Who has time to rest? How to rest without taking time off
Unlike most traditional sports, dancers are in season all year. Think about it like a ‘marathon, not a sprint’. You do not want to burn out because you’ve pushed yourself too hard for too long.
Regular dancing and physical activity causes micro-tears in your muscles. This sounds scary but these tears build muscle strength and endurance- it is what makes you better. Without a period of rest to allow your muscles time to rebuild, these tears will not repair and can develop into tendinitis.
Do not worry. Here are some !WARNING SIGNS! that you should take a break:
Consistent soreness that won't go away
Feeling weak, tired or fatigued
Having heavy limbs or aches
Things that were once easy are challenging
Coming down with a sickness or crud
Not sleeping well
Changes in mood: emotional or irritable
You may feel like taking time off will prevent you from keeping your spot or you will you’re your stamina and tricks. Good news is, many dancers can take up to 10 days off without feeling any effects of detraining: loss of strength, stamina, or endurance. But that is not always practical.
These are 3 ‘Bang for your Buck’ rest techniques to add into your weekly schedule.
Sleep! Active individuals to get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep a night, more if you are still growing!
Relative Rest: Sometimes it is not practical to take a day to do absolutely nothing! We all want to hangout with friends and family. Relative rest is taking a break from your “normal” physical activity and substituting it for light, low impact, every-day movements like walking.
Active Recovery: Similar to relative rest, active recovery is when you exchange your dance activity for some ‘healing’ physical recovery. This can include 30-45 min of activities like: yoga, pilates, biking, fast-walking, foam rolling, or physical therapy. Active recovery is often classified as maintenance for your body. The key is you should always feel more energized after active recovery.