Hello Strong & Beautifuls,
Hope everyone is staying toasty and fit as we bundle up our way into mid-January. This week I've got some wintery workout tips for you, and my favorite way to get warm.
Winterize
Now that it's legit freezing out in NYC, I thought I'd share some dancer wisdom that perfectly applies to barrebabe life. Here's my top tips/musts for happy exercising in the coldest months:
1) fleece tights. because who wants cold legs? I layer a pair of fleece tights or leggings over my workout leggings and then strip them off when I get to the studio. that way, I keep the muscles from getting stiff and right in the freezing temps without sweating my face off once I start moving. oh, and they don't have to be fancy to work - I typically go for the $5/10 jobbies at Rainbow or wherever.
2)no boots. in the studio, that is. kicking off your wet shoes & boots at the door of the studio, leaving them outside or along the wall, or just simply not walking through the studio in your outside clompers keeps the floor clean and safe. for dancers, it's ingrained not to wear street shoes in the studio. would you wear them onto your yoga mat? didn't think so.
3) coconut oil & shea butter. between your overzealous heater and the biting wind whipping down the avenues, winter in NYC can be hell on the face and lips. problem is, so many moisturizers actually have the opposite effect if they're full of glycerin or petroleum jelly (you know how you get "addicted" to Carmex or Chapstick?) and either you're constantly reapplying or starting to look a little slick. rather, try shea butter and/or coconut oil - just a little - and enjoy non-clogging, absorbable, effective moisture. I like to homemade body butter on my face (granted, I have super dry skin right now from being pregs) or I "oil cleanse" my face by coating it with coconut/olive/castor oil, steaming it under a hot towel, and then wiping away the excess. shea butter has received a lot of attention in recent years, but it's been used forever in West Africa (where I really got into it) to heal and clear up skin problems, improve dryness & elasticity, and drummers and dancers would even use it on their hands and feet to soothe soreness, etc.
good for rubbing on the mama belly, too, I might add :)
dance dance dance
and now, for the best way I know to warm up in the winter months... you guessed it... AFRICAN DANCE. pretty much anyone who knows me knows what I am most passionate for (beaches, avocados and my hubs being pretty high on the list as well) but you don't have to be a super fan or a pro to reap the soul-warming benefits of a good dance class:
- it's fun. they say the best exercise is the one you'll do, so you might as well do something really fun! I love that we have a big beautiful studio to move in where we can turn the lights down and the music up and lose ourselves in rhythms and full-body movements a few times a week. it feels so good just to move your body in a room full of people moving their bodies in the same time. in my BodyRhythm classes, we have everyone from newbies to pros, and we all dance to the same beat. it's about how it feels, not so much about how it looks in the mirror. also, even people who swear they're "the most uncoordinated" nail the steps quickly and look great! it is truly the highlight of my week to dance with y'all.
- it's good for you. ample research shows that the act of dancing releases endorphins, improves mind-body connection, is healthy for the brain, and reduces stress. who doesn't want to feel/look young, happy, calm and smart? thus, the 6:15pm BodyRhythm class is the perfect to destress after a long week and get stoked for the weekend. the hour-long cardio gets the blood flowing for pretty skin and the whole-body movements enliven all your muscles. plus, the lower down you dance, the more tone and strength you create for the booty & legs.
- it burns like a zillion calories. OK, maybe not an exact zillion, but according to one barrebabe's FitBit, you can burn upwards of 900 calories just from an hour of barre and an hour of BodyRhythm. LIKE WHOA. I'm not a big calorie counter, but last time I checked, that's close to half of what the powers that be recommend we eat in a day! even more, when you're dancing, you don't even notice you're working that hard - probably not quite the case when you're pounding along on the treadmill, am I right?
Anyway dearies, whether I see you at the barre, on the dance floor, or both (you badass babe!), I know you're taking awesome care of yourself and I totally dig that.
Until then,
STAY WARM!
Annie
