Caroline's Corner

December 7, 2011

Dance Spirit
has teamed up with health and nutrition expert Caroline Lewis-Jones to bring you advice about how to keep your bod in tip-top shape. Caroline is a seasoned performer (she’s danced with *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Mia Michaels, Dee Caspary and many more!), a certified holistic health coach and a personal trainer—plus she’s currently teaching for Adrenaline conventions. This month, Caroline explains how you can eat healthy during jam-packed convention weekends. —Michael Anne Bailey

Caroline says: “Every weekend at conventions, I see dancers eating fast food, pizza and entire boxes of cereal. Come on dancers: Do yourself a favor and bring a cooler! You need to fuel your body and mind with nutrient-dense, whole foods for optimum energy. Here are some of the foods I love to pack before heading to convention.”

Baked sweet potatoes (Cook them Thursday night, and then pack them for the weekend.)

Plain, low-fat Greek yogurt with almonds, flax seeds and berries

A sandwich-sized bag filled with whole-grain cereal (I love Kashi GOLEAN Crunch.)

Whole-wheat pasta tossed with some of your favorite veggies and marinara sauce (It tastes good cold!)

Whole-grain bread with almond or peanut butter and sliced bananas or apples on top (Sprinkle on some cinnamon for extra sweetness.)

A whole-wheat tortilla wrap filled with hummus, veggies and black beans

Raw almonds, walnuts, pecans and pistachios mixed with dried fruit

Single-serve hummus and pretzel packs (I love Sabra) and a bag of raw veggies for dipping

A container filled with your favorite fruits

Choose to Snooze

According to a recent study at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, not getting enough sleep during your adolescent years does more than make you groggy. Researchers found that consistent sleep deprivation during your teen years may have long-lasting negative effects on the wiring of your brain. Yikes! According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens (ages 10–17) should be sleeping 8.5 to 9.25 hours each night. The next time you have an early morning rehearsal, get to bed early the night before and give your body the rest it needs. Your brain will thank you. —Michael Anne Bailey

Tanning Beds

It’s January, you have a performance coming up and you’re feeling pale and pasty.

The solution? Sunless tanning lotion—not the tanning salon. We’ve said it once (OK, maybe 10 times) and we’ll say it again: tanning beds = danger. A new study published in

the Journal of Investigative Dermatology found that tanning beds might be causing even more harm than researchers originally thought. UVA1 rays (the kind most commonly used in tanning beds) penetrate a deeper layer of skin, making it more susceptible to the changes that cause skin cancer. Don’t chance it. —MAB

Having a hard time remembering corrections from all of your various dance classes? Keep a dance journal. After each class, jot down any critiques your teacher gave you and review them before you take the class again.