Category: Dancing

Strengthening your core: Challenge yourself!

5/1/2014

So last week, I wrote about the topic of exercise: the benefits, different types, and ways to incorporate physical activity in your daily life. To extend this discussion further and offer you more motivation, I decided to focus on the topic of strengthening your core muscles for this week’s blog.

For those of you who are clueless about what I mean when I say ‘core muscles,’ these include your lower and upper abdominal muscles (located near your stomach) and lower back muscles. Often overlooked, these muscles are crucial for our well-being. They help keep our body balanced, maintain proper posture, reduce inflammation and pain in the lower back area, and allow us to reach our optimal potential when we are engaged in any form of physical activity such as biking, running or dancing.

For the above reasons, it is important that we strengthen this part of our body by proper stretching and resistance training exercises. With time and a good workout plan, not only will you see the benefits but you will feel them as well! Remember to be realistic with your goals and exercise plan to avoid failure and disappointment. Starting small and being consistent with your workout plan will ensure lasting results. Summer is almost here, which makes this a perfect time to shape up :)

To help get you started with your exercise plan, I recommend that you watch the following video by Jillian Michaels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zI5EoiYi1c If you feel these exercises are too difficult, check out some other great videos on YouTube. Here is another video which includes more detailed information about the topic of core muscles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOFG2SxuaXg

Consider joining our Muscle Conditioning and Stretching class on Tuesdays evening. Click here for more info.

Diva in Heels

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Dancing for Health: What Happened to Your New Year's Resolution?

4/3/2014

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Let's face it! We have all said it, we have all tried it, and we have all watched it melt away in the spring, like the last snow fall under welcomed sunshine rays.

Every year, as the holidays spark excitement and motivation to begin a fresh new year of promises and goals, something seemingly universal happens: we embark the roller coaster ride of our daily lives and we lose sight of what we wanted to change or improve. Commonly, our new objectives revolve around losing weight, getting fitter, healthier, or feeling less stressed. Taking a closer look at this relentless cycle of lost goals and failed efforts, we can uncover some interesting ideas.

When we think of becoming fit and healthy, people ordinarily look for the standard fitness workout plan that involves sweating and burning, losing calories, lifting weights and flattening that insidious belly! "No pain no gain is the way to go! ". "It should be all or nothing". That is what we have learned; if we fail to exude this sense of power and self control, all fingers point to oneself for shamefully lacking willingness and discipline. How many can identify with this?

We are continuously influenced by societal expectations and beliefs circulated by the gigantic presence of the media. We are born in the midst of media and we learn to become part of it, confounding our personal beliefs with those of our culture. Health is a social construction: society provides judgment on what it means to be healthy. However, optimal health is a relative concept when we consider each person as a unique individual with different needs, at different time periods and in different circumstances.

What you need today, what you can do today will be different tomorrow. And what you are able to do today, may not be the same for someone else. What it means to be healthy will change at various stages of our lives. There is no single, cookie-cutter solution to becoming healthy, fit and happy individuals.

Consequently, we need to ensure that our goals are realistic with where we are at during a particular time of our life. We must creatively find solutions that sustain our motivation, that focus initially on our strengths, and that allow us to feel good.

As a fitness professional, I have experienced my body through its journey of ups and downs. At one phase during my professional development, I was teaching certain types of fitness classes that depleted me of my optimism, passion and energy resources. I felt that I needed something that would propel me, that would ignite my natural predispositions and desire to savor life. I needed to feel good first and engage in what initially felt easy to me, so that I could sustain my motivation and overcome limitations.

Hence, I unveiled my long forgotten love for dance. Dance offered me the stress relief, emotional expression, joint mobilization and muscular endurance that I needed at that particular time. As I committed to dancing, my energy increased, my body reacquainted with the experience of strength and intensity. Ironically, the curiosity of returning to fitness classes at the gym reemerged, naturally and progressively. I had to explore something else in order to land right back to where I started, to where I wanted to be. Today, as I pursue my journey as a fitness professional, I continue to embrace the blissful moments of moving to that favorite rhythm or chorus. Dance is at the core of all my other fitness activities; Dance builds within me the roots of my strength, and in turn, everything else enhances my dancing.

Health is multifaceted: it extends beyond physical fitness to encompass our mental and emotional health. When we experience difficulties achieving our health goals, it is essential to revisit the compatibility of our goals with what we truly need at a particular time. If something doesn't work, we may have to creatively change our approach by customizing our efforts.

There isn't only one solution to become fitter and healthier. Whether it's dancing or something else, we have to start with what we can do right now. By exploring new ideas we unlock our potential, but most importantly, our ability to achieve.

The Twirling Tigress

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Spring Resolution: What’s Yours?

3/20/2014

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In the winter time, Canadians look forward to spring and summer patient-less. Many of us experience winter blues, also known as SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), while others may experience what I like to call “hibernation season syndrome” characterized by endless time spent in bed sleeping and resisting the need to get up. Whatever your behaviour may be for dealing with the harsh Canadian winter, rest assured that spring is right around the corner! In fact, the official date for spring this year is today: Thursday, March 20th.

Many people choose the New Year to set new goals and resolutions. But why wait a whole year for a break through? Spring is a great time to start planning and realizing your dreams including any new or old resolutions. I always think of spring as the perfect time to get fit for summer: eat healthier, meditate, exercise more, sleep better, pick up a new hobby, for example, dancing, learning a new language, or anything else that that your heart desires.

Start your spring resolution by setting small, realistic goals. Be concrete about what you want to achieve and don’t give up trying if you don’t succeed the first few times. For instance, my goal is to engage in at least 15 minutes of physical activity such as weight training every day, except the weekend. I want to gain more muscle mass, increase my energy level, and feel better overall. Starting small means you won’t set yourself up for failure. Dream big, but start small.

Write down specifically what you want to attain and track your progress. Decide on a deadline if you’d like; this may help especially if you are more goal-oriented as opposed to process-oriented. Remember to prioritize (new goals take up time which you normally spend on something else) and remain positive throughout the process. After all, even the slightest attempt to improve and meet your goals counts!

For those of you who are serious about getting healthy and fit this spring (or in the near future), I highly recommend “The Hormone Diet” by Dr. Natasha Turner, ND. In her groundbreaking book she shares some very valuable advice on how to stay healthy by keeping our hormones in balance. Truly an interesting read!

If you’d like to include more physical activity as part of your spring resolution, consider joining one of our dance classes. Click here for more information.

Please share your comments! What is your Spring Resolution?

Diva in Heels

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Meeting the Inspiracion Latina Dancers: Kate

3/8/2014

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Let me introduce you to another of our talented dancers who is a very kind and spiritual human being. She promotes animal welfare and enjoys being in touch with nature as an example she volunteers at a community garden club in Thornhill. Her name is Kate Vino.

Kate was born in Ukraine, but lived in several parts of the world before finally immigrating to Canada with her family. She started dancing at the age of 10 with Ballet as her starting point. Parallel to taking Ballet classes, Kate also began to enjoy Jazz and Pop dance. As a teenager, Hip Hop was very popular and she had to try that as well.

In her early 20's Kate decided she needed a change in beat, so she began learning Salsa, Bachata, Merengue and Brazilian dances. She joined Inspiracion Latina Dance Company in 2013 where she continues to work on her technique in a variety of dance styles while performing at various events around Toronto and the GTA.

In a short interview, Kate speaks about her passion for dance.

Queen Latina: As a dancer what inspires you?
Kate: I am inspired by the world's diverse cultures. I love travelling and getting to know new places and people, their unique traditions, languages, their music and dance. I've always been particularly drawn to Latin American culture, and that is where I found my inspiration for dancing.

Queen Latina: What does dance mean to you?
Kate: Dancing, for me, means many things. It is its own unique language that offers a way to connect to our ancestors and spiritual selves. Through dancing, I learned the meaning of being a human being. Dancing allows me to strengthen my confidence and face my fears; it also reminds me how to embrace my imperfections.

Queen Latina: How does dance influence your life?
Kate: Dancing definitely helps me stay fit, and connect with like- minded people who are passionate about similar things. Simply put, dancing helps me “come out of my shell.” It pushes me outside of my comfort zone. I carry on a similar attitude in my day to day life when I face challenges. Interestingly enough, when I am performing, I see a different side of me. And I kind of like it :D

Queen Latina: How was your family’s view about dancing?
Kate: Everyone in my family enjoys dancing as a hobby. We like to see musicals and other dance shows like ballet and Cirque de Soleil.

Queen Latina: Do you think living in Toronto influence you as a dancer? How?
Kate: Toronto is so diverse and multicultural, which opens the door to try many different styles of dance. If I was living in a different part of the world, I am not sure I would be dancing or performing Latin and Brazilian styles.

Stay tuned for more interviews to our dancers and students!

Queen Latina

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Dancing Is Ageless

3/1/2014

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Dancing is sometimes considered to be an activity for the young rather than the old. Just think about it. Have you ever seen a ballet show with a ballerina over 45, or a 60 year old break dancer doing the spins? Most of us have this stereotype that the only thing older folks in their 60’s are breaking is their hips.

In a rapidly changing world, there are many more people interested in dance, whether young or old. Nowadays, more people are choosing dance as a physical activity and a hobby, as well as a mental and confidence booster. Truthfully speaking, dance has no boundaries or limitations, nor should it have an age cut-off. New Zealand’s senior dance team “Hip Op-eration” is the perfect example of this.

They are labelled as the "world’s oldest Hip Hop group" with dancers who are anywhere from 65 to 90+ years old. The Hip Op-eration is a great example of what dance should be: boundless and ageless. The group’s members stay physically active despite some mobility issues: one member is in a wheelchair and a few others use walking sticks. Moreover, you may be equally surprised to know that The Hip Op-eration took part in the 2013 World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas.

This definitely serves as an inspiration for me (and I hope for others as well) to continue enjoying dance until old age, and even beyond!

Diva in Heels

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Strengthening your core: Challenge yourself!

Dancing for Health: What Happened to Your New Year's Resolution?

Spring Resolution: What’s Yours?

Meeting the Inspiracion Latina Dancers: Kate

Dancing Is Ageless

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