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Dancing at Any Age, Part Two: Doing Classes with Class

Let's be honest: attending classes at a studio for a senior isn't as simple as just checking what's nearby. There's some important considerations - like how many stairs there are between you and the dance floor.

There's also the challenges of protecting your body during a lesson from partners who don't know better, as well as keeping up with the pace of the lesson. If you want your dance class to be an enjoyable experience, watch on! Continue reading "Dancing at Any Age, Part Two: Doing Classes with Class"

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Dancing at Any Age, Part One: General Tips

I've heard a lot of talk about seniors lately, and usually the language is one of limitation: "They always want to dance with the younger dancers.", "I can't change jobs - I'm too old to find another".

It makes me doubly sad when the limiting talk comes from a senior themselves, because I know where they learned it from. And I don't accept it. Why not? Because I've seen too many people buck the trend.

I've danced with women over a hundred. I've competed with a 60-year-old with multiple sclerosis in one foot. I refuse to accept my life - or anyone else's - is done at 55.

Continue reading "Dancing at Any Age, Part One: General Tips"

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Posture and Ballroom: The Interviews

Hopefully you've already seen and enjoyed my vlog special on ballroom and posture earlier in the week (if you haven't, check it out here). The three experts I interviewed had a LOT of useful information to share, and a lot of it didn't make it into the video.

So today, I'm including ALL THREE interviews, complete with footage that didn't make the original cut. Take these pro's advice, and take your posture to the next level! Continue reading "Posture and Ballroom: The Interviews"

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Vlog Special: Posture and Ballroom Dancing

Don't get me wrong - I love technology. Maybe not ALL of it, but... The fact that I can sit at my computer and simply communicate with thousands of people I never could have reached otherwise - it's an introvert's heaven, I tell ya!

It DOES however, cause an awful lot of us to neglect our bodies. Due in large to  hours spent slumped in various chairs and couches in front of screens, lower back pain is now the single leading cause of disability worldwide (according to the Global Burden of Disease 2010).

Countering the effects of work with an activity that reinforces good poise is now more important than ever. Let's look at how ballroom dancing measures up: Continue reading "Vlog Special: Posture and Ballroom Dancing"

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Dancing for Life, Part Five: Recovering from Injury

Sprained ankles, twisted hips, accidental elbow to the face (seriously, it happens)... When you learn to move your body in a new way, the occasional injury is inevitable. What's far more important however, is how you treat the injuries that occur.

In university, I had many friends who loved sports - soccer, hockey, running, etc. - but had been told by their doctor they could never play again. We're talking 20-year olds here. And why? Because they'd ignored the injuries they sustained while playing, until it became too serious for them to continue.

On the other hand, we've all seen those videos on Youtube - incredible dancers that know how to move it well into their nineties... or later. How do they do it?

We've covered most of those reasons already, but the one, may the MOST important thing, is that they know how to take care of their bodies when they get injured.

Like I said, injuries are going to happen - but taking control of the recovery process helps ensure our body stays healthy and strong, well into our senior years. And what better way to test your knowledge... Than with a little game? Continue reading "Dancing for Life, Part Five: Recovering from Injury"

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Dancing for Life, Part Four: Sustainable Dancing

One of my favourite things about ballroom dancing is that the better you understand it, the easier and more effortless it gets. And since effort - or at least uncontrolled, forced effort - can be damaging to our bodies, there's some serious health pluses as well.

I've talked a lot about keeping ourselves healthy, but not yet about how dancing BETTER means dancing LONGER into life. Let's explore how to improve our dancing and our body health - at the same time. Continue reading "Dancing for Life, Part Four: Sustainable Dancing"

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Dancing for Life, Part Three: Stretchin’ Away the Pain

Injuries are a super-bummer for anyone - and for a dancer, it could limit how long they can enjoy dancing. Since most dance-related injuries occur from a tight area being over-extended, we need to stretch these areas to improve our 'range of motion'.

From our conversation with Noel Miller, we learned that stretching is the best thing we can do as individuals to protect ourselves, and developing our body awareness helps us identify where we need it the most. But the journey doesn't end there.

In today's video, we cover the various kinds of stretches out there, so you can choose the best ones for you. We also look at some general tips you may not have thought of, which help improve your stretching enormously.

CAVEAT: I'm talking about stretching areas which are tight and at risk of injury. I'm NOT talking about areas that are already injured - stretching these areas could aggravate the problem. Consult a health professional for any chronic or acute pain. Continue reading "Dancing for Life, Part Three: Stretchin’ Away the Pain"

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Dancing for Life, Part One: Body Awareness

Most people, especially dancers, tend to treat their bodies like they can just trade them in for a newer model when they get older. We never learned, or simply forget to pay attention to what's happening in our bodies, and so miss warning signs that could prevent a serious injury.

Today I invited Noel Miller, a fitness expert who takes a more holistic approach to body health, to talk about how developing our body awareness can keep us dancing pain free - whether we're 18 or 80. Continue reading "Dancing for Life, Part One: Body Awareness"