As much as we’d love to live in a world where we are always booked, can take as many vacation days as we please, and are always at the peak of our health journey, the reality is, that there are many different seasons of life.
There are seasons when we are so busy we can hardly think straight and return home at the end of the only to collapse into bed.
There are seasons when you’re recovering from an injury and days are filled with eating for recovery, going to physical therapy, and resting.
Seasons when life is in one of those beautiful states of balance and you’re able to take on commitments and challenges that you previously didn’t have the bandwidth for.
And there are seasons when you are booked in a show, rehearsals filling your days and shows filling your evenings.
Each of these seasons of life takes a different type of toll on your body. Observing that toll and planning your physical training around it will be the key to consistency in your active life.
So, how do we tailor our training to these seasons of life?
I’m so glad you asked, let’s dive in.
Why is This Important
As much as we dancers want to believe we are superhuman, we are not. The truth is, there is only so much stress (physical/emotional/spiritual/mental) that our bodies can handle at one time.
In fact, studies have shown that seasons of life that involve high amounts of stress impair efforts to be physically active.
In other words, when we are stressed, it’s harder to get ourselves to the gym and the reason isn’t just laziness, it’s physiological.
Remember, our bodies want us to win. If we are experiencing a stressful season of life, our bodies will signal us to take it easy so it has time to recover.
Now, this is challenging because, dancers love to do things.
That’s why we talk so often about stress management.
Because even if you don’t feel stressed. That doesn’t mean your body isn’t under stress.
For example:
Imagine you’re in one of the most fulfilling seasons of your life.
You’re booked in a show in your city of residence.
Your free time consists of dance classes, voice lessons, and workouts.
You also teach fitness classes three days a week in the mornings.
Your nights consist of three hours of dancing in a show.
You’re doing this 8 shows a week and on your off day, you’re hitting up your favorite fitness class. (I mean, you get free classes at the studio where you teach, so why not?)
Sounds great, right?
This isn’t a trick question, to a lot of us, it does sound great! And there is nothing wrong with this schedule.
But it is A LOT of stress for your body to sustain day after day, week after week. And that stress is going to affect your sleep, your energy levels, and how efficiently your body works in and recovers from the gym.
It doesn’t mean you can’t maintain a schedule like this, but it does mean that your training needs to adjust to keep your body in tip top shape.
So, How Do I Tailor My Training to My Seasons Of Life?
There are three major ways to tailor your training to your seasons of life: respecting rest, identifying stress, and listening to your body.
Respecting Rest
First, you have to dismantle the idea that rest is not productive. In fact, rest is an imperative part of making progress toward any fitness goal. In order to appropriately tailor your training to your seasons of life, you must understand and acknowledge that truth.
Let me share a short story with you.
I had a client who I’d worked with for a long time. Her side job was instructing barre classes and she danced…A LOT.
One week she expressed how tired she was. She was in rehearsals for a big gig coming up that weekend, she was taking a masterclass with an instructor who was in town, and she was heading to a night class to build a relationship with a choreographer who had called her back for a show recently. She had a gap in her day between teaching and rehearsals and said,
“I thought about going home, but I think I’m going to take a barre class. It’s free and what am I going to do at home? Just sit there?”
I looked at her for a moment and said, “Yes. It sounds like your body needs it.”
She responded “But my costume this weekend is itty-bitty and I want to look snatched, ya know?”
Oof. I felt this. I, myself, have been guilty of believing that if I just work my body constantly it would submit into the shape I wanted it to be.
But want to know a secret? On top of the fact that one class will not change your body, stress (physical, emotional, and mental) can cause bloating and other GI issues – so if snatched is the goal, that extra class might actually do you a disservice.
What’s more, overtraining during seasons of stress makes you more susceptible to injury!
So stop holding yourself to a standard that isn’t helping you reach your goals. It’s okay to skip the gym during a season of stress. It’s ok to choose a lower-intensity workout even if the stress you’re under isn’t physical. You’re entire body is connected; mind, body, and spirit.
Identifying Stress
Next, you have to practice identifying stress in your life. If you’re in a season of life where you’re struggling with an injury or illness, even if you “feel” well, your body is under stress. In a season like this, shifting your training to more gentle forms of exercise/movement, and getting plenty of rest is going to be key to healing.
Stress isn’t always bad stuff though. Callbacks are exciting and charged with hope and the opportunity to perform! However, a week full of callbacks taxes your body mentally, emotionally, and physically.
The same is true about the rehearsal process of a show. Your brain is working in overdrive, emotionally you’re balancing excitement and exhaustion and making new friends, and physically you’re dancing way more than if the show was mounted.
If you’re in a season of life like this, it can be especially hard to shift your training focus. But the reality is, this type of season of life is not the time to enter into a cut phase. It’s not the time to up the intensity of your workouts.
Instead, this is the time to shift the focus of your training from growth to maintenance; taking plenty of rest days and maybe focusing more on mobility, recovery, and fuel.
Listening To Your Body
Finally, you have to hone the skill of listening to your body.
There is a great deal of difference between a lack of motivation and your body asking for a break.
Learning how to differentiate between the two is the key to adapting your training to different seasons of life.
A good indicator that you need a break is that you actually feel tired. This is also a sign that you’re not adequately fueled up. So, if this is you, make sure you’ve been eating plenty of protein, carbs, and fat to fuel your current lifestyle. If after that you’re still exhausted, take a break.
Another indicator that you’re tired is if you are noticing any cold symptoms. When we are stressed, our immune system depletes. Feeling a sore throat coming on, a headache, or other symptoms might be a signal to rest for a day or two.
Finally, if stopping your resting sounds terrible to you, that’s probably a sign that you need a break. Sometimes, when we are busy, stopping to rest feels like an abrupt slam on the brakes. Instead, I want you to view it as a gentle tap on the breaks to help you safely get around a sharp corner. Your car isn’t stopping, it’s just slowing down so it can remain in control.
If Every Workout Is Intense, No Workout Is Intense
If you’ve been with DWL for a while you know that we believe in mixing up our training.
It’s not optimal (or healthy) to be in a caloric deficit all the time, but there are seasons of life where it’s possible and goals for which it’s necessary.
It’s not optimal to constantly be in a building phase.
Eventually, we want to reach a place of maintenance.
So, if you’re looking to build muscle, do a cut, or any other fitness goal that’s going to require an increase in intensity, talk to your coach first about your life.
What adjustments need to be made? Can those adjustments happen right now?
And if the answer is no. That’s okay. Just because you’re in a season that doesn’t allow for 4 lifting sessions in a week right now, doesn’t mean that it’s forever.
Everything has a season, everything has a time. (Name that show tune!) Adjusting your training to eb and flow with the seasons of life you encounter will change the game for your progress.
Don’t have a coach to strategize with? Click here to learn more about our Body Mechanics program. It’s specifically designed to give you the tools you need to achieve your fitness goals as a dancer – and all with access to a coach