04 Oct Too Old for Ballet? Not if You Follow These Tips

So many people do not even consider trying ballet because they feel too old for it. Is ballet just for professionals and children? Or are these limitations just in our minds? Are you just reaching for excuses not to achieve? Ballet is one of the most progressive forms of fitness training available to women of all ages. Anyone who enjoys singing, dancing, running, exercising, or even playing musical instruments should not feel like they can’t do these things because of age. And ballet is no different from these things. You may be looking for a new fitness regime, a new challenge, or maybe just a new hobby that can add to your joy. The good news is that you can start a new adventure with ballet now.

Follow these tips to bring out the ballerina inside you, no matter how old you are.
 

Listen to Your Body

Our bodies change from day to day. You will not feel the same depending on your nutrition, the weather, how active you are, and how much you sleep. Tune into your body. Pay attention to how you feel when you exercise and adjust accordingly. Some days you will be pushing yourself harder. Other days you will be dialing down the difficulty. Step one of working with your body is listening to your body and responding accordingly.
 

Shush the Inner Critic

There is a negative voice inside you that puts you down. It compares you to others, puts you down, belittles your efforts, or burdens you with guilt. This inner critic drives you to sabotage yourself and stops you from enjoying life. This inner critic is powerless if you ignore it. Shush that voice and keep your mind focused on your ballet technique. Let the music displace that inner critic in your head.
 

Feel Your Movements

Ballet gives you a unique workout because it is more about the quality of movements. Just moving your body anyhow will not do. It is this focus on graceful movement that makes ballet so lovely. When you learn to combine great strength with beauty and fluidity of motion, your body will be more elegant and your heart joyful. To be this graceful, you have to monitor how your body feels, including some muscles and body parts that you may have ignored before. You will not focus on how your movement looks. You will look within your body; to how each movement feels. As you focus within instead of without, you refine your technique and become more aware of how your body works and feels.
 

Small Beginnings

Ballet movements call for careful attention, regardless of your fitness level. Don’t push your limits but give yourself time to get better. In time, your moves will be as graceful as those of a ballerina. Take a progressive approach to the challenging moves. Master one thing at a time, break a difficult step down into manageable bits.
 

Have Fun!

Ballet will add so much joy to your life if you see it as something to enjoy rather than a task to complete. Enjoy moving your body and discovering how much it can do. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small.