Our Best Tips: New Year's Resolutions

Love it or hate it, this is the time of year when people start talking about New Year’s Resolutions. While it’s exciting to think about what you want to work on in 2017, it can also feel daunting—especially because we often set unrealistic goals for ourselves, and wind up frustrated a few months in. Breaking resolutions down into small, attainable steps can help keep you motivated, and seeing positive results. To get you started, we pulled together a few tips for tackling some common dance-related goals.

Goal: Cook more healthy recipes at home

Begin by letting other dancers inspire you—ask around your studio for your friends’ favorite recipes, or invite them over to cook with you. For more ideas, here are a few recipes dancers have shared with us:

-Texas Ballet Theater dancer (and certified health coach) Carolyn Judson’s veggie tacos

-The spicy drink Houston Ballet’s Jessica Collado starts her day with

-Former Miami City Ballet principal Jennifer Kronenberg’s Asian garlic salmon

Goal: Improve my cross-training routine

Evaluate the routine you have, and choose something to tweak: Maybe you’re bored with your usual exercises and want to try something new. Or you want to train yourself to work out in the morning instead of the afternoon. Whatever is missing from your current cross-training plan, here are some of our best tips for making it more effective.

Goal: Experiment with my own choreography

Look up opportunities to choreograph through your studio or school, and consider signing up for a choreographic workshop to learn more about the process of dancemaking. If you’re having trouble getting inspired once you get in the studio, try these tips for sparking your creativity.

Goal: Build up my confidence

In the competitive and perfectionist world of ballet, this is something a lot of dancers struggle with, and self-confidence doesn’t happen overnight. Give yourself small, concrete challenges, like asking to be considered for a role you want, and then try some of these tips to help you work through any moments of self-doubt that try to get in your way.

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