Increasing dance stamina -- without chocolate or sweets ?

[johnthehappyguy]

How can I increase my dance stamina ?

Until a few weeks ago, I regularly was able to dance to (almost) every track.

I managed this by beng fairly fit, and also by consuming vast quantities of chocolate and sweets throughtout the evening.:eek:

I would be absolutely knackered on the way home and would usually stop the car for a sleep.

In the last few weeks I have given up chocolate and sweets, and have some pasta about an hour before dancing. I also drink more water when dancing now.

This has worked fairly well, and afterwards, I can drive home ok, without feeling the need to stop and sleep.

However I find that I have less energy dancing at partynights - ( not a bad thing some may add.:really: ) - Consequently, I am not enjoying dancing as much.:tears: :tears:


What methods do you use to keep on dancing ?


johnthehappyguy:nice:

[Trish]

I think sports drinks help (and aren't too bad on the calories if it's the sugary stuff you're trying to cut down on). But for a long stint of several hours you can't beat red bull, and it has the bonus that you won't feel sleepy, although it's not quite such a good thing when you want to sleep!

Also go somewhere where you really like the music/dancers, if you're really inspired by what you're doing then the tiredness just seems to evaporate (or at least untill you stop!)

[TiggsTours]

Bananas, whole grain breads and crackers, potatoes with their skin, beans & legumes, brown rice, oats, and whole grain pasta.

All "Slow Carbs" so release energy at a steady slow pace.

[stewart38]

I would be absolutely knackered on the way home and would usually stop the car for a sleep.


This has worked fairly well, and afterwards, I can drive home ok, without feeling the need to stop and sleep.


What methods do you use to keep on dancing ?


johnthehappyguy:nice:

what does that mean ? Are you talking weekenders or dance nights

ie you get so tired you have to stop car and sleep , then drive on. you dont mention how far you travel or how long you sleep for ?. Maybe you need to see a doctor and keep clear of embankments :mad:

I would never drive if I was that tired its dangerous to other drivers

[spindr]

Cool down.
Drink lots of water.
Swap shoes.
Take up running :)

[WittyBird]

Take up running :)

Very good point.
Join a Gym - the more exercise you do the more energy you have. I go to the gym about 4x a week and that helps me along with pro plus and slimming pills that seem to give you countless energy without sleeping :rofl:

[Lynn]

Very good point.
Join a Gym - the more exercise you do the more energy you have. I go to the gym about 4x a week and that helps me along with pro plus and slimming pills that seem to give you countless energy without sleeping :rofl:I have to admit to pro plus when doing all nighters at weekenders, easier than having lots of coke or coffee, though only if I am planning on dancing till 6am, they work for me. And pasta beforehand, or bananas to snack on instead of chocolate.

[senorita]

Very good point.
Join a Gym - the more exercise you do the more energy you have. I go to the gym about 4x a week and that helps me along with pro plus and slimming pills that seem to give you countless energy without sleeping :rofl:

Slimming Pills!!!!!!?? :what:

There is more fat on a chip sweety! :nice:

[senorita]

Bananas, whole grain breads and crackers, potatoes with their skin, beans & legumes, brown rice, oats, and whole grain pasta.

All "Slow Carbs" so release energy at a steady slow pace.

:yeah: :yeah:

Protein is also very good for keeping energy up, and keeps you from feeling hungry for many hours

[paul stevo]

Maybe you need to cut down a little on those triple spins???

Seriously, I would say be a bit more selective of the dances you miss out ie. go get a drink when the more hectic tracks come on.

And maybe adjust your dance style, so you become a little more economical in your movement. This does not mean making the girls run round you, while you stand on the spot watching her. Try keeping both feet on the floor at all times, taking the weight off your foot as you move it but not actually lifting off the floor.

As reguards to your diet, I`m not convinved that energy drinks are the long term answer. Trying to get 5 fruit or veg a day will help your energy levels hugely.....fruit is cheap, takes no preparing and can be eaten anywhere.

Hope this helps.

Paul

[azande]

I would never drive if I was that tired its dangerous to other drivers
Obviously the fact that he said he stops and sleep doesn't count, does it?

[under par]

How can I increase my dance stamina ?

Until a few weeks ago, I regularly was able to dance to (almost) every track.

I managed this by beng fairly fit, and also by consuming vast quantities of chocolate and sweets throughtout the evening.:eek:

I would be absolutely knackered on the way home and would usually stop the car for a sleep.

In the last few weeks I have given up chocolate and sweets, and have some pasta about an hour before dancing. I also drink more water when dancing now.

This has worked fairly well, and afterwards, I can drive home ok, without feeling the need to stop and sleep.

However I find that I have less energy dancing at partynights - ( not a bad thing some may add.:really: ) - Consequently, I am not enjoying dancing as much.:tears: :tears:


What methods do you use to keep on dancing ?


johnthehappyguy:nice:

Is it the sweet deprivation or do you need a change of venue/music to re invigorate your dance taste buds.

personally speaking I dance most of the night without the use of sweets. what brings a halt to my enthusiasm is uninspiring music.

My tastes may well be at odds to everyone elses but if the music is right, Mrs Par doesn't even get a drink as I won't go to the bar:rofl:

[johnthehappyguy]

what does that mean ? Are you talking weekenders or dance nights

.....ie you get so tired you have to stop car and sleep.......


In my old lifestyle, I used to get by on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night.

The pace of my life seemed frantic.

I thought that I had plenty of energy ( not so sure now that I did ). I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, anywhere.

This was probably why I got so tired sitting still in the car after dancing.

I would have a kip for as long as I needed.

Thankfully, I am now able to be more accepting of things, and am managing to spend longer in my bed. I feel I am a better person for it.

john:nice:

[Trish]

In my old lifestyle, I used to get by on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night.

The pace of my life seemed frantic.

I thought that I had plenty of energy ( not so sure now that I did ). I could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, anywhere.

This was probably why I got so tired sitting still in the car after dancing.

I would have a kip for as long as I needed.

Thankfully, I am now able to be more accepting of things, and am managing to spend longer in my bed. I feel I am a better person for it.

john:nice:

Well anyone would be tired after only 4/5 hour sleep! Your life must be really busy (either that or you're an insomniac). I tend to find a capnap works wonders actually. If I'm taxi dancing I always try to get 20-30 minutes sleep before I go out, and if I don't do this I'm completely worn out by the end of the night!

I agree with the suggestions of bananas, oats (porridge for me!) and good music though.

[Zebra Woman]

I try to eat loads of fruit and veg and meat before dancing but limit carbohydrates a little before dancing as they release their energy too quickly. The Zone diet talks about this. I have never followed it but have adapted their Olympic squad feeding methods for my own purposes. A zone snack for example is half an apple 10 peanuts and 3 olives. Well I can't be bothered with that, but the principle of mixing nuts and fruit is a good one, and I never say no to an olive.

I have fruit in my bag, apples, plums bananas and eat them during the evening between dances. Organic low sugar cereal bars are good , and nuts can be great in moderation too (honey roasted cashews are a favourite).

I always eat on the way home too and even have 3 weetabix before bed.

Residual fitness from other sports can really help, but doing too much excercise in one day can be a disaster. Especially at my age. :sick:

[Minnie M]

.......personally speaking I dance most of the night without the use of sweets. what brings a halt to my enthusiasm is uninspiring music.........
:yeah:
worrying about energy levels now :rolleyes: goodness what are you going to be like when you are my age :whistle:

[Stuart]

I think sports drinks help (and aren't too bad on the calories if it's the sugary stuff you're trying to cut down on). But for a long stint of several hours you can't beat red bull, and it has the bonus that you won't feel sleepy, although it's not quite such a good thing when you want to sleep

Alternatively a 50:50 mixture of water and unsweetened fruit juice will work just as well.

[LMC]

Apple juice contains tannins (although apples, apparently, don't - weird) - which makes it a good non-caffeinated "refresher" :nice:

[Jive Brummie]

The slow release carbs thing is probably far better than doing the sweets, coffee and red bull option. I always thought all that caffeine wasn't too good for the body.

Water intake is excellent for envigorating the tired body but more importantly, if consumed to the point of correct hydration during the working day, it will have the effect of reducing overall fatigue.

Sweets are simple carbs, which means they tend to release energy very quickly compared to those found in breads, pasta's etc and so, although they give the relatively instant rush they are then followed by a slump in the bodies energy...possibly giving you the really tired feeling when driving home.

Personnally I think that stopping for a sleep along the way is most responsible and wish more folks would do it rather than just plod on half asleep...all I need to do now is take my own advice!

JB.

[MartinHarper]

Concert pitch, until relatively recently, gradually increased over the centuries. At least according to one theory, this is because great composers start to lose their hearing as they get elderly, causing them to hear the same note as being distorted to a lower frequency than it actually is. To correct this perceived flaw, great composers would get their orchestras to tune to a higher frequency, thus making the music sound (to them) as it used to when they were young. This may not sound entirely plausible, but a guy in a pub told me it once, so it must be true.

I theorise that a similar effect applies to dance. As great dancers get old and infirm, they can no longer keep up the pace. Rather than sitting down on the sidelines with a nice hot mug of cocoa and a bag of Werther's Originals, these great dancers blame the music for being too fast and hectic, even though it may be the very same track that they happilly danced to in their youth.

This effect is compounded if these senior dancers teach as well, as they end up teaching moves that work well with the deathly slow music they now favour, and are wildly inappropriate to the music they danced to before their body's warranty expired. Non-teachers also have an influence, as people see them on the dancefloor, and imitate their style.

Fortunately, there are some notable exceptions.

[Anna]

Redbull.. but not more than 2-3 or I'll be lying in bed staring at the ceiling at 4am with a salsa beat still playing in my head.. :rofl:



I don't sit down.. or try not to for extended periods of time or I lose that "go go go" feeling and have to work up to it again



Lots and lots and lots and lots of water... At the places I go now, I don't even have to wait or signal, the moment I appear at the bar I get handed a glass of water :D the bar staff think its funny..hmmph



Go to the gym that lunchtime or afternoon and get pepped up for the rest of your day, even come midnight and later you'll still feel pumped :)



- I don't care what you say, dancing is a sport damnit!!

[DavidB]

I theorise that a similar effect applies to dance. As great dancers get old and infirm, they can no longer keep up the pace. Rather than sitting down on the sidelines with a nice hot mug of cocoa and a bag of Werther's Originals, these great dancers blame the music for being too fast and hectic, even though it may be the very same track that they happilly danced to in their youth.
But I can stand still just as well to fast music as I can to slow music (unless of course I'm dancing with that Evil Lou!)

[under par]

But I can stand still just as well to fast music as I can to slow music (unless of course I'm dancing with that Evil Lou!)
.......and of course hold on to your pint with the other hand !:worthy: :worthy:

[Zebra Woman]

Sweets are simple carbs, which means they tend to release energy very quickly compared to those found in breads, pasta's etc and so, although they give the relatively instant rush they are then followed by a slump in the bodies energy...possibly giving you the really tired feeling when driving home.

I treat white pasta,rice or bread, and potatoes as quick release energy , one step better than sweets. I get a similar rush followed by a low if I eat a lot of those foods. Pre-dancing I try to limit them by eating more veg and meat. Switching to wholemeal pasta is a step too far for me. :sick:



* Redbull.. but not more than 2-3 or I'll be lying in bed staring at the ceiling at 4am with a salsa beat still playing in my head..

* I don't sit down.. or try not to for extended periods of time or I lose that "go go go" feeling and have to work up to it again

* Lots and lots and lots and lots of water... At the places I go now, I don't even have to wait or signal, the moment I appear at the bar I get handed a glass of water the bar staff think its funny..hmmph

* Go to the gym that lunchtime or afternoon and get pepped up for the rest of your day, even come midnight and later you'll still feel pumped


Oh to be 20 years younger! :rofl:

I have only ever been to the gym once, and I certainly did not feel 'pepped up' afterwards.

I avoid sailing/mountainbiking on the same day as I'm dancing as I end up with a stinging pain in my overworked thighs.

I suppose yes Anna, I am 'still pumped', but it b***** hurts.

Feeling old now.:sick:

Agree with you about drinking loads of water and keeping going, that really does work. :cheers:

ZW:flower:

[Graham W]

...I agree totally about the gym, even 20mins a day aerobic stuff is cool., I doubt I could dance effectively without it, being 40..
U could try really cranking it up on a couple of dances, maybe to fast tracks.., to get the system going.

G

[Donna]

How can I increase my dance stamina ?

Until a few weeks ago, I regularly was able to dance to (almost) every track.

I managed this by beng fairly fit, and also by consuming vast quantities of chocolate and sweets throughtout the evening.:eek:

I would be absolutely knackered on the way home and would usually stop the car for a sleep.

In the last few weeks I have given up chocolate and sweets, and have some pasta about an hour before dancing. I also drink more water when dancing now.

This has worked fairly well, and afterwards, I can drive home ok, without feeling the need to stop and sleep.

However I find that I have less energy dancing at partynights - ( not a bad thing some may add.:really: ) - Consequently, I am not enjoying dancing as much.:tears: :tears:


What methods do you use to keep on dancing ?


johnthehappyguy:nice:

Maybe you relied to much on a sugar rush and all of a sudden can feel the difference. Do you sleep much? Either take everyones advice on this thread - sports drinks etc and if that doesn't work......have your thyroid checked out. I went through a phase whereby i wanted to dance so badly but just didn't have the energy. It got worse and worse and so I went to the doctors...a few tests were carried out...and i was diagnosed with underactive thyroid. Now I'm on medication, I'm fine and have trouble getting OFF the dance floor!!:clap:

[under par]

Maybe you relied to much on a sugar rush and all of a sudden can feel the difference. Do you sleep much? Either take everyones advice on this thread - sports drinks etc and if that doesn't work......have your thyroid checked out. I went through a phase whereby i wanted to dance so badly but just didn't have the energy. It got worse and worse and so I went to the doctors...a few tests were carried out...and i was diagnosed with underactive thyroid. Now I'm on medication, I'm fine and have trouble getting OFF the dance floor!!:clap:

Go to dentist too get a check up for cavaties :whistle: all those sweets not good for the teethy pegs mate!:D

[Will]

Have you tried EPO?

[johnthehappyguy]

Have you tried EPO?


EPO? - Will you enlighten me Will.

johnthehappyguy:nice:

[Will]

EPO? - Will you enlighten me Will.

johnthehappyguy:nice:
I forget what it stands for, but cyclists swear by it!

[LMC]

EPO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoietin)... fine as long as you don't want to enter the Tour de France

My latest energy boost thing is smoothies... :drool: - but I'd still be better off with proper whole fruit, must make more effort :blush:

[azande]

I forget what it stands for, but cyclists swear by it!
EPO explanation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoietin)

[johnthehappyguy]

Have you tried EPO?

No !

When I read the following extract from wikipedia:-

"Erythropoietin....when an athlete under EPO sleeps, his heart may come to beat very slowly; he or she then risks a heart attack........athletes were sometimes awakened at night and made to do push ups and other exercises in order to prevent adverse effects.":eek:

It put me off slightly.:sick:

I have got up in the middle of the night to exercise ( twice I think ), but that was more than a year ago when I was really bonkers.

johnthehappyguy:nice:

[under par]

<<snip>> .......athletes were sometimes awakened at night and made to do push ups and other exercises in order to prevent adverse effects."[/I]:eek:

It put me off slightly.:sick:

I have got up in the middle of the night to exercise ( twice I think ), but that was more than a year ago when I was really bonkers.

johnthehappyguy:nice:


What was her name? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: ..................and was she worth it?:whistle: