Eating for the Show - Do I need to eat differently for the stage?
Coming towards the end of the year is a busy time for dancers.
Training increases as more rehearsals are squeezed in for the upcoming shows.And on the performance days, everything goes so quickly that you can get lost on what to eat.
Although adrenalin may mask the hunger during the show it definitely strikes you at the end of the day when things are done.
Planning your food and eating schedule can be advantageous to your health and performance, especially if you know you're a sporadic eater during busy seasons.
So let's see what we can do to optimise your performance day.
(If you haven't already, have a read of the posts here and here)
Top 3 Tips on eating on Performance days
Know your foods
Performance day isn't the best time to try something new regardless of how fancy or delicious it may sound.Keep to your familiar foods to avoid any stomach upset.
Go easy on fibre
Fibre is important: it keeps you regular and helps keep blood sugar and cholesterol levels optimum.But it can be a bit too much of a work for the body when it has several hours of dancing to endure also.
Small-and-frequent is better than large-in-one-go
Larger meals will need more time for digestion.To allow for quick fueling and refuelling, try and breakdown the large meals to smaller portions and have them more frequently.
Performance Day Meal Ideas
Breakfast ideas
Muesli with yoghurt
Eggs on toasts
Cereal and milk
Lunch ideas
Pasta salad
Sushi rolls
Sandwich
Snacks ideas
PB and jam sandwich - have them pre-cut into one- or two-bite size pieces
Smoothies
Trail mix
Fruit or fruit salad
Dinner ideas
A substantial meal to refuel your body after a hard work. For example,
chicken and rice with veg
stirfried pork and veg with noodles
spag bol and salad
fish/steak with salad and potatoes
omelette with toasts
curry and rice
And have a quick think:
am I getting enough protein to repair muscles?
am I getting enough carbohydrate to refuel my body?
When you're on stage you want to feel as comfortable as possible without tummy troubles and energised enough to keep you running till the end of the show.Just like doing your warm-ups and conditioning work to perfect your skills, invest some time aside to plan your eating too.
Fumi
