Culture: For all the Dancers and the Runners: Hungry Girls ~ Go Eat!!!

This post is for my friends who are runners and dancers, or in the performing arts ~ as well as all those girls here in NYC and around the globe who suffer from eating disorders, all those girls that starve themselves, or all the girls that fast to the point of no return, my first words of advice are: DON’T DO IT!!!

Remember your body is a temple, and you should treat it as such. To my runner friends and my dancers friends and to everyone I know who may suffer from an eating disorder ~ make sure you bring in enough nutrients, and enjoy your food. Honor your body and your health by doing this. No matter how skinny you think you need to be, it is most likely a lie that society has placed on your shoulders for you to believe OR other people have pressured you to believe you need to be, to be accepted. THIS IS NOT CASE!!! You are loved and you are valued just the way you are. If you are exercising to say fit, and to lose weight because you are overweight and want to be HEALTHY, then, by all means go for it! But, I ALSO ADVOCATE FOR ALL OF YOU WHO ARE HAVING A HARD TIME GAINING WEIGHT AND KEEPING IT ON, to exercise to build muscle and keep it on. I also advocate for you to eat a well-balanced, nutritious diet. This is something that is very important for dancers and runners alike.

Now, an extra caveat in all of this is, if you participate in any faith tradition that has you fast, or if you are fasting for dietary or or cleansing reasons, recognize, that God cares about your health and well-being and would never want you to fast to a point where it is beyond unhealthy for you. God created you and your body, and wants you to treat it with dignity and respect and that includes feeding it, and nourishing it. God wishes for all those people who are in this country and in other countries to have the proper nutrition, health, and well-being they need to fully function, bring life to others, and to live a life full of joy. So before you fast, think about your parameters, what is it going to look like, and for how long. Make sure you body can handle such a fast, and then make healthy choices about what the fast will or will not include and be clear on your reason why you are engaging in this fast, and that it is a healthy reason.

Remember that we care about you and your health and well-being!

(image from Heart Healthy Food) ~For More on Heart Healthy Food go to: https://foodrevolution.org/blog/heart-healthy-foods/

Additionally, remember that poor eating habits, can cause skin and muscle issues. Counter-act those skin and muscle issues by eating appropriate foods that decrease inflammation, give you a good and healthy supply of fats and oils, and that help give you energy and stabilizes your mood. Start with a multi-vitamin. Here are additional recommendations of food sources for runners and dancers:

Fitness Magazine: https://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nutrition/best-foods-for-runners/

Runners World: https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20833574/the-best-foods-for-runners-0/

Information for dancers: https://www.verywellfit.com/the-importance-of-nutrition-for-dancers-617328

https://ausdance.org.au/articles/details/fuelling-the-dancer

As you can see, NONE of these articles recommend NOT EATING. If you are going to do a fast or a major fast, we recommend you train your body to be able to do them. If you would like help with that, reach out to us below and we can walk you through some of the important factors.

We wish you the best with your health and well-being ~ and want you to know, you matter, you have value and worth, and you are beautiful without starving yourself.

Looking for a deeper dive? Sign up for our Transformational Coaching!