Supporting Your Dancer Nutritionally Through Holiday Pre-Season
Your child is involved in a unique sport and art form that requires a unique type of fueling compared to some other types of sports. Dance is an aesthetic sport, which means that it’s important to keep your dancer lean, but fueled correctly and unfortunately, it’s very common to see dancers under fueled, leading to poor growth and development and injury. Here are some steps you can take to ensure your dancer is being fueled properly through Holiday Pre-Season (aka: Nutcracker Season).
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1. Consider your dancer’s individual goal
Auditions for Nutcracker are likely around the corner, so it’s likely that your dancer has a set of goals he or she wants to reach to get their desired part or perform their best.
Sit down with them and discuss what these goals may look like for them. Some examples may include starting pointe, having more than one role in a show, becoming a lead role, or becoming more flexible.
All these goals can be supported by individualized nutrition, so it’s important to work alongside a dietitian to help your dancer optimize their nutrition to help them feel fueled enough to reach their goals.
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2. Consider your dancer’s activity intensity
During pre-season, dancers are often involved in regular scheduled classes, preparing for auditions, and/or involved in choreography and rehearsals for their in-season.
A low volume day would mean your dancer is engaged in a class that’s less than 2 hours long, whereas a high-volume day would mean they may have multiple classes per day exceeding 2 hours.
Map out what their pre-season looks like so you know which days your dancer may need more nutritional support. For example, if your dancer has a long rehearsal day for 8 hours, ensure they have a carbohydrate snack before, at each 2-hour mark, and after, as well as a complete meal at the 4-hour mark.
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3. Consider your dancer’s strength level
A goal your dancer may have is to get stronger, whether it’s to hold their leg in arabesque or to start rising on pointe. Dancers usually maintain a higher level of protein intake year-round to maintain muscle mass.
The areas of the day that protein is necessary would be to ensure your dancer has adequate protein intake at each main meal and that their after class or rehearsal snack includes a high protein option for muscle recovery. This may look like a protein shake, protein bar, or peanut and butter sandwich. It’s also important to note that protein should be paired with a carbohydrate source for the best results.
A dietitian can set an appropriate goal for your dancer depending on whether they want to maintain or increase their muscle mass
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The main point is to ensure that your dancer is being fueled for success. In-season is an intense part of your dancer’s year, and many dancers cycle through seasons twice depending on their dance school performance requirements (for example a show in early winter and a show in late spring). This means adequate nutrition is important all year round.
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Maura Fowler, MPH, RDN, CPH