30 Dec When Your Body Signals Hunger, Listen! Why?

Hunger serves an obvious purpose: it tells us that we need to eat to keep our bodies fueled. But when we experience this “alarm clock”, how do we react? For a variety of reasons, we may be developing the custom to ignore our hunger pangs or even deliberately under-eat when we do have them. This will not benefit your dance journey and BFW shares why. The more you make it a practice to ignore your body’s natural urgings to eat, the hard it will be to identify them. If you get to the point where you don’t even feel hungry or feel full, it will be more challenging to preserve energy. You may also begin to crave junk food. There is a high probability that if you are ignoring your hunger signs you are also not paying attention to what meals your body needs to have the strength for your dancing.

With the pressure to meet certain body goals, especially in dance, many succumb to under-eating. But what many also fail to appreciate is that this approach can undermine your bone health, energy, and strength.

A major culprit that contributes to ignoring your hunger is dieting. With most diets, the focus can be on encouraging you to ignore your hunger and not eat enough just to reach certain goals. For example, you may have heard the delusion of “calories in vs. calories out” or the concept that you have to do is create a calorie deficit to lose all the weight you want. With the pressure to meet certain body goals, especially in dance, many succumb to under-eating. But what many also fail to appreciate is that this approach can undermine your bone health, energy, and strength.

A key factor that plays in your dance training and development is the capacity to tune in closely to your body. Just as it’s essential to know your body and when is the time to stop dancing due to injury, of equal value is also knowing when to eat more to support your dance. When learning to listen to your body, you can start taking care of an injury before it worsens. As you pay attention to these signals, you can catch a potential injury before it gets complicated and thus reduce time away from dance as you recover.

The same works for your food intake. Listen to your body and give it the nutrients it needs when it needs it. Doing this will boost immunity, help control cravings, and provide the support your body needs for strong muscles and bones. Get connected with your body. If you fail to do this, it will be harder to find the right balance with food and reach your personal body best. To help strengthen your connection, BFW shares some quick tips:

• Keep healthy snacks handy – so when hunger strikes, you’ll respond wisely. See some of our favorite choices here:
• Keep alert to the timing of your meals and snacks
• When you’re hungry, EAT.
• While you eat, pay attention to how you feel (physically, mentally, AND emotionally).
• Stop eating BEFORE you’re “full”.
• If you use an app to track your food intake and calories, STOP.
• Remove yourself from times where you may let food choices be influenced by friends or family. You take control.