Not the Calluses!

A callus is a hardened part of the skin usually in an area that is prone to friction. I've included a link that brings you to a better description of a callus and how they are formed.  A dancers foot is known to have many calluses along with many other imperfections like corns, in grown toe nails, blisters etc. Since dancers are in pointe shoes for many hours a day it is inevitable for their feet to form some sort of callus or bunion. 

Going to the nail salon to get a pedicure is a completely different experience now that I've been dancing professionally for seven years. I used to go to the salon without being embarrassed to show my feet. But now, I hear the nail technicians laugh when they see them. There are calluses on almost every one of my toes, but they are needed. I need my calluses so I can prevent blisters. When the nail technicians start to scrub my feet I immediately tell them to stop! I explain that I'm a dancer and that I need the callouses on my toes. The technician usually laughs, probably thinking that I must be crazy for wanting to keep them. 

I think that it is important to mention that the fit of a dancers pointe shoe can alter the amount of blisters, calluses, corns, bunions etc. they get. You can really hurt yourself if your shoe doesn't fit properly. Dancers should be fitted with specific measurements for their own feet to insure that it is the proper size. The New York City Ballet has its own shoe room where they order us our own personal shoes according to our specific measurements. I included a video below showing a dancers perspective on pointe shoes. 

Each dancer has their own requests for what they want done to their shoes. Some want more glue in them to make them harder and some want the side of the shoe cut down so they fit better. It is rare for dancers share the same shoe measurements as well as specifications they want made for their shoes. It can take a little trial and error to finalize how you want your shoes made, but it is important to take the time to make sure they fit properly. 

A Day in the Life

The company I dance for is unique, differing from any other dance company in the world. I think the main difference between us, The New York City Ballet and other companies is the amount of ballets we put on in a season. We perform about 50 ballets in one season. Every rehearsal is precious time because we have so many ballets to learn and only a certain amount of time to learn them. To get a better idea of our daily life, below is a video that looks inside our company. 

In order to rehearse and preform every day without injury it is important to cross train. You need take care of your body to have the stamina to keep up with how hard the New York City Ballet works. I thought it would be nice to show a video of one of the New York City Ballet workouts.

The importance of staying in top condition is crucial. It takes a lot of dedication to do other forms of exercise when you are already dancing all day, but by cross training you are preventing injury. You can really hurt yourself if you just rehearse rehearse rehearse. By doing other forms of exercise you are allowing your muscles to work in different ways, which helps with the wear and tear of doing repetitive dance moves. By going to the gym or doing pilates you are strengthening your muscles so they can be strong enough to be able to rehearse all day. 

For Fitness, Push Yourself

My Pilates teacher shared an article from the NY Times "For Fitness, Push Yourself" with me the other day and I thought it was perfect share with people who are trying to stay in shape. 

From the New York Times:
For Fitness, Push Yourself
By Gretchen Reynolds

Intense exercise changes the body and muscles at a molecular level in ways that milder physical activity doesn’t match, according to an enlightening new study. Though the study was conducted in mice, the findings add to growing scientific evidence that to realize the greatest benefits from workouts, we probably need to push ourselves. 

For some time, scientists and exercise experts have debated the merits of intensity in exercise. Everyone agrees, of course, that any exercise is more healthful than none. But beyond that baseline, is strenuous exercise somehow better, from a physiological standpoint, than a relative stroll? 

There have been hints that it may be. Epidemiological studies of walkers, for instance, have found that those whose usual pace is brisk tend to live longer than those who move at a more leisurely rate, even if their overall energy expenditure is similar.
But how intense exercise might uniquely affect the body, especially below the surface at the cellular level, had remained unclear. That’s where scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in Florida stepped in. 

Already, these scientists had been studying the biochemistry of sympathetic nervous system reactions in mice. The sympathetic nervous system is that portion of the autonomic, or involuntary, nervous system that ignites the fight or flight response in animals, including people, when they are faced with peril or stress. In such a situation, the sympathetic nervous system prompts the release of catecholamines, biochemicals such as adrenaline and norepinephrine that set the heart racing, increase alertness and prime the muscles for getaway or battle.
At Scripps, the scientists had been focusing on catecholamines and their relationship with a protein found in both mice and people that is genetically activated during stress, called CRTC2. This protein, they discovered, affects the body’s use of blood sugar and fatty acids during moments of stress and seems to have an impact on health issues such as insulin resistance. 

The researchers also began to wonder about the role of CRTC2 during exercise.
Scientists long have known that the sympathetic nervous system plays a part in exercise, particularly if the activity is intense. Strenuous exercise, the thinking went, acts as a kind of stress, prompting the fight or flight response and the release of catecholamines, which goose the cardiovascular system into high gear. And while these catecholamines were important in helping you to instantly fight or flee, it was generally thought they did not play an important role in the body’s longer-term response to exercise, including changes in muscle size and endurance. Intense exercise, in that case, would have no special or unique effects on the body beyond those that can be attained by easy exercise. 

But the Scripps researchers were unconvinced. “It just didn’t make sense” that the catecholamines served so little purpose in the body’s overall response to exercise, said Michael Conkright, an assistant professor at Scripps, who, with his colleague Dr. Nelson Bruno and other collaborators, conducted the new research. So, for a study published last month in The EMBO Journal, he and his collaborators decided to look deeper inside the bodies of exercising mice and, in particular, into what was going on with their CRTC2 proteins. 

To do so, they first bred mice that were genetically programmed to produce far more of the CRTC2 protein than other mice. When these mice began a program of frequent, strenuous treadmill running, their endurance soared by 103 percent after two weeks, compared to an increase of only 8.5 percent in normal mice following the same exercise routine. The genetically modified animals also developed tighter, larger muscles than the other animals, and their bodies became far more efficient at releasing fat from muscles for use as fuel.
These differences all were the result of a sequence of events set off by catecholamines, the scientists found in closely examining mouse cells. When the CRTC2 protein received and read certain signals from the catecholamines, it would turn around and send a chemical message to genes in muscle cells that would set in motion processes resulting in larger, stronger muscles. 

In other words, the catecholamines were involved in improving fitness after all.
What this finding means, Dr. Conkright said, is that “there is some truth to that idea of ‘no pain, no gain.’” Catecholamines are released only during exercise that the body perceives as stressful, he said, so without some physical strain, there are no catecholamines, no messages from them to the CRTC2 protein, and no signals from CRTC2 to the muscles. You will still see muscular adaptations, he added, if your exercise is light and induces no catecholamine release, but those changes may not be as pronounced or complete as they otherwise could have been.  

The study also underscores the importance of periodically reassessing the intensity of your workouts, Dr. Conkright said, if you wish to continually improve your fitness. Once a routine is familiar, your sympathetic nervous system grows blasé, he said, holds back adrenaline and doesn’t alert the CRTC2 proteins, and few additional adaptations occur.

The good news is that “intensity is a completely relative concept,” Dr. Conkright said. If you are out of shape, an intense workout could be a brisk walk around the block. For a marathon runner, it would involve more sweat. 

“But the point is to get out of your body’s comfort zone,” Dr. Conkright, “because it does look like there are unique consequences when you do.”

To realize the greatest benefits from exercise, we probably need to ramp up our workouts. It is interesting that a chemical in our bodies sends signals to our muscles when we work out. The harder we work out the more pronounced the results are. Therefore, everyone should get out there start working out hard!

Beach Time

Swimming is such a great way to workout without high impact on your muscles and joints. A great way to swim is in a pool, but swimming in the ocean is overall healthier for your body. The chlorine in the pool dries out your skin as well as stings your eyes tremendously. When I am not home visiting my parents on Cape Cod, I swim at the Reebok Club pool. I think that swimming is so important for my overall fitness health that the chlorine doesn't bother me.

However, if I had a choice, I would always swim in a salt water pool or ocean like I have at home. The beach my family and I go to, which is lucky enough to be walking distance from my house, is called Corporation Beach :

The picture above was taken by my sister during late February at sunset. The beach is so peaceful during the off seasons when no tourists are around yet. I wouldn't recommend swimming in the ocean anytime before late June because the water is freezing! However, once the water warms up it's so wonderful to ride my bike down to the beach and go for a quick swim. The ocean is extremely healing for my skin. I always leave home with better skin than I did when I arrived. Going to the beach for a swim is also a wonderful full body workout. 

Walking on the beach is also another great workout. Since sand is unstable, it is great for people to work on their balance. If you are walking barefoot, walking in the sand is great for strengthening your feet. The tiny muscles in your feet have to work harder while walking in the sand because the surface is much softer and much more uneven then a normal sidewalk. 

This summer, while you're at the beach, make sure to get in the water or take a nice long walk in the sand!

Jazz Festival

Last weekend I had the great pleasure of traveling to Governors Island to see the Jazz Age Lawn Party. One of my friends had an extra ticket, so I got to go! Everyone was dressed in 1920, Great Gatsby themed clothes. Being there, surrounded by everyone dressed up, listening to jazz music, was like going back in time! There were a couple of different bands that played wonderful music. And also lessons on how to swing dance. 

Here is a picture of me and my friend at the party: 

Even though the Jazz Age Lawn Party is a party, there are activities there that are good ways to continue to stay in shape while off from dance. I had never been to Governors Island, and was not expecting it to be as beautiful as it was. There are so many beautiful old buildings and trees located around the island.  The party was located on one of the many open fields Governors Island has. There was a stage and a dance floor where one great activity took place, dancing! Though it was not ballet dancing, swing dancing is a great way to stay in shape. There was a teacher that broke the steps down for us to learn. Once we got the idea of the certain moves, the musicians played wonderful jazz music for us to dance too. It was so much fun to swing dance all dressed in 1920's attire. 

Another great activity to do on Governors Island is to go for a bike ride. It was funny to see people dressed up in 1920's flapper dresses riding bikes, but we decided to do it anyways. There is a beautiful bike path that goes along the river and around the whole island. We rented the bikes for an hour and had a great time exploring the whole island while getting a great workout!

Going to Governors Island is like a mini getaway from the city. It seems like you are no where near the city even though its only a ten minute ferry ride away. The Jazz Age Lawn Party is having another event mid-August. If people are around you should definitely try to go!

Fashions

During this layoff, I didn't get a chance to go home. I usually like to visit my family for a week or so, but this break I had two weddings to attend, forcing me to stay in the city. I don't mind staying in the city on my layoff because it allows me to do things that I usually don't have time for. Since I want to stay in good shape when I'm off, I try to find activities that keep me active. 

Yesterday, I explored the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I consider walking around the Met for a couple of hours a great way to stay active, not only with your body, but also with your mind. When you are walking around the museum, you are exercising your mind by taking in all the information you see from the different artifacts presented.   

One of my good friends told me that there was an exhibit at the Met that showcased evening dresses from the 1940's and 1950's designed by Charles James. This exhibit shows how Charles' beautiful dresses were designed and put together. Each one of them is a piece of art. The dresses and ball gowns are each displayed on a pedestal that has a spotlight and a computer screen informing viewers what fabrics were used in making the dress as well videos showing how the dresses were made. 

I think that this exhibit is especially interesting to a ballet dancer because it shows how much hard work goes into making something so simple look so beautiful. There is so much detail that goes into making a dress just like the details in making a ballet. Each part of the dress is important for the over all look just as each part of the ballet is important for the over all look. A ballet or dress is not complete without all of its parts. The beauty is in the final completion. I'm sure it is so rewarding to see a finished ballet or finished dress after working so hard on every detail in the process. 

Below is the poster for the exhibit:

I highly recommend going to see this exhibit!

Three Quick Exercises that Will Reduce Stress

Not only are dancers bombarded with stress on a daily basis. Everyone is a victim of being overwhelmed with chronic sleep deprivation, long work hours, lack of vacation time at some point. Most of us are in need of regular exercise in our lives. But with our crazy schedules, who has time? 

Without stress, you spend less time being sick. Although there is no magic pill or fancy technology that can take stress away, there is something you can do at the start of your day to reduce the effects of stress:

Before you shower, get dressed for the day, start your to-do list, eat breakfast, or turn on the computer, take 15 minutes to do the same activities every morning to calm your mind and move your body.

An example of a healthy routine that works for me is:

1. Wake up and drink 16 ounces of pure, filtered water to rehydrate your body’s tissues.

Hydration is a healthy way to start your day.

2. Do a 5-minute meditation.

Take five minutes to turn away from all your electronics to just breath. 

3. Do a 10-minute low-impact workout to get your blood flowing and motivation pumping through your veins.

There are lots of great workout options, but the ones I like to do are yoga based. After I wake up I like to move my spine in a pose called "cat, cow" pose. This pose is good to get mobility in the hips and spine. Another pose I like to do is "downward dog" pose. This pose stretches my calves which feels nice in the morning. I also like to do some abdominal exercises so I can feel stable before I leave for work.  

One of the biggest excuses for not eating healthier, exercising more, and taking part in stress-reducing activities, is that we don't have the time. But 15 minutes is a small daily goal that you will change your bad habits.