Pilates for Dancers Keeping in Shape Over the Holidays
The holidays bring stress and strain to our minds and bodies. Whatever age you are, between shopping, cooking and entertaining friends and family, your own well-being and mental health usually come last on a very long list. That is why it is so important to take some time out for yourself, hopefully every day or at least three times a week. I have put together a series of exercises that will concentrate on your core and shouldn't take longer than ten minutes to accomplish. This core stabilizing routine targets all the abdominal muscles as well as the back, shoulders, hamstrings and butt. It is best to do these exercises when you are warmed up, perhaps after you manage to squeeze in those twenty minutes on the treadmill!
Exercise One: Lie down on your back and hold both of your bent legs (see picture a). Take a deep breath in and as you exhale lift your neck and shoulders off the ground keeping your knees close to your chest (picture b), slowly extend one leg straight in front of you, but off the ground with both toes pointed (picture c). Exchange legs slowly keeping your upper body completely still and pulling your bent knee to your chest. Exhale as you extend your leg away from you. Variations of this exercise include, speeding up or slowing down the exercise, letting go of your legs with your arms straight out by your sides and off the ground, flexing your feet. 8-10 repetitions per leg.
Exercise TWO: Starting the same way, extend one leg straight out in front of you and the other straight up to the ceiling and gently pulling the top leg to your face (picture d). Depending on your flexibility, grab higher up on the leg for maximum stretch, or lower by the hamstring for a gentler stretch. Slowly exchange legs without moving your upper body. Variations include, speeding up or slowing down the exercise, pointing or flexing your feet and letting go of the legs with arms off the ground by your sides. 8-10 repetitions per leg.
Exercise THREE: Starting the same way, bring your body up to the diagonal right and extend your left leg in front of you (picture e). In this position your left elbow will be reaching towards your right knee. Slowly exchange legs being careful not to let your body rock too much. The twisting action comes from the upper back just above the bra strap. The lower back should stay put on the ground as you switch legs. 8-10 repetitions per leg.
Exercise FOUR: Starting the same way, send both legs out on an upward diagonal; at the same time send the upper body, including head and arms, outward on the other diagonal, keeping arms by the ears (picture f). In this position you are balancing on your lower back. If you lower your legs too much for your stomach muscles, your lower back will pop up off the ground and that is not good. Pull your stomach muscles in and hold the position for three counts then bring everything back into your starting position. Variations of this could include small flipper kicks with your legs, turned out small beats, small scissor kicks - basically anything that might move your legs while keeping the core completely stable and lower back pushed against the floor. 4-6 repetitions.
This simple routine can be done every day to maintain your bodies throughout the holiday break. Most studios do shut down during Christmas and New Year's, and after "Nutcracker" season ends, usually a break is very welcome. Unfortunately, if nothing is done over the one-week or two-week break, the body will completely rebel once January 2nd hits and you are back to your first set of plies. These exercises are bene-ficial to everyone. It is not just about losing weight; it is about keeping your body in prime condition even if it is just on the inside. Remember that Pilates works the deepest muscles of the body, and most of the time the muscles you work can't even be seen. The above exercises target the deep core muscles as well as the superficial ones. Your body will thank you when January rolls around and you are in shape for your first class back!