All classes held by the Fegan Academy are great work out sessions for all ages. In our world today the wrong diet is easier and cheaper and it is hard to stay on top of things. However when training for your major competitions it is good to keep diet also at the top of the agenda. Dance increases both the body and brain activity and so it is important to assist your body with the right diet when you can.

• Dance keeps both the body and the brain active, vital for people of every age
• Dance offers a way to improve strength and flexibility, which helps keeps muscles and joints healthy.
• Taking time out in the day to partake in a hobby can help to reduce stress level.
• Dance keeps you healthy and fit.

Academic pressure, college preparation and long hours in the dance studio can make it hard to find time to eat healthy. It is important that our teens care deeply about their bodies, food is important. Some children have no time and do not really know what to eat and when! Here is a quick summary of key nutrition tips for teen dancers.

Dance revolves around significant technical, physical and aesthetic components. Because dancers are continually required to perform at the top of their abilities, proper nutrition and fueling of the body is essential. Dancers need to consume diets adequate in calories to support the demands placed on the body. Those calories should come from healthy carbohydrates, lean proteins and fats. Learning when and what to eat during the day is also imperative to a healthy diet for dancers.

You are more than a number on a scale.

The teen years are a time for questioning how you define yourself, but don’t define yourself by a number on a scale. Don’t allow the scale to be a dictator over how you feel about yourself. Real body weight goes through natural fluctuations throughout the day and week and month. Real weight gain or loss doesn’t occur in a few hours or days. Weighing yourself more than once a week could lead down an unhealthy road. Who you are and what you have to contribute to the art of dance is so much bigger than some arbitrary number. It’s good to be aware of weight changes overtime but don’t obsess over it. Real dancers come in all shapes and sizes. When you focus on making smart dietary choices consistently everyday, avoiding junk and soda, and mindfully choosing reasonable portions, body weight is usually in the healthy range.

How to Maintain a Healthy Weight

There are volumes of books written about this subject, but it fundamentally comes down to a few things that are all within your control and this is the perfect time to take responsibility for those choices:

Planning ahead for meals and snacks. The number one barrier to healthy eating is busy schedules. Take back your life and plan out healthy snacks and make sure they are accessible and convenient. Eating 1,200 calories from a fast food restaurant can be avoided when you make a quick sandwich or throw a bar in your dance bag. Don’t go for more than three hours without eating something. For more tips, read “Eating Right on a Dancer’s Budget.”
Control portions. It’s fine to have one piece of pizza, just not five. It’s fine to have one slice of birthday cake at a celebration, but dancers don’t need dessert every day. Be aware that restaurant portions can be two to three times as much food as needed.
Avoid these foods always: Anything deep-fried, anything with high fructose corn syrup in it, any foods with dyes and all soda. Drinking a soda every day is 114 cups of sugar in a year (over 40 lbs (18kg).
Don’t diet or restrict, make smart choices everyday. A dancer’s body is their instrument. If you were a pianist, would you pour soda all over the piano? If you were a violinist, would you stick chicken nuggets in your violin? You have worked too hard to compromise your body by feeding it chips, fries, sweets and GMO-laden fast food. Make the time to eat an apple, make a sandwich, cut up some carrots or make some oatmeal. Dancers can’t afford to eat junk. Aim for two to three servings of fruit and at least four servings of vegetables.

Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This meal will determine your energy level for the rest of the day. Consuming a larger breakfast that is high in complex carbohydrates, moderate in protein and low in fat will keep you feeling fuller longer and energized until your next meal. An example breakfast would be scrambled eggs, whole-wheat toast, an orange and a yogurt.

Mid-Morning Snack
If you are dancing throughout the day and eat a very early breakfast and late lunch, you should consider eating a mid-morning snack. To adequately fuel your body, try eating smaller meals every three hours. This will keep you from feeling fatigued before your lunch hour arrives. An energizing snack would be an apple with peanut butter, an energy bar, crackers and cheese, yogurt, or fig bars. Choose something that has healthy carbohydrates, protein and is low in fat.

Lunch
For a dancer, lunch can be a difficult meal to plan. You will want this meal to be satisfying, yet not too filling to avoid after-lunch fatigue and/or stomach distress. Choose foods that are easy to digest, but high in carbohydrates and moderate in protein. A good lunch might be a turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread and some grapes, or a pasta dish accompanied by a piece fruit.
Don’t forget to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day.
According to the joint position statement developed by the American College of Sports Medicine, American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada, proper hydration significantly affects performance. Have a light sports drink with your lunch to help fuel your muscles, maintain blood glucose, maximize performance and reduce recovery time.

Dinner
Dinner is a meal important for dancers in that it prepares their bodies for the next day work. If you have a long training or performance day ahead, what you eat the night before will supply your muscles with the energy they need. Again, choose foods that are high in complex carbohydrates, which provide energy; lean protein, which helps repair damaged muscles tissue; and healthy fats, which help your body function at an optimal level. A good dinner would be spaghetti with meat sauce, whole-wheat bread, broccoli and milk. Another dinner for those who don’t eat meat would be a tofu vegetable stir-fry with brown rice and milk.