Happy Friday, dancers and welcome back to From The Top! Fall is officially in full swing and along with the changing of the seasons, comes the infiltration of cold, allergies and flus. There is never a persay “ideal” time to get sick, however, during this time of year with preparation for productions such as “The Nutcracker”, now is definitely not a time that any dancer would want to feel anything less than exceptional. So, as we enter into this chilly time of year, we’re going to share with you our top 4 tips to help keep you happy and healthy during this season! Now, always remember that we do live in human bodies that are subject to catch a little something something here and there. However, while these tips may not keep in you a “bubble”, they will definitely help lessen your chances of coming down with anything during this time. Let’s get started with our first tip!
Tip #1
Vitamin C Is The TRUTH!
Our first tip on this list is the cold, allergy and flu holy grail vitamin: Vitamin C! Vitamin C is known for building your immune systems resistance to sickness and helping fight off any kind of sickness you may be currently fighting. By taking one Vitamin C tablet a day (with food), you’ll begin to notice how much tougher your resistance against the elements becomes. I take Vitamin C every single day after breakfast and I just can’t help but sing its praises. It truly does work! Another great alternative to Vitamin C tablets is taking a small serving of Emergen-C everyday or every other day. Works just as well and still yields amazing results!
Tip #2
Keep Hand Sanitizer In Your Dance Bag
Hand sanitizer has been a long debated item for years. “Does it really work?” If you ask us, YES! Best known for its claim of killing 99.9% of germs, hand sanitizer has always been one of my most used items in my dance bag during this time of year. The reason being? Ballet barres. In dance studios, there are many dance classes rotating in and out of each studio room constantly throughout the day. As soon as one class comes out, another one goes in and when we go in, we go to the barre and touch the exact same places where other dancers have held on to. See where I’m going with this? I’m sure at some point in our lives, we have pushed through whatever may be bringing us under the weather and went on to all of our classes any way. However, this can spread bacteria throughout the studio and can cause others to catch something as a result. So, before and after every class, be sure to use a dollop of hand sanitizer just to act as a safety blanket toward these conditions during this time. Also, to add a small note on to this tip, if you are feeling under the weather and you think you may have something contagious, please stay home if possible. This is not just for the benefit of the other dancer’s health, but as a benefit to your own. Always put your body first.
Tip #3
Don’t Ignore The Signs
Tip #3 is super important. It is very common, and frankly only human nature, that even though we may feel ourselves coming down with a little something, we want to brush it off and keep moving. For the love of everything, don’t! If you feel your throat getting a bit scratchy or your nose getting congested, please start the process of doing what it takes to help you feel better. When we brush off symptoms and ignore the signs, we open ourselves up to letting things linger and the longer sickness lingers, the worse it gets. So, I highly encourage this tip, please get it before it gets you . We want to see you healthy, thriving and dancing all year around!
Tip #4
Rest Up!
Did you know that lack of sleep severely affects your immune system? That’s right! Sleep is proven to aid in a strong, healthy body with benefits of both sickness prevention and healing! All the more reason why this is our fourth and final tip! Though we have busy schedules that can make for late nights, it is so important that we get a good night’s rest. As dancers, our bodies are our biggest instruments and resting up is one of the best ways to take care of them. So, please make sure you’re well rested and continue to do what it takes to dance as your healthiest self!
I hope these tips were helpful to you and know that everyone here at FTT is wishing you a happy and healthy fall/winter season! Have an awesome weekend!
Keep dancing!
-Lexi
   
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