Importance of Sleep

Shhhhh…

Sleep Your Way to Better Health

Importance of Sleep: Six reasons not to scrimp on sleep (click here to read the article from Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School)

A recent survey found that more people are sleeping less than six hours a night, and sleep difficulties visit 75% of us at least a few nights per week. A short-lived bout of insomnia is generally nothing to worry about. The bigger concern is chronic sleep loss, which can contribute to health problems such as weight gain, high blood pressure, and a decrease in the immune system’s power, reports the Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

While more research is needed to explore the links between chronic sleep loss and health, it’s safe to say that sleep is too important to shortchange.

The Harvard Women’s Health Watch suggests six reasons to get enough sleep:

1. Learning and memory: Sleep helps the brain commit new information to memory through a process called memory consolidation. In studies, people who’d slept after learning a task did better on tests later.
2. Metabolism and weight: Chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates, and by altering levels of hormones that affect our appetite.
3. Safety: Sleep debt contributes to a greater tendency to fall asleep during the daytime. These lapses may cause falls and mistakes such as medical errors, air traffic mishaps, and road accidents.
4. Mood: Sleep loss may result in irritability, impatience, inability to concentrate, and moodiness. Too little sleep can also leave you too tired to do the things you like to do.
5. Cardiovascular health: Serious sleep disorders have been linked to hypertension, increased stress hormone levels, and irregular heartbeat.
6. Disease: Sleep deprivation alters immune function, including the activity of the body’s killer cells. Keeping up with sleep may also help fight cancer.

Sometimes I find that I have worked out the solution to a perplexing problem after a good night of sleep. I am a napper, so even a quick 20 minutes in the after noon will refresh my mind and help me think more clearly.
One of the great benefits of sleep is that it allows your brain to better process new experiences and knowledge, increasing your understanding and retention. So, next time you hear someone say “why don’t you sleep on it,” take their advice.

Don’t get thirsty – Stay hydrated!

While discussing marathons at the studio the other day, I told the ladies about my method to avoid the long lines at the portable bathrooms on the marathon courses. Completely hydrate the day prior to the race, so your urine is light or clear. Do not drink anything that is diuretic the morning of the race, ie; tea, coffee, juice, fruit, etc., and drink just enough water to get your breakfast down. Then drink at every water station, alternate water, then Gatorade, water, etc. This will keep you hydrated through the race, but keep you out of the portapotty lines.

Why is it so important to keep hydrated?
Have you ever noticed plants when they need water? They droop and are lifeless and if you leave them long enough without water, they become dry brittle and die.
In the heat of the Arizona summer, it is particularly important to hydrate before and during dance and fitness classes. We have recently seen several cases of dancers becoming sick and leave classes because of dehydration. We gave them water and gatorade and they rested and were fine, however it is essential to give your body water to maintain health and vitality.

According to Dr. Nishant Rao,water creates pressure in plant cells, which keeps the leaves and green stems perky and upright. Your body is 60% water and just like the sad wilted house plant that you neglected, your body responds physically when you forget to water it.

It’s something like 40 days that you can survive without any food (hence the 40 day hunger strike). On the other hand,go without fluids and you won’t make it past 3 days! Water is the most important nutrient you can give you body.

Your body relies on water to move oxygen and nutrients into your cells and tissues, to remove toxins and waste products out of your cells, to break down fat cells for weight loss, to lubricate joints, to provide fluid for the discs that protect the spine and other important stuff too.

Lots of people don’t realize that every day symptoms like headaches, back pain,  low energy, poor concentration, joint pain, wrinkly skin and poor immune system can be caused by dehydration. The good news: these symptoms can often be relieved by staying hydrated!

But what if I’m not thirsty?

When you’re dehydrated, your brain gives you a signal called the thirst reflex, but when you don’t give your body what it’s asking for, over time this thirst reflex dies down, and you just don’t get thirsty. Also, many people confuse the thirst with hunger, reaching for a snack instead  of water and sabotaging their weight loss efforts.

Even if you can’t stand the thought of drinking, you’ll find that as you slowly increase your water intake, your thirst reflex will improve and drinking water won’t feel like such a chore.

Health benefits of staying hydrated include:

•     Better concentration and ability to focus
•     Higher energy levels,  less fatigue, and improved mood
•     Fewer headaches
•     Weight loss
•     Improvement in low back pain
•     Improvement in joint and arthritic pain
•     Improved immune system- less colds, sore throats, flu and sinus infections
•     Improved skin quality and less wrinkles
•     Improvement in acne and other skin problems
•     Reduction in kidney stones
•     Improved cardiovascular symptoms, lowered cholesterol, reduced blood pressure
•     Relief from constipation and m glass of water ore regular bowel movements

How much water should I drink?

The rule of thumb is to drink half of your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 120 pounds, you’ll need to get an average of 60 ounces daily, which is about 8 8-ounce cups of water. If you weigh 200 pounds, you’ll need 100 ounces of water per day, which is about 13 8-ounce cups.

Remember to increase your water intake with on a hot sunny day, with excessive sweating and exercise, or when you drink caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and sodas that are dehydrating to the body.

Another easy rule to follow if you can’t be bothered with counting your glasses per day is to go by the color of your urine.  If your urine is dark or amber yellow, pour yourself a glass of water and start sipping!  If your urine is clear or pale yellow, then you’re right on track!

Of course these are general guidelines and there are a few conditions (such as congestive heart failure and some kidney diseases) for which these guidelines would be contraindicated. You should consult your physician before dramatically changing your water intake.

Teacher Spotlight: Todd 

Some things you may not know about Todd... 

- Todd is a Gemini 

- He can do a perfect British accent

- He is a painter

- And Todd was on Star Search twice!

How did Todd come to Abby Bella?

Abby Bella dancers performed the halftime show at a Phoenix Mercury Game where Teresa met Todd. He told her about a show that he would like to produce with local talent in Arizona. He began to teach Bombshell Burlesque and Jazz at Abby Bella and now rehearses his dream show, Troubadour Cafe, at the studio with several of Abby Bella teachers in the cast.

More about Todd.. 

A native Arizonan, Todd Bailey has an extensive dance background. As a youngster he trained in Modern, Ballet & Jazz. He then went on to perform professionally in West Side Story on Broadway, several shows in Trump Castle in Atlantic City, and opened as an original cast member of the Winds of the Gods at Luxor Hotel, EFX starring Michael Crawford at the new MGM Grand Hotel both in Las Vegas. 

Todd also performed and choreographed at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club in Monte Carlo in a show that changed each weekend featuring a new celebrity each week, thus requiring that he keep the show new and inventive. 

Todd has worked with Phil Collins, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Tom Jones, Elton John, Sheila E, Zuccero, Lucio Dalla, Tito Puente and has danced in several Ballet, Contemporary and Jazz companies in the US and Europe. He has been artistic director for two dance companies, and regularly works on production projects around the Phoenix metro area. Todd is also a teaching artist with Dancing Classrooms Phoenix - "transforming lives one step at a time."

In addition to performing, Todd has been teaching dance for the over twenty years. To say Todd has show business in his blood is huge understatement, his mother, Joyce Bailey, also a member of the cast, is an accomplished gospel and blues recording artist.

Todd has had the vision of Troubadour Cafe for years and it is a culmination of his desire to showcase some of the talent that he has mentored locally and bring some of his experience as an international performer back home.

Sign up here for Todd's Bombshell Burlesque:

  

Class Spotlight: Tap!

Ever watch the Rockettes and think, "I wish I could do that"? There is something very exciting about tap dancing; the movement, the noise the taps make, the precision of all dancers dancing in unison and the percussion.
 

We are very excited about the new tap programand tap classes at Abby Bella. Tap is an exhilarating form of dance in which dancers wear special shoes equipped with metal taps. Tap dancers use their feet like drums to create rhythmic patterns and timely beats. Tappers and Hoofers: A common style of tap dancing is called "classical tap." Classical "tappers" use their arms and upper bodies to blend movements of ballet or jazz into their tap routines. "Hoofers" try to use every part of their shoes to make their feet sound like drums.

Tap program at Abby Bella... 

Inspired by Vicki's Tap Pups, based in Harrisburg, PA, which is America's largest adult tap group with dancers ranging in ages from 21 to 89. The Tap Pups program consists of 7 levels - from absolute beginner to All Star - and has a current average age of 60. Several of our clients and teachers saw the story of the Tap Pups on CBS Sunday Morning and got together to discuss a similar program at Abby Bella.  

Are you looking for something to work your mind as well as your body? Tap classes teach rhythm, coordination, balance and basic tap fundamentals and terminology. Concentration is needed to follow the tap combinations, especially the time steps!

Check out tapper Savion Glover

Happy Tapping!
Sign up for tap classes now:

Love your body! 

How much do you love your body? We all have things that we don’t like about our bodies, but right now, I  am working very hard to focus on the positives of my body. I used to racewalk marathons and after finishing my last marathon, I realized that my legs, which I’d always hated the way they looked, have just gotten me through miles and miles of training and miles and miles of marathons. I took a few minutes and thanked my legs and decided it was time to stop complaining about my strong, healthy legs. The same goes for the rest of my body, as I grow older, I realize how much my body has done for me. My two beautiful children were produced and nourished by my body and it has brought me to this point in my life relatively healthy and strong. I should be rejoicing instead of always complaining about its imperfections.

According to Jamie G. Dougherty, there are 5 secrets of the body-loving woman.

1. Get in forgiveness mode. I know you don’t want to forgive your body. You simply want her to be the way you’ve always imagined her. Here’s the problem. The impossible standards you, your mother and the media have put on your body aren’t possible for her to achieve. Why? Because she, like every other human body, is imperfect and unique. To get into forgiveness mode, start by forgiving one piece of your body that has never been up to snuff. Then move on to another. As you begin to forgive, your desires for what you want your body to be will blend together with who she actually is.

2. Pass on Perfection. You believe perfection keeps you striving and pushing. You may even think that’s how you’ve gotten this far. Here’s the truth: Perfection is nothing but a self-imposed box that keeps you doubting, questioning and bashing your body. There is no such thing as perfect. Not in your work, not in your relationships and certainly not in your body. Perfection makes you desperately hold on to an arbitrary and rigid outcome yet bodies inherently change and shift. They are never static and as such are impossible to control and make perfect. Practice letting go of the “perfect” rule and watch your thoughts and feelings about your body soften.

3. Live with bite and devour it all. I’m not talking about downing the container of coconut milk ice cream you’ve got in the fridge for that, “Need.Comfort.NOW” moment. Rather live with gusto and devour life in its many forms. How often do you use food for freedom, joy, passion and excitement? Yes, food can be all those things, however are you only letting yourself experience those emotions through food? Using food as your only source of pleasure is an extremely small and narrow way to live and I know you are grander than that. So consider other ways you can experience joy and freedom. How else can you feel passion and excitement? I want you to dance, sing, skip and be a 5-year-old again. Let life in, eat it by the bowlful and notice those nasty, body-bashing thoughts shift.

4. Be the mama you need. We’ve already established you are harder on yourself than you are on anyone else. In fact, you probably say things to your body you wouldn’t say to an enemy, let alone a dear friend… and as it turns out, your body is the dearest friend you’ve got. What would it feel like if instead of berating your body, you consoled her like a mother does a child? By wrapping your body in unconditional love (yes, you must start adoring your thighs), you foster the inner confidence to change and flourish rather than talking mad smack then shutting down and numbing out. Remember the old adage, “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar”? The same applies to your body. The more you love, console and tenderly encourage your body, the more quickly she will become all that you envision for her.

5. Thank the little things. Be grateful for what you’ve got, darn it! When your legs walk you to the bathroom, thank them.  When your arms lift your child, maneuver that suitcase or carry in the groceries, bless them. When your stomach dutifully digests the 3,000th meal you’ve served it, thank it for a job well done. Though these actions are done without conscious thought on your part, the body does them thanklessly as her way of caring for you. Thanking your body for all her many duties floods your system with appreciation and reminds you that she and YOU are wonderful and worthy of love.

A few years ago I went with a friend to a Body Positive workshop put on by a fitness magazine. The two of us were probably the farthest from the mainstream society’s version of perfect bodies of all the participants in the workshop and we both realized that all the beautiful, perfect looking (to us) women in the group had the same insecurities as we did. I came away thinking, what a shame and what a waste of time it is to be obsessing about what we could be, and just BE!Be happy, Be healthy, Be productive, Be satisfied and Be thankful for who we are!