Dance as an Artist

Dining out can support all realms of a supportive relationship with food for The Healthy Dancer®. Dining out can be a wonderful experience, filled with the anticipation of creating fun memories, catching up with friends, and savoring delicious food. But for many dancers who are in the depths of disordered eating or even well into their journeys of building supportive mealtime habits, dining out can elicit feelings of overwhelm and stress.

For many dancers, hypermobility can feel like a plus in the studio. Aesthetic ideals often depict lines that boast hyperextension. There are several different subtypes of hypermobility, with some being less problematic than others. According to the Ehlers-Danlos Society “…hypermobility that does not cause pain…[asymptomatic joint hypermobility] does not need to be treated.” But when hypermobility presents alongside joint instability, problems arise.

Food thoughts bear a heavy impact on our relationships with food. Feelings like “I shouldn’t be eating this” and “I’m so bad for wanting this!” often come alongside food guilt, paving the way for challenging eating experiences. If you’ve ever ridiculed yourself for eating “too much” and/or eating the “wrong” foods, then it’s possible that you’re struggling with restrictive food thoughts or restrictive thinking. Restrictive thinking is a type of food restriction that may or may not involve an actual…

If you’ve ever examined the packaging of a standard snack bag then chances are you’ll notice a label touting “Non-GMO.” Dancers who struggle with clean eating often find themselves questioning the safety of processed foods and since nearly 80% of processed foods contain at least one genetically modified ingredient, it’s imperative that we unravel the misinformation surrounding this topic. This article will offer a look into what GMOs are, along with what dancers need to consider about GMOs in their…

Intuitive eating— especially for dancers, cannot be the first and only step in your journey towards building a supportive relationship with food. A supportive relationship with food can look different for every dancer, but generally, it allows for food to be pleasurable while honoring the options that are accessible to you. Part of the intuitive eating paradigm is to support adequate nourishment— this means relying on flexible meal planning. But if your goal is to transition out of such a…

Mindless eating is often scrutinized as a behavior that needs to be intervened upon to avoid “over”-eating. But mindless eating can provide us with good feedback— a sign that our bodies are needing something to move through distress. This article will discuss the most common reasons why dancers might mindlessly eat, and offer actionable steps to navigate the experience.