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GET THE NUTRITION EDGE


How to Look Healthy, Fit and Strong and Outlast Anyone on the Dance Floor.

Dancers are athletes too. So why is it most dancers do not train like athletes? Most athletes have a strength and conditioning program. The smart ones even have a good nutritional strategy.

What about dancers? Do you have a strength and conditioning program? Do you find yourself sitting around when the DJ or band is playing one of your favorite songs because you’re too darn tired? With all the dancing you do, have you ever wondered why your body is getting more flabby--instead of lean, firm and strong?

Did you know that engaging in hours of intense physical activity without the proper nutrition could put you at a higher risk for getting a stroke or a heart attack? And finally, would you like to look great, while having the energy to outlast anyone on the dance floor? Read on, I’ll share with you some simple nutritional strategies for staying healthy, getting lean and dancing for hours without getting tired.


Why weight training?
I have traveled all over the world and have met many dancers. However, no matter where I go, most dancers seem to have two things in common. The majority of dancers I’ve met very rarely engage in weight training and most have very poor nutritional habits. These are two very dangerous combinations.

First of all, weight training not only helps to develop lean muscle tissue, it also helps to build strong bones and to strengthen your ligaments. Your body takes an incredible beating every time you go out dancing for 2-3 hours. But you’re not only beating up your body, you’re also putting a lot of stress on your ligaments and other attachments.

Without proper weight training, it is much easier for you to pull, strain or sprain these ligaments. Which could end up taking you out of commission for a very long time (Click here for a sample weight training workout).


The Right Macronutrient/Micronutrient Balance
To understand performance nutrition you must first understand the nutrient make-up of food and how each nutrient contributes to the energy production cycle. All foods are made up of macronutrients and micronutrients.

Macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Micronutrients are the vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other known and unknown food chemicals. Both food groups are essential to peak performance.

Dancers need to have a diet that is high in complex carbohydrates and contains moderate amounts of protein and fat. Your diet should also contain a wide multi-colored variety of fresh fruits and vegetables––these are the best sources of vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other important food chemicals.

Keep in mind that the various colors of fruits and vegetables represent a different group of micronutrients. And they all work synergistically together, so eat your colors.


The role of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in athletic performance
Carbohydrates in the body are broken down into sugar molecules that are then stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. The body’s preferred fuel for endurance sports is muscle glycogen.

Dancing is an endurance sport. If muscle glycogen is used up faster than it is replaced, your glycogen stores become depleted. Glycogen depletion leads to fatigue and the inability to maintain a high level of intensity during training and competition.

To prevent this from happening, the endurance athlete needs to get about 60-70% of his/her daily total calories from complex carbohydrates. The best sources of carbohydrates are whole grains--–– such as whole wheat breads, cereals, and pasta––legumes (beans and peas), and of course fruits and vegetables.

To figure out how many grams of carbohydrates you should be consuming each day, multiply your weight in pounds by 3.2. In my new book, Simply DELicious, I outlined a step by step process for developing your own nutrition program.

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SPEED-COOKING: Make Delicious Healthy Meals in 10 Minutes or less!
Don't have time to cook? Don't even know how? No Problem! Dr. Del is the master of simplicity. His new healthy eating cook book, Simply DELicious, is filled with healthy eating recipes that will teach you how to cook simple meals that taste great in 10 minutes or less... The book is also a healthy eating guide that will help you develop a healthy eating plan!
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  "I chose Del's cookbook because the recipes are short, easy and tasty! My first candelight dinner was the heavenly chicken curry (and I am not a curry fan)...it disappeared in a matter of minutes. Nothing boring here! I just ordered four more cookbooks as gifts"
.--Ann G., Santa Monica, California
   
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