Water… it makes up 70% of our body and around 50-60% of our bodyweight! As ballerinas, the amount of water we need depends on the temperature of our studio, how many hours we spend prancing on stage, and the intensity of our dancing or cross-training. Let’s face it… dancing is a very sweaty business, so it’s important that we know exactly how much fluid, electrolytes and carbs we need to replenish all those that we have lost during those gruelling allegro sessions! But how do we replace these, and will drinking water alone be sufficient? Keep reading to learn all about the benefits of sports drinks for dancers, and whether you should be popping to the vending machines to get yourself one too!
So how much fluid do dancers actually need?
Generally, we should all aim to drink around 2 litres of water each day, regardless of whether you’re a bunhead or (dare I say it…) a normal person! However, as a dancer you should always time this intake around your classes and performances so that you never become dehydrated.
A dehydrated ballerina is likely to start feeling hot, tired (because our glycogen stores are almost empty) and maybe even a little less sweaty as our bodies try to hold on to the little fluid that they do have! Obviously, that isn’t exactly ideal when you’ve got a finicky Artistic Director turning up in an hour that you’re hoping to impress, so what can be done to make sure that we never become dehydrated again?
To prevent dehydration, dancers should drink around ¼ Litre of water about an hour before they begin class, and then return to the bottle to sip an extra ½ Litre when they finish dancing. If you’re looking to increase the nutrient content in your water, try drinking filtered water which contains minerals that are said to be valuable for our health!
Will plain water replace the electrolytes we lose during class and performance?
YES… so long as you’re not dancing for more than 90 minutes.
After 90 minutes, our glycogen stores are probably going to be getting pretty empty, and it’s important that we replace the electrolytes and carbs that we have lost so that we have the energy we need to carry on with our grand jetés and pirouettes!
Put simply, water will be totally sufficient to get you through your 90-minute company class. However, if you’ve got to dash and start Coppélia rehearsals straight after, then you might want to start thinking about how a sports drink could help you…
Why do ballerinas need sports drinks?
I know our bodies are pretty incredible, but there’s still got to be something that they can’t do…
Unfortunately, we don’t have everlasting glycogen stores, and once they’re empty we need to fill them right back up! Ballerinas are likely to max out their glycogen stores after around 2 hours of dancing, and you can check for when yours are almost depleted by watching out for a feeling of fatigue that makes carrying on prancing seem like a MASSIVE chore.
So what’s the deal with sports drinks for dancers?…
First of all, don’t be swayed into buying a sports drink from the vending machine if your class is going to last for less than 90 minutes, not even if it’s just to make yourself look cool (I know, we’ve all done it!).
At this point your glycogen stores are unlikely to need a top up, so sipping on a sports drink will be nothing but a sugary waste of time! However, if you do want to make sure that your glycogen stores last for as long as possible, try filling them up by eating a yummy meal full of complex carbs a few hours before hitting the studio.
So what actually is a sports drink, and why are they so beneficial to our performance?
To begin, sports drinks are designed to rehydrate athletes by replacing the electrolytes and carbohydrates they lose whilst exercising. Generally, sports drinks have a concentration of 4-7% carbs. This is because science shows that our small intestine absorbs this concentration best, meaning that we should avoid carb-heavy drinks such as smoothies or fruit juice as these take longer to digest (and I’m sure we’ve all experienced those dreaded tummy cramps that come when we dance without having properly digested our food!!!).
If you’re going to be dancing for over 90 minutes, sipping on a sports drink could benefit your performance by preventing your muscles from becoming too tired to carry on! This is because the carbohydrates in your sports drink act fast to replenish those that you have just lost during exercise.
What about electrolytes?
Sports drinks also contain electrolytes. These are a type of mineral that exist within the body, and the most well-known are probably potassium, sodium and chlorine.
As we exercise and our body temperature increases, we sweat to cool ourselves down. However, through sweat we lose these valuable electrolytes (particularly sodium and potassium), and it is important that we replace them to prevent symptoms such as nausea and muscle cramping, which can occur when our sodium levels drop too low. For this reason, if you’re dancing for over 90 minutes, you should always carry a sports drink with you to keep topping up that sodium!
Sports drinks manufacturers take extra care to include the correct ratios of sodium and potassium in their products. Since sodium and potassium must be ingested together at the right quantities to do their jobs within the body (such as maintaining cell fluid balance), we must make sure that we choose sports drinks over ready salted crips or a sprinkling of table salt if we want our electrolyte-replacement to be effective!
If you have ever embarked on a 2-hour class without a sports drink, I wouldn’t be surprised if by the end of it you had experience a little bit of confused or weakness in your muscles – especially during the tricky allegro combos at the end. Sounding familiar? I thought as much. If you can relate, it is very likely that your electrolyte levels had become imbalanced, and to prevent a similar situation happening again, remember to keep sipping on that sports drink!
Final thoughts on Sports Drinks for Dancers… Do We Need Them?
Dearest dancers… don’t be surprised if your glycogen stores have extinguished after 90 minutes of adage and pas de chats. However, there’s no need to fear, as you can keep them replenished by consuming a sports drink!
When we dance we sweat, and as we sweat we lose important electrolytes. Once again, sports drinks are incredibly effective at replacing these lost electrolytes so that you can go full out for longer.
When you’re looking at the label on your product, have a quick check to make sure that the carbohydrate concentration is around 4-7%, and remember never to drink undiluted fruit juice whilst dancing!
Keep an eye out for my upcoming article discussing the best sports drinks for dancers, including some brilliant, healthy alternatives to sports drinks that can be concocted hassle-free in your kitchen!
**FRIENDLY DISCLAIMER: All information, guidance or advice provided on this site is for informational and educational purposes only. The use of this information is at your own risk. **
Bibliography and References
The information used in writing this article was learned from online courses which include…
Akash Sehrawat, Fabulous Body Inc. (Unknown). Internationally Accredited Certificate in Sports Nutrition. [Online]. Udemy. Last Updated: Unknown. Available at: https://www.udemy.com/course/internationally-accredited-diploma-in-sports-nutrition/learn/lecture/16 [Accessed 23rd March 2021].
Brentwood Open Learning College. (Unknown). Certificate in Diet and Nutrition Level 3. [Online]. Brentwood Open Learning College. Last Updated: Unknown. Available at: https://www.bolc.co.uk/nutrition-courses-online/nutritionist-course-online [Accessed 9 March 2021].