Wednesday, April 11, 2012

The post St. Pats lull

I feel like after St. Patrick's Day swoops in... and leaves all of us Irish Dancers in its green wake, things become a bit dull.  For me at least.  I always feel a bit ragged and run-down after St. Pats. This year was no different. It was a long, long day... and on top of it, it was the last day at Bennett for my friend and teacher Mary Pearl.  So, not only have I had to struggle with getting back into the swing of things after St. Pats - because no, my body does not want to dance for 12+ hours a day- but I have also had to struggle with the change of routine that comes with new teachers.

As an adult &over... my brain doesn't learn as quickly as the 12-16 year olds in my prizewinner class. My body doesn't want to cooperate when I tell it to push higher, dancer longer, move faster. I am afraid of how the new teachers at Bennett will deal with my "adult" brain in a kid's world.  Luckily, I am not alone in that class and my fellow adult &overs probably feel the same.

To try and keep myself from getting to Debby Downer about the whole situation, I have added something new to my workout routine to spice things up a bit. With the weather getting warmer its back to running, dancing and now... BOOT CAMP! No, not military boot camp. But an all around, full body workout, push yourself to the max, get your butt kicked - boot camp. And its awesome.
Courtesy of Fitness in the city
Heather and I have been going to boot camp at Fitness in the City for a couple weeks now. I am using muscles I never used in dance. And I feel better for it!! I am hoping that this strength gaining, muscle building, full body workout will improve my dance stamina, form and overall performance.

We'll see how it goes - I figure, it can't hurt, right?