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Maximising
Physical Performance
By Margaret A. Papoutsis
The following extract has been taken with kind permission from
the book ‘Dance
Addiction’ published by D and J Enterprises Ltd.
Whether you see dance as an art or a sport, it is clear that today’s
competitive dancers have to prepare for a competition as an athlete would for
a major championship.
They have to be flexible, have enough stamina and be able to focus across many
hours of competition. in order to dance to your maximum ability across many
rounds of a competition, it is essential that you are physically prepared for
the demands
which you will put your body through. All of the great choreography, precise
technique and outstanding musicality will not get you through the final, if
you are tired, stiff, aching and dehydrated. It takes more than a Mars bar
and a
bottle of Lucozade the morning of a competition o perform at your best...for
a serious competitor, preparation will start several days before.
I see that there are five key factors that impact on your ability to maintain
a high level of performance, and these are...
- Diet
- Stamina
- Strength
- Flexibility, co-ordination
- Warm up
1. Diet
It has been shown time and time again
that even the best training and fitness regimes will fail
if the nutritional
status of
the body is deficient. In order
to understand what I mean by this, it is important that you understand
the human body. The human body is a highly efficient ‘electro-biochemical factory’ taking
in the raw materials of life - food, water and oxygen - breaking
them down into their component parts and then reassembling
them
to produce new body tissues,
as well as the energy required to fuel the processes of function
and movement.
As in any manufacturing process, the quality of
the finished product is entirely dependant upon
the quality
of the
raw materials. It is not possible to produce
healthy, resilient muscles, bones and joints if the material
required for their production are deficient. Similarly,
the
electrical function of the nervous system
will be inefficient if the essential chemicals for good conductivity
are
lacking - this can lead to lack of co-ordination,
bad memory and slow responses. Any
dancer who forgets their choreography, falls off balance easily,
and trips over their partners feet, should look
carefully at their
diet before booking extra
lessons!
Improving your nutrition will help you gain the maximum
benefits from your training and a body which is
properly fed and exercised
will be at a much lower risk of
injury - and should an injury occur, the healing process will
be much faster and stronger. This article cannot hope
to
cover
the whole field of diet and
nutrition, but the key factors to bear in mind
when considering a diet change are noted
below.
Carbohydrates are a very important food for dancers as
they provide energy for all the body processes
and activities, especially muscular contraction and
nerve function. Broadly there are two sources of carbohydrate
- starches
and
sugars.
It is the former that produce the greater benefit because they
produce ‘slow
release energy’ as they take a long time to digest and so help keep you
functioning for several hours (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread etc). The latter
(sweets, cakes, biscuits etc) provide ‘fast release energy’ as
they are quickly absorbed into the blood stream, however, this
is only a short term
boost, and can result in a later drop in your blood sugar levels
causing tiredness, irritability and loss of concentration. If
you need a fast
energy boost, try
some fruit, (fresh, dried or juice). This is less likely to cause
sugar level disturbance.
Try to eat a starch meal at least twice a day, preferably morning
and lunchtime. If you intend to practice in the evening, remember
that
it is likely to take
two hours for the starch to be digested and absorbed into the
blood stream. A plate of pasta eaten hurriedly five minutes before
a
lesson will make you
feel
heavy rather than energised, so try to time meals appropriately.
Protein provides the building blocks from which every
cell in the body is formed and it is also required
for the production
of many of the chemicals in the body.
Muscles, tendon and ligaments are very largely composed of protein
and consequently this is required to provide the
materials to repair injured tissues and to
create new cells during growth.
Protein is formed from individual amino acids
which combine together to produce all of the
different
types of body
tissues and chemicals. Some amino acids cannot
be manufactured by the body; these are called Essential Amino
Acids (EAA’s)
and need to be obtained directly from food sources. Some food stuffs contain
all the EAA’s required for health (meat, fish, eggs, dairy produce, soya
beans) and some foods (eg,. peas, beans, lentils)contain only some of the EAA’s
and thus need to be combined with cereal products to ensure a full complement
of EAA’s. Eat at least one protein containing meal per
day, but note that excessive amounts of protein can cause a loss
of minerals
from
the body,
especially
calcium. It is not necessary to eat three protein containing
meals daily! Vegetarians need to take special care with their
protein intake.
Fat is a much maligned and misunderstood nutrient. Although
it is true that excessive intake of fat can cause
increased weight, heart problems etc, it is often
overlooked that the right type of fat is essential to
good health. Essential
Fatty
Acids (EFA’s) are required for the health of the heart, blood vessels, blood,
hormonal systems, nervous system and brain, joints and skin, and these EFA’s
cannot be manufactured by the body and thus can only be obtained
directly from food.
Good fats are...vegetable oils, seed oils, oily fish
and fish oil extracts (eat plenty)
Bad fats are...artificially hardened oils (hard
margarine), hard animal fats such as lard, fatty
meat, (minimise
intake)
Neutral fats are...dairy products - butter, cream,
cheese, eggs (eat regularly but not too much)
Fibre is another misunderstood part of a healthy
diet. Many people unwittingly give themselves
problems by
eating too
much of the wrong type of fibre and drinking
insufficient water. There are two types of fibre; insoluble fibre
which is found in wheatbran products, and soluble
fibre which
is found
in fruit, vegetables,
oats, pulses, etc. The body requires a regular intake of fibre,
preferably soluble in type as it is more gentle
and effective.
It is essential that you drink a
large volume of water, especially if you take a bran supplement.
Vitamins are substances that the body requires in small
quantities in order to function efficiently,
but is unable to produce
itself. It is essential, therefore,
that any healthy diet contains adequate quantities of vitamin
rich foods. It is impractical to cover all of the vitamins
in detail
here, but if your diet
is balanced, with plenty of raw vegetables, then you are unlikely
to have serious deficiencies. However, even relatively
normal levels
of vitamin intake can
be insufficient for optimal athletic function,
so competitive
dancers might consider
taking a good comprehensive multi-vitamin supplement as an ‘insurance measure’.
Water is essential as dehydration can be a dancer’s greatest enemy. If
you suffer from lack of concentration, fatigue or dizziness during a competition
the chances are that you are suffering from dehydration. However, not all liquids
are good sources of water for the body and those that contain caffeine (tea,
coffee, cola, alcohol)can actually cause the body to lose more water than they
contain due to the presence of urine forming chemicals (diuretics). Low salt
levels will also impact on your body’s ability to hold
water and remain hydrated, so some rules to follow are...
Drink at least 1.5 litres of water per day for 2 days
prior to the competition
Avoid tea, coffee, cola drinks, chocolate and alcohol
for 2 days before, during and 24 hours after
a competition
Eat salty foods the previous day and up to 1 hour
before a competition
During the competition drink low salt sports
drinks or non-fizzy water, as these are most
easily absorbed.
Avoid really cold
drinks as they are not absorbed so
well.
After the competition keep drinking and eating for at
least 24 hours. You will need to take in at least
2 litres more
water than you lost during exercise.
In summary, it is clear that getting your diet
right can have a positive impact on your training
and ultimately
our
competition performance. Remember, before
a competition build you energy reserves by eating plenty of carbohydrates,
and pre-empt the risks of dehydration and fatigue
early by drinking.
Margaret graduated from the British School
of Osteopathy in 1968 and specialised primarily in dance-related
injuries and performance orientated exercise, fitness
and nutrition. She has worked as the Consultant Osteopath for many leading ballet
companies and dance schools. Margaret has also lectured extensively to audiences
such as the Royal Ballet School and the Ballroom Dancers Federation.
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