle growth and bone health. It should
be 12-15% of the daily food intake. Protein can be obtained from eggs, lean
meat, soy, beans and low fat dairy.
Pre-workout meals, post-workout meals, rest day meals.
Etc, everything has an impact on the athletic performance of a person.
Recovering and eating better today means you can perform better tomorrow.
Knowing what nutrients are important to consume before a workout can help a
person gain more energy to perform.
Some basic concepts of
nutrition if you're looking to improve athletic performance:
Nutrient timing may be beneficial without the need of being
overly complicated.
Consuming high quality protein is essential before and
after dancing. This helps to benefit your overall body composition, performance,
and tone. This being said, one isn't required to go crazy with the nutrients.
Simply including some high protein foods you enjoy eating during the day is
enough to keep you active.
You need to eat enough calories
While dancers have enough knowledge on the amount of food
needed to be consumed. Both overeating and undereating are controllable but the
one which becomes a cause of greater concern is undereating. This is because of
the physical demands dancers (and any
athletes) place on their bodies. Under eating can have the following negative
effects for athletes:
●
Increased risk of injury
●
Increased risk for nutrient
deficiencies
●
Decreased energy
●
Decreased athletic
performance
●
Reduced ability to repair
and strengthen muscles
●
Decreased immune function
Aim for a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein (in grams).
What does that look like? For the sake of easy numbers,
let's say you have a serving of chicken breast that has about 30g of protein,
you would want to have a serving of white rice with about 90g of carbohydrates.
Calorie and macronutrient counting can be mentally
unhealthy for a lot of people and can take the joy out of eating. You don't
have to be exact and can instead use visuals to ensure you're getting enough
nutrients. For example: rice covers 2/3 of your plate while chicken covers 1/3.
Again, you'll know what works best for your body based on how you feel: be
patient, and listen!
It's
important for dancers to develop a healthy relationship with food
Though right nutrition is important for dancers, aiming
for perfect nutrition isn't the aim here. Having a healthy and balanced
lifestyle is more important. Food should be seen as a fun part of your regular
day where you enjoy what you eat. This means understanding that there is just
as much room for pasta and an Aperol spritz on a Saturday as there is for kale
and tempeh on a Wednesday. Your body is super strong and super smart. Yes, it
needs fuel to perform, but there's also plenty of room in an athlete's life to
eat for other reasons like enjoyment, celebration or socialisation. Online hobby classes are a great way to
stay active.
