I've been dealing with a knee injury for a almost a year now. Didn't realize that it was anything until about 5 months ago. So I've had to result to a few dedicated months without dancing. Okay so I cracked a few times and danced hoping that I was magically cured only to realize five minutes later that it probably wasn't the brightest idea.
So I have been trying to find other ways to keep myself active and in shape for dance. I sort of made it a personal obligation to see if I could find free resources by which to do this. Ofcourse anyone can go out and dish out a wad of cash to get a gym membership or pilates classes. But it's even more fun to find this stuff for free! So here are a few of my tips and findings.
1) This first one is a jewel! So what I've learned the hard way is that stretching should never be neglected. It's just as important as the vigorous exercise. I found this site a while ago. It's called Do Yoga With Me. They have over 20 free full length yoga classes! The ones I have tried have been terrific. Especially if you are stiff after a long practice or just want to take a day off from dancing these classes give you a great stretch!
2) Another great free yoga source is YogaYak. It's a Youtube channel that features great full length classes as well.
3) Pilates is a great tool for dancers. It helps you build great core strength as well as strength in your legs. Pilates studio classes can carry a pretty hefty price tag unfortunately. I found this site the other day called Ultimate Pilates Workouts. The site offers a free basic membership, which I recently signed up for. All you have to do is register an email address. I've tried some terrible Pilates videos so I usually quite picky about my videos. The classes I've tried on this site were all well taught and really enjoyable.
4) Another source that has been surprisingly instructive is the Women's Health Magazine website. Once you get past the highly airbrushed models, the actual content is golden. So far I've tried the No Gear Workout and the Muscle Memory Workout. Let me tell you that both of these exercises kicked my butt! I was in some heavy duty pain the next day so these workouts definitely work. You will have leg muscles of steel if you keep up with these workouts!
5) Another resource people ususally overlook is their local library. Public libraries usually have a great collection of videos and DVDs. Have a look around and you might be surprised at the number of yoga, pilates, and fitness related videos you can find.
All these sources can keep you occupied for a long time and it's all for free!
1) This first one is a jewel! So what I've learned the hard way is that stretching should never be neglected. It's just as important as the vigorous exercise. I found this site a while ago. It's called Do Yoga With Me. They have over 20 free full length yoga classes! The ones I have tried have been terrific. Especially if you are stiff after a long practice or just want to take a day off from dancing these classes give you a great stretch!
2) Another great free yoga source is YogaYak. It's a Youtube channel that features great full length classes as well.
3) Pilates is a great tool for dancers. It helps you build great core strength as well as strength in your legs. Pilates studio classes can carry a pretty hefty price tag unfortunately. I found this site the other day called Ultimate Pilates Workouts. The site offers a free basic membership, which I recently signed up for. All you have to do is register an email address. I've tried some terrible Pilates videos so I usually quite picky about my videos. The classes I've tried on this site were all well taught and really enjoyable.
4) Another source that has been surprisingly instructive is the Women's Health Magazine website. Once you get past the highly airbrushed models, the actual content is golden. So far I've tried the No Gear Workout and the Muscle Memory Workout. Let me tell you that both of these exercises kicked my butt! I was in some heavy duty pain the next day so these workouts definitely work. You will have leg muscles of steel if you keep up with these workouts!
5) Another resource people ususally overlook is their local library. Public libraries usually have a great collection of videos and DVDs. Have a look around and you might be surprised at the number of yoga, pilates, and fitness related videos you can find.
All these sources can keep you occupied for a long time and it's all for free!
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