Recovery

I'm always in the best shape at the end of a season with The New York City Ballet. My stamina is awesome and I feel good about my weight. Some of us celebrate the end of a hard season with a big celebratory meal together. The group of us that goes out for dinner after the last show of the season is usually dancing every night with multiple ballets a night. Therefore, we feel the need to have a big meal to replenish ourselves. The week following my last show, I am always hungry and trying to eat as much as I can. I never feel satisfied with the amount of food I can intake; I call this the post season depletion. I thought that it would be nice to share a daily routine of a dancer who just ended a season. I want to show nutritious meals and snacks I have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as ways to recover from a hard season.

The next day after the season ends, I try to sleep in as much as possible. I truly believe that your body heals when you sleep, so the more the better! When I wake up, I continue to do my normal morning exercises, the ones I posted in Three Quick Exercises that Will Reduce Stress, including an abdominal series and stabilization exercises. However, I take my time doing them since I am in no rush to get to work. I think it is important to keep with a routine even when we are off from work because if you don't keep up with your exercises it will be so much harder to come back from break, ready to dance. After I finish my morning mini-workout, I make breakfast. For breakfast I have a smoothie and a big bowl of cereal. The recipes are:

Cereal:                                                

• Trader Joe's Granola                           
• Handful of walnuts
• Handful of almonds
• Half a banana
• 4 to 5 strawberries
• Dash of cinnamon
• Almond milk

Smoothie:

• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• 1/2 a frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter
• 1 tablespoon of maca powder
• 1 table spoon of cacao powder
• Dash of cinnamon
• Handful of cashews                                        

After I'm finished with breakfast, I spend some time at my apartment. During the season it is hard to find time to clean and do laundry, so when the season is over I spend a good amount of time cleaning my apartment and doing loads of laundry. It is refreshing to be at my apartment during the day since it is so rare that I get to be any place other than the theater.

Depending on how long I am cleaning or doing errands around my apartment, I go to pilates or gyrotonics for a private hour long session and then have lunch or vice-versa. When I'm off from work, I benefit greatly from pilates or gyrotonics. I feel like I can work on things in pilates and gyrotonics that can help my dancing become stronger and more fluid. Below is a picture of me doing a pilates move that helps me engage my abdominals, butt muscles, and stablizes my shoulder muscles. Its called the Elephant on the Wunda Chair.

Below is a picture of me doing arm exercises in gyrotonics. These exercises help me stabilize my shoulders and abdominal while using my butt muscles:

For lunch I like to have a big salad, with a ton of stuff in it! 

Salad:

• A bunch of organic mixed greens including kale
• Shredded carrots
• Beets
• Quinoa
• Sweet potato
• Shrimp or chicken                                                
• Hummus                                          
• Broccoli                                             
• Cauliflower
• Corn
• Tomatoes
• Feta cheese

After I have lunch and workout I like to relax and catch up on a book or t.v. show that I didn't have time to watch during the season. A layoff from work means time for me to watch the shows I've missed and read as many books as possible. At the moment, I am reading I See You Made an Effort by Annabelle Gurwitch.

I like to read books that make me laugh. Also shows that make me laugh are my favorites. A guilty pleasure t.v. show that I like to watch is Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

When I finish the season I like to get a massage to release the tight muscles I've acquired. Like I've said in my previous post, Post Workout Fuel, it's important to get your muscles released to prevent injury. I like to get a massage at night because it's a nice way to unwind and relax at the end of the day. 

For dinner I'll usually make something light:

Dinner:

• A nice fresh wild caught piece of salmon                   
• Asparagus
• Quinoa or brown rice                            

Dessert:

• Bowl of greek yogurt
• Mixed nuts
• Blueberries or peaches
• Dark chocolate chips
• Peanut-butter                           

After dinner I will either take an epsom salt bath, which is good for recovering muscles or take a hot shower. I like to stretch after I take a shower, when my muscles are still warm. Doing easy stretches before bed clams me down and helps me sleep better. Its is important to get a good nights sleep so I'm well rested in the morning to get up and do my routine all over again!