Many of you may be heading off to an intensive Summer Program, and if this is your first time, you might want to check out an article that we sent out last year about getting prepared. You can find it here:
Preparing for Summer Programs
However, some of you might also be taking a break for the summer. Sometimes it is good to take off short periods of time to recharge. As they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” While a break from your regular dance schedule can reinspire you, it’s important to not take a break from all physical activity, as this can cause you to lose strength and flexibility and undo some of the strides you made during the year. Shannon, a dance instructor and employee here at Centerstage, warns that flexibility is one of the first things to go and can make getting back into dance more challenging and even result in injury. Therefore, maintaining flexibility during your break is a smart and healthy thing to do.
Taking yoga or pilates classes is an excellent alternative during your time off. Or if you play sports or are involved in
other athletic activities, you could follow those up with some stretching after you are done.
Stretching is important for a few reasons. When you work a muscle, the muscle fibers shorten. Stretching after you have worked a muscle will lengthen those muscle fibers so that they are ready to work again. This gives you flexibility and range of motion, which will help to prevent injuries. Stretching also helps blood flow and releases chemicals that build up in a muscle when you work it.
That said, it is important to know that if stretching isn’t done properly or at the right time, it can also cause injury. I may be preaching to the choir, but this next point is so important that it is worth repeating. People used to stretch as a way to warm up, but now we know that it is better to gently warm the body up first and then go into stretching because stretching a cold muscle can result in tiny micro tears that form scar tissue, which gradually leads to a loss in flexibility.
So here are a few tips about stretching properly:
1) Warm up first and then stretch.
2) Stretch big muscle groups first and smaller muscle groups second.
3) Don’t bounce when you stretch. Hold your stretch in a static position for at least 10-30 seconds.
4) Don’t stretch until it hurts. Stretching should never hurt. You want to just stretch past your normal flexibility. “Baby
Steps” is a good motto because aggressive stretching can cause muscle strain or tears.
So, no matter what you are doing for the summer, don’t forget to stretch!