Maximising Physical Performance
By Margaret A. Papoutsis

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.

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...
1. Diet
2. Stamina
3. Strength
4. Flexibility, co-ordination
5. 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.

Next week, Margaret will cover Stamina, Strength, Flexibility/Co-ordination and Warm-up.