At the pool: Dores André has been swimming longer than she's been dancing. Even today, it's the San Francisco Ballet principal's preferred workout. "I go if I'm not too busy during the season and I feel like I need to get my stamina up," she says. "It's a routine and a meditation. Just being in the water helps me." Some days she wakes up early for a 6:30 am gentle swim before company class.

Knowing when to push: She's careful not to exert too much energy before a long day of work, and she adopts an easy pace, given her naturally muscular physique. "I try not to swim too fast because I don't want my shoulders to become concave," she says, noting the muscular, hunched posture some swimmers develop. In the off-season, though, she ramps up the intensity. André swims 45 minutes to an hour five times a week with her sister, who's a competitive open-water swimmer.