Nutrition for Musicians

In the previous posts, I discussed the importance of a healthy respiratory system for vocalists and wind instruments players.  For those 2 the health of lungs is crucial for the quality of sound. 

But for a dancer, the whole body is the instrument he or she uses to express their art. The health of lungs is extremely essential to the proper functioning of every single muscle, bone and joint. Not to mention, the importance of avoiding physical injury which boils down to how effectively the lungs are delivering oxygen to the performing body parts. 

Without getting into technicalities, the amount of oxygen delivered to your muscles will determine the efficiency of the movement, the health of the tissues and the speed of recovery. 

Lungs are the portal from which oxygen accesses the body and then reaches the different body parts through the circulation system.

A dancer is an artistic athlete, therefore, dancers should have an athlete's diet and lifestyle to improve performance and avoid injuries. There are main 3 points to be noted when it comes to lungs health for dancers:

1-  Just as athletes, dancers will overuse their lungs causing higher free radical damage in the respiratory system. This will  lower its immunity and cause possible frequent infections and inflammation

2- If lungs are not performing 100% the rest of the body will not be getting the oxygen needed for stamina, growth and recovery causing unnecessary physical and mental stress  

3- Oxygen is crucial for brain functions essential for dancing performances like coordination and memorization. Brain is the first organ affected by lack of oxygen and sugar

Suggestions for healthy lungs for dancers: 

1 - Oxidative damage occurring due to the over-training of the body needs to be counterattacked by  powerful antioxidants. GLUTATHIONE , VITAMIN C,  A  and E, Quercetin, Resveratrol,  N-acetyl-cysteine, SULPHUR, SELENIUM, METHIONINE, CYSTEINE

2 - Botanicals like milk thistle, turmeric, fenugreek and thyme are powerful herbs that draw moist to mucus membranes, prevent the oxidative stress effect and boost immune system of the lungs

3 - Good sleep (post on sleep)

4- Deep breathing techniques (post on breathing)

5 - Lower stress level (posts on stress and depression ) 

6 - Follow athletes meal plans high in carbs on performance days (post on carbing up) and high in healthy fats on recovery days