Mental Health

When you begin to utilize the tool of mindful eating, you add back a major nutrient to your balanced plate: experience. From that experience, whether it is positive, negative, or neutral, blooms a unique learning opportunity that allows you to move forward with building trust with your body’s intrinsic cues of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction.

Setting boundaries is incredibly important for guarding ourselves against diet culture and for living a life of food freedom. When stuck in the trenches of diet culture, boundaries go out the window. Our needs and our opinions around food become dependent upon an unattainable goal (like a “perfect” diet or an “ideal” body type). We’re made to believe that our self-worth is defined by the foods we eat and by the size of our body.

The potential association between disordered eating and certain mood states like depression, fatigue, and confusion has been examined among dancers. Especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of the American youth is worsening, and the need for treatment surpasses what is available. But while the complexities of mental health span beyond this article, there is a large body of research examining the impact of what we eat on our moods.

Do you feel like you’re always thinking about your next meal? Do thoughts about what you “should” and “shouldn’t” eat play on repeat in your mind? Or, perhaps, it’s your fear of “once I start I’ll never stop!” In this article, we’re not just debunking the MYTH, yes, MYTH of food addiction, but we’re also diving into what it actually means to be obsessed with food, why food obsession happens, and how to FINALLY stop these obsessive thoughts.

It’s common for dancers to find themselves exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally. Balancing a packed dance schedule with academic coursework is hard enough. Chronic fatigue can be detrimental to your health, well-being, and your ability to perform to your greatest potential. While a dancer’s schedule is notoriously difficult to manage, you owe it to your mind, body, and soul to find moments to breathe.

There was a time in my life when I avoided dessert because I believed, “the guilt just wasn’t worth the bite.” My food guilt was so severe that thoughts about eating the bag of M&Ms consumed me for DAYS after eating them. And while this mental parade of guilt was exhausting, it always made its way into my brain, especially after another bout of “failed willpower” from an otherwise “clean” diet. But in my pursuit away from restrictive eating behaviors I overcame this food guilt, and today, I’m going to teach you how to do the same.

If you follow me on Instagram, then you’re likely toying with the idea of demolishing your food restrictions. You’re sick of that cycle: the restrictive mindset that leads you out-of-control around food. But despite this, there’s one major thing holding you back from taking the plunge into intuitive eating: you’re really, really, REALLY scared that you’ll gain weight.

With the pilot laying the groundwork for the most common dancer stereotypes, I had some concerns. But then I kept watching… and realized something big

There was a time when I couldn’t get enough of ballet, a time when I hated ballet, and a time when I missed ballet. Throughout these times, I learned that my disordered eating was coupled with my growing addiction to exercise. Whether it’s classes and rehearsals or cross-training routines, getting enough physical activity in the day is never our issue. What’s more of an issue, however, is knowing how much is too much.

If you’re wondering about your metabolism and how it works, then chances are you might also have questions about your body weight, whether that’s regarding weight loss, weight gain, or weight maintenance. Perhaps you’ve been told that you have a “slow” metabolism or a “fast” metabolism.

Nutrition for performance is a critical aspect of a dancer’s life. But what about when we’re unable to perform? Proper nutrition, along with support and guidance, can help dancers navigate this trying time. Building a recovery plan that supports a dancer’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being is essential for your return to the studio. To get you feeling your best, let’s build A Dancer’s Toolbox for Injury Recovery.

Weight loss, muscle gains, fat loss. These are just a few of the common concerns that I hear from dancers looking to adjust their lifestyles. And although we know that restrictive dieting isn’t a sustainable path towards these goals, it’s often a tempting route when striving to change the way we look. Let’s chat about 3 important points to consider if you are (kinda, sorta) striving for a *REALISTIC!* body goal.

Periods are a pain… literally. But is it normal for female dancers to have an irregular (or even nonexistent) cycle? No. It might be common, but irregular and/or nonexistent periods can be a sign of a more significant medical issue. There are two types of “missing periods.” The first is a delayed onset of menstruation, […]

From pre-performance snacks to post-performance recovery, nutrition education is essential to a dancer’s training. But as I’ve discussed previously, dancers must juggle aspects of performance nutrition and meal planning, both of which can hover the realms of diet culture, with the goal of avoiding restrictive eating habits. To balance the importance of performance nutrition with the fundamentals of a non-diet lifestyle, we must recognize the tenth principle of intuitive eating: “gentle nutrition.”

The mirror game. As dancers, we’ve all done it: you’re in a room, surrounded by mirrors, and with others working towards the same performance goals. How can we not compare? Looking at the dancer across the room might motivate us to work harder so, technically, isn’t it a good thing? To better utilize your time in class, I’m breaking down 5 simple steps for you to take to stop the comparison game and instead, use the mirror as your best tool for learning.

What happens when you ignore hunger cues? Learning how to reconnect with your innate feelings of hunger (and fullness), is an important component to a balanced lifestyle. Though not always practical, especially if you’re recovering from a history of eating disorders or simply navigating a hectic schedule, listening to your body’s mealtime cues is a critical skill. Therefore, let’s discuss 3 ways to reconnect with your innate hunger and fullness.

Most “Type A” dancers have something in common when it comes to his or her relationship with food. Especially for those with a sparked interest in nutrition: Type A dancers love sticking to safe foods. Often times, these are highly nutritious, plant-based, and minimally processed (like the ones I mentioned above).