How do you optimize your nutrition in the studio? Photo by Getty Images.
Finding the right balance of meals and snacks to get through a dancer's day can take a lot of trial and error. To give you ideas, Dance Magazine asked three professional dancers to share the meals that kept them moving throughout one rehearsal day this season. Registered dietitian Emily Cook Harrison, who runs Nutrition for Great Performances, weighed in with her advice on how they could optimize their fuel even further.
Without enough healthy carbs, you'll lose energy quickly. Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes/Unsplash
Despite how many hours dancers spend in rehearsal getting performance-ready, many overlook one last crucial detail: the show-day nutrition plan.
“It's all about preparation," says Emily C. Harrison, a former dancer who now runs Dancer Nutrition, LLC. “To have a good performance, you give your time to rehearsals and making sure your body is in good shape. Why not also take the time to plan your meals and snacks? It's just as important as your pre-show warm-up."
The last thing you want to be thinking about onstage is an empty, over-caffeinated or bloated stomach. Luckily, with a little planning ahead, you can make sure these all-too-common nutrition mistakes don't get in the way of your best performance.
