Dip in energy during class

[Guest fastfeets]

Tonight, I went to my class, but didn't have a lot of time to eat before I went. I grabbed a cereal bar, and some milk before I ran out of the house, but halfway through barre, I was shaky and foggy headed. I made it through the class just fine, really. Felt like blah, but really felt strangely in tune with my body. I even had my first (in a verrrryyyy long time) really truly CLEAN single pirouette! I was really happy about that. Also, the tombe', pas de bouree, glissade grande jete' combination I had DEAD-FREAKING ON! I have no idea how I did it, but I felt pretty good about tonight's class....although my teacher did ask me if I was having a bad day. So, maybe on the outside, I stunk, but my body was feeling everything pretty well. Does that make sense at all?

 

So, maybe I was benefitting from the lack of overthinking...and that's a good thing. All in all, I did learn from tonight....but I'm not anxious to repeat it.

 

Two nights a week, my class falls around dinnertime, and I dont always have time for much, or any food. I can't eat a lot before a class, obviously.

 

So what do y'all do when you've got to fuel your bodies for a class but can't be weighed down by too much? I know bananas are a great snack...but i'm not a huge fan of them, and couldn't eat them all the time. Any suggestions?

 

also, please praise me on my finally cleaning up my turns! ;)

 

Sabrina

*ducks and runs while laughing maniacally*

[Guest mic31]

I like clif bars and energy drinks or protien shakes. great news about the turns.

[Guest beckster]

I used to bring a tupperware with a small portion of pasta salad in to work to eat just before I left. I go straight from work to ballet, and don't usually get home until 9pm, so it's good to have something there. I'm not a huge fan of bananas either, but I do find they are excellent to eat before classif you are short on time. And I drink water, to counteract if I've not had much during the day. Cheap and easy too. I'm somewhat wary of "energy" or "health food" bars and drinks, since they tend to be full of all kinds of things that I'm not sure I want to fill my body with, such as preservatives and salts. At least you know what you are getting with a banana!

[Mel Johnson]

First things first; getting the turns is an important milestone - you can be proud of it.

 

Now then. It seems to me as though you may have experienced a little blood sugar deficit, which is entirely normal from only having had an energy bar and a glass of milk, and the wooziness you experienced was from the system digesting that! I used to have a "grace period" between the end of school and the beginning of class, so I could get a small meal in an hour before class started, but in the world of work, that doesn't always happen. That pasta salad sounds like a good idea!

[2 Left Feet]

I know I suggested this to Xena once before: those little boxes of California raisins are a wonder. Lots of carbs, natural sugars and they go anywhere. What convenience!

[Guest mic31]

2lf are you sure that you work in TV and not for the raisin farmers or maybe you want to make raisin commercials...ha ha

[Guest Lolly]

Dried fruit is good - I love banana chips - I like bananas but they always seem to get squashed in my bag! So I get banana chips from the health food shop - not the honey coated ones, but the ones which are just dried out - they are chewy - yum!

[2 Left Feet]

mic31 -- my secret is out. Now if I can just plan my escape before the raisinettes catch me...

[Guest fastfeets]

Thank you thank you thank you! These are great ideas, and I feel a bit sheepish for not having thought of some of them before.

 

I've already tossed some things in my bag for my wednesdays and fridays....(other than the bag of M&Ms I had to get just to make it home without shaking too bad...haha).

 

I usually have a pureed vegetable soup in my fridge, so I can slam some in a cup, warm it, and slam that into a travel coffee cup...and sip it along the way, but I ran out (must mean it was good.), and had no time to get anything else.

 

I'm still feeling good about that class, though. Even though I was shaky and felt weak, I also felt every movement, and was quite deliberate! He had us doing pas de chat across the floor, finishing in a Russian, and I actually managed a presentable one with having never done one before. Add that to my now lovely (sometimes) pirouette and some pretty fast moving pique turns, and man, I think I had my "Giselle" moment!

 

One other thing I did notice that night (and still, because I'm sore for the first time in weeks), is that I was finally using the right muscles to pull up my extension.

 

My lack of complete control over my body had me finally letting go of the muscles not needed for lifting (Thank you, Mr Johnson!), and engaging the ones I DID need....my extension was higher and more solid (even had a little shake there at the end, just before lowering...).

 

 

 

I'm having a lot of fun with the classes now....wonder when my confidence will have that cyclic dip...>LOL

 

Thanks again, everyone!

[Guest fastfeets]

2 Left Feet, I did see a bunch of raisins queuing up, shouting and pointing your direction. If you ask me, I think they're planning somthing...... ;)

 

dried cranberries are really tasty, by the way. i've never been a fan of raisins....that's my alternative....

[antbobby]

It is the fish I like to bump the energy up...

 

If you are a tuna person, make some tuna salad, but instead of using mayo, use olive oil and balsamic vinegar (just a little). Also, smoked salmon is a great snack, with a little bread.

 

Then there are the old cheese and coldcuts - no bread for snacks.

 

Something bout protein gives me a boost, mentally and physically - rather than the carbs which make me sleepy.

 

My other favorite is oatmeal. Great for your complexion too.

[2 Left Feet]

It may be good for the complextion, but, won't the oatmeal fall off during class? And I doubt my raisins would take to me wearing oatmeal. They're a sensitive bunch and I've got so much apologizing to do to them as is.

 

The image of doing a pirouette with oatmeal flying around the room will forever be engraved in my mind.

[Guest fastfeets]

have you tried the oatmeal in your shoes? it's supposed to be good for the feet, too, I understand.

 

I wonder if that would be a good impact reducer in my pointe shoes....hmmm....

 

good luck with the tempermental raisins....

[antbobby]

2left, sorry I just saw your reply. Been so doggone busy. I was laughing about the oatmeal and raisins. You know I'm referring to eating first and not dancing with an oatmeal facial, but hmm.... imagine....

[citibob]

Yes, oatmeal squishes around in the box of the pointe shoe. It conforms to your feet, giving gentle, even support all-around. As an added benefit, oatmeal left in the shoe overnight can harden up a dead box, allowing you to get a few more classes out of an otherwise-dead pair. Mold can become a problem, so it is recommended that you keep your shoes in the refrigerator once you start using oatmeal on them ;)

 

I eat a steady diet of bagels every day, half of them "Fortified Bagels". That includes whole grains, sunflower seeds, extra vitamins, etc. I usually finish 1.5 bagels by the end of class in the morning, and then eat another 1.5 bagels over the rest of the day. Plus 1-2 apples. Plus water all the time. When I go home, I eat other stuff to make it a balanced diet.

 

The restricted diet during the day seems to keep me going steady, without causing lethargy or causing flatulation or spiking my blood sugar.

 

[Note for the gullible: please disregard my above mention of oatmeal. ]