How Dancers Stay Healthy

Dancers are a curious breed. Although many of us pay close attention to health trends, the larger majority of dancers have discovered ways to keep in shape and eat well through experience and through trial and error. This is why so much of what dancers do to keep well differs in surprising ways from what a health magazine or diet book will tell you. 

I interviewed several professional dancers on their health and wellness practices, and although I will not share their names, I will share their answers and how they manage wellness in an industry where health is crucial to how well you perform. 

The interesting thing about dancers is that dancing itself doesn't actually burn that many calories, but it tires you out in a very intense way. So the way that dancers keep in shape is much more applicable to the average person who wants to get healthy... only dancers have gotten it down to a science. 

Many dancers acknowledge that health and wellness is a personal matter, and differs depending on individual choice. One dancer told me she has found that "there is no one size fits all for anything." 

One dancer I spoke with responded earnestly that "it starts, at least for me, with a whole lot of peanut butter." I laughed. I am a member of a large group of dancers who would agree with this statement. There's nearly always a jar of peanut butter in my pantry, and often there's also one in my dance bag. For the dancer I spoke with, the peanut butter is all about protein. She has found that "proteins are key" because they are "a rich and filling food." 

A lot of dancers seem to go back to these kinds of basic ideas about health and wellness instead of gimmicky health trends. Many, if not all, of the dancers I spoke with told me that their top ways of staying well are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and drinking lots of water. But I also had some answers that were fairly new health trends. One dancer, in addition to lots of water, swears by the tea Yerba Mate for hydration and energy. 

Nearly all of the dancers I spoke with use massage to maintain balance in the body and prevent injuries. One dancer told me her massage is "monthly at a Chinese massage center, where they use a mix of techniques that really help with tension and muscle soreness." 

Exercise and cross-training are a much less universal category; every dancer I spoke with had a different preferred method of keeping in shape, during the season and the off-season. Some prefer mind-body based exercises like "gyrokinesis, yoga, pilates, and meditation," while others are more geared towards swimming and trips to the weight room and the cardio machines at the gym. Despite its bad reputation for causing injuries, a startling number of dances I spoke with run regularly. Those who do are adamant about "listening to your body... If you feel the running is too intense for your knees and ankles, then you need to back off." 

Being aware of the body's messages was a common theme among all the dancers I spoke with. One said that she learned to "decode the signals you are getting" from your body, especially after a long rehearsal. "Listen to your body!" she smiled. "It's smarter than you think!"