Foods that make you more flexible!

Most of us already know by now that in order to achieve the most success in becoming more fit we need to concentrate on physical activity and nutrition. I recently wrote a blog about the importance of being flexible and stretching. To go along with that blog I want to talk about the connection of stretching and the foods to eat. Did you know that there are foods that will help you become more flexible? One of the main foods that can do this is actually an extract called barley grass. You can order or buy this extract from a foods store and it is put on or in foods like other natural herbs. Some companies even make a vitamin or a barley grass drink. The key ingredient in the barley grass is beta-carotene. Bete-carotene actually helps your joints and muscles become more flexible. Therefore, instead of eating barley grass you can eat more foods high in beta-carotene like: green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, spinach, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe, and green, yellow, and red peppers.

Spirulina and Chlorella are also two types of algea that can make your body more flexible. These can be found in drinking fresh water. You can also help your body become more flexible by giving it more sulfur. Even though sulfur is usually known as the "beauty mineral", it still contains vital nutrients that help your joints and muscles heal from pain. Some foods to eat that contain higher levels of sulfur are brussels sprouts, peppers, broccoli, and onions. Eat this if your body is sore from stretching so you can better prepare it for the next time you stretch.

To overall help your body become more flexible you need to stetch it often and add as many of these foods and minerals into your diet as possible. Next time you want a snack try and eat carrots, peaches, brocolli, or cantaloupe, and remember to drink plenty of fresh water.

Check some of these websites out for more info:

StretchingandFlexibility

FlexibleFoodsandYoga

YoungWomensHealth

Being Flexible

As we have learned in class, stretching is very important in exercising and having a healthy body. As a dancer and dance teacher I experience the benefits of stretching on a normal basis. In dance there is a lot of moves that help you stretch your body and help you become a better athlete. Many people think of stretching as yoga or pilates expercises. These classes and techniques are great for the body but there are many other froms and movements that you can do to help.

I am going to list some common dance movements that I do to help stretch my body. One that we do often is called the "lunge". This is where we put one leg behind us, keeping the other bent towards our chest, and push our weight down slightly. This helps with stretching most of your leg muscles. Another stretch we do often is what we call a "sit and reach". It is self explainitory because you sit on the ground with your legs straight in front of you and reach your arms forward. You can also do this standing and reaching to the ground with your hands. There are many other stretches that we do, but these I feel are some of the most important because they stretch your legs. Not only do dancers need to be sure their legs are flexible, but every athlete and person should work towards this goal. Did you know that many back pains can be fixed by stretching your leg muscles? By doing stretches like these you can help minimize and/or eliminate the pain. Next time you know someone or you have back problems try stretching your legs.

Having a flexible body helps protect people from injury and even relieves stress levels in the body. We should be checking our flexiblity as often as possible to ensure that we are keeping our bodies and minds safe. To do this we need to assess our flexibility. First sit on the floor with your feet out straight in front of you and seperate them about 12 inches apart from each other. Then lean forward and place your hands as far as they will comforable go. Then use an object or note how far your hands are from your feet. If they are 6 inches or less from your feet in either direction then your flexibility rate is great, if your reach is between 6 inches and your knees then you still need some work, and if it is any less than this you need to really be working harder on your flexibility. Where do you stand in flexibility? Try it and find out!

Click on this link to see an actual video of this stretch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y004n2zb-Ko

Check these sites out for more information:

Yoga-Benefits

Flexibility-Exercises

Flexibility-and-Backpain

Struggles for male dancers.

It is a known assumption that when an average person sees a male dancer they automatically think they are homosexual. In truth, there are many reasons for this assumption.

Mostly because of our gender stereotypical society, the majority of humans relate grace, beauty, and gentlyness with being a woman. Therefore, when they see a male dancer performing a ballet routine on stage they automatically think he acts like a woman and therefore must be gay. This also has the same effect on woman athletes who participate in sports like football or hockey. They are acting manly, so therefore they must be gay, right?

Interestingly enough, according to an indepth study and survey from "Dance Magazine", only 47% of all male dancers recorded to be homosexual. So why do so many people think that male dancers are homesexual? Well, like mentioned, their passion or career expects them to practice and aquire the traits of becoming a good dancer. Ballet dancers especially need to practice beautiful movements and look graceful. It is a form of art that they are trying to perfect, not them trying to be a "woman". However, I cannot say that it is all your fault for believing this stereotype. Remember, our society created these perceptions for us.

I just wanted to briefly mention the importance of realizing what male dancers go through because of this persistant stereotype. At my studio I teach a young boy who is now 11 years old. He started dance when he was 4 and now does it competitively. However, last year he started middle school and the teasing and badgering started taken its tole. I talked to him about what was taking place. He was so upset that he even thought about quiting dance all together. I had never been in this situation before, so I asked one of the older boys at the studio (who was 16) to talk with him. This helped my young dancer and encouraged him to continue dancing. However, it is unfortunate that this situation had to happen in the first place. Its important to know that this is only one of the struggles that almost all male dancers go through throughout their entire life.

In all, please just think about these statistics and examples the next time you see or experience a male dancer. What are you going to say the next time your friends make a comment or joke about their sexuality? Remember these people are humans like YOU who just have a passion for performing the art of dance.

If you want more information see these following website...

Appreciation-of-male-Dancer-Struggles

Boys-Dance-and-Have-Fun-Doing-It!

The-Unread-Story