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.

Noel has been very helpful in my own training regime, and in spotting tell-tale signs of pain or tightness and correcting them before they become a larger problem. Here's the main points we covered:

1. When we don't pay attention to little injuries we got when we were younger, they can effect elements like our posture and movement later in life.
2. Tightness in one area of the body affects flexibility overall.
3. If your body doesn't naturally settle into good ballroom posture (excepting the follower upper body stretch), it could be a sign of muscle tightness.
4. Body awareness allows us to become more aware of what correct ballroom technique FEELS like.
5. Pain is the body's LAST warning sign before injury - we can learn to spot earlier warnings, like tightness, or discomfort.
6. Stretching areas that are tight is the single best thing we can do to protect our bodies as we grow older.
7. Be prepared to consult a professional if what you find online doesn't correct the problem.
8. You don't need to be in pain as you grow older, but maintaining your body becomes increasingly important.

You can find Noel on his website, www.designfitness.ca, or see him for a consultation at the Joy of Dance Centre. Next week, we'll delve deeper into body awareness, and how we can train ourselves to become more aware of what's happening inside. See you then!