DanceMind: Dear Janie, HOW???

The difficulty rises when a group is told they need to lose weight and ar left to their own measures on how to do it. Yes, there are diets, yet we know how successful that can be for some people, some of the time. This presents inner conflict which can drive one toward extreme behavior ... stravation or binging.

With the amount of energy and calories this is burnt doing ballet/dance, one needs to eat otherwise the body takes the shape of a thin starving child. How doyou eat? How does one manage to lose a few pounds wihtout crating problems within the systems of the bpdy ... the menstrual cycle, the skeletal system, the nervous system, ndocrine system, etc.

A dancer moves with every system in the body and they contribute to the 'ability to move.' The payment will come due in time as is often said when we engage in bad habits, like smoking, drugs, starvation. One may not experience the wrath immediately such as if you step in front of an oncoming car, but the 'collector' will come.

Of most concern are health care professionals and mentors who are teachers who do not support health. When my daughter was injured last year, one MD misdiagnosed her with tendenitis (her foot was actually broken as we later discovered.) and told her to take 8 advil a day and she will be fine.

Luckily she had the mind to know WRONG!

If one does not KNOW BETTER, one takes the advise. Of one does not KNOW, one takes the advise. You have to step back and explore options. Use foresight, not hindsite

Sanna Carapellotti, MS
Performance Specialist

PS -- For every problem there is a health solution.