How has your body changed?

[MadamSamba]

Hi, folks. Pygmalion's previous post on dancers' bodies (http://www.dance-forums.com/viewtopic.php?t=1293) got me thinking about how my own body has changed since I started dancing. I've lost a few kilos and am much trimmer, but I've also noticed that my legs are more shaped and my back looks a lot better. What changes, apart from the obvious ones of weight loss and leg definition have you guys experienced? I find my posture is much better, but how have your bodies changed physically?

[msc]

Your abs will get stronger too, with all of the isometric twisting. You tend to become more dense, or as some say, "solid."

[pygmalion]

Yes, I agree msc. I am almost shocked at how tight my abs have gotten -- since I absolutely refuse to do crunches of any sort! :shock: :lol: All I did was start focusing on movements from my center, toning my center, and Latin motion from the rib cage, not just the hips. Voila! Firm abs. :D

[MadamSamba]

Oh, msc and Jenn. Yes, I forgot about the abs. I'm not exactly a beanstalk, but I've definitely noticed stronger abs. Also, my feet are appallingly calloused. :( It ain't a pretty site!

[Swing Kitten]

some people develope injuries! What's another way bodies may change.

I'm a bit trimmer and firmer in most places since I've started dancing but for the most part I'm not very different physically.

[pygmalion]

Oh, msc and Jenn. Yes, I forgot about the abs. I'm not exactly a beanstalk, but I've definitely noticed stronger abs. Also, my feet are appallingly calloused. :( It ain't a pretty site!
Soak your feet. I actually know a few people (teachers mostly) who massage and soak their feet daily by way of preventative maintenance. Try it! 8)

[Swing Kitten]

Oh, msc and Jenn. Yes, I forgot about the abs. I'm not exactly a beanstalk, but I've definitely noticed stronger abs. Also, my feet are appallingly calloused. :( It ain't a pretty site!
Soak your feet. I actually know a few people (teachers mostly) who massage and soak their feet daily by way of preventative maintenance. Try it! 8)

Also good for diabetics!

[borikensalsero]

I used to walk, kind of ball-legged or pigeon toe; I think that is what it's called in english. After countless, you must step on the inner part of your foot and point the foot some what 'outward' I've stopped the pigeon toe, ball legg thing. Hmmm, who'd imagine that after 29 years my walking motion would change because of dancing? Incredible

[dancerfreak5678]

Yea. My arms are huge since I have to do push ups :( . Yea and my toes really hurt even though I'm a beginner in ballet. Never fear. They're getting better :D

[SwinginBoo]

My core of strength had been pretty strong before I started dancing, but it has gotten even stronger over the past year. My arms and legs are much stronger than they ever were. My sheer endurance has made leaps and bounds since I started dancing and running. Overall it's a pretty good thing this dancing thing. :wink:

[witchdoctor]

From me (a guy):

Gait has changed, slight contra-body motion or "strut" more prominent, esp. in shoulders. Carry myself a bit higher, though I have to look up more, but I see this problem often amongst other people.

Finding myself applying tension / compression principles to shopping carts; no useful purpose that I can ascertain.

Pivoting / crossing-over of feet common when maneuvering through tight spaces / crowds / doorways. Love to pivot.

Mother has commented that I "carry myself better."

[MadamSamba]

Hi and welcome, WitchDoctor!

Yeah, dancing is not only in your blood now, it's permeating your body!!! :)

Most of us will identify with your changes...my gait is certainly better and, one very kind chap said I "float"when I walk, which I don't actually believe, but it was a sweet thing to say!

Most dancers' posture vastly impoves and, as your mum would say, we carry ourselves better! Your point about pivoting etc is a good one, I know I kinda flit through small spaces and do pivots when in awkward situations naturally...it's all very weird and, to me looks perfectly fine, but, I'm sure, looks totally bizarro to a non-dancer!!! :)

[DWise1]

Ditto a lot of what witchdoctor said in re:
Gait has changed, slight contra-body motion or "strut" more prominent, esp. in shoulders. Carry myself a bit higher, though I have to look up more, but I see this problem often amongst other people.

Finding myself applying tension / compression principles to shopping carts; no useful purpose that I can ascertain.

Pivoting / crossing-over of feet common when maneuvering through tight spaces / crowds / doorways. Love to pivot.
However, my Aikido training from decades ago got me started using tension/compression techniques on inanimate objects and pivoting sideways to slip through tight spaces. However, my footwork has gotten a bit more creative this past year or two; a couple weeks ago I amazed my boss when he saw me absently-mindedly use a gancho and pivot step to reverse my direction. But I'm still no Aoki-san [grin]. And I already had a good erect posture from the very start; I believe it was due to Aikido but my wife insisted that it's due to my military training (6 yr USAF, 22 yr USNR). In fact, my Lindy instructor expressed pride when he was finally able to get me to stop being so upright and start getting down like a Lindy hopper.

Fitness-wise, my legs are stronger and tighter as are my abs (I'm sure I see a six-pack hiding under that thin-ish layer of fat) and my lower back is far less prone to injury. And I go through four hours of Lindy class with very little difficulty; one newer student was hitting her limit half-way through her third hour and was amazed to see my 4-hour schedule (the classes we are signed up for are printed on our name tags). I do remember when three hours was pushing it for me, too.

However, I don't know how much of that can be attributed to dancing. I'm also pushing my sit-up regimen in order to max out that part of my Navy Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA), which means 85 within two minutes (I'm there already). Plus I've been leg curls and extensions to strengthen my legs for dancing and for the running part of the PFA; as well as treadmill training for the PFA. And I've been doing Pilates once a week for strengthen my core. At my age, I've got to do all the preventive conditioning I can to avoid injury.

So while I can't attribute to dancing itself the effects of dancing on my body, at least I can name dancing as one of the motivators for the conditioning that I do perform (I'm at a point in my Navy career where high PFA scores will buy me absolutely nothing).


OBTW, like witchdoctor, I'm also male. In the picture, I'm the one in the kilt; picture was taken before I started dancing, so my hair is even grayer now.

[Sabor]

hmmm.. lets see

my nose got fatter..
my small toe looks squeezed..
my eyebrows got more muscular..
and the color of my eyes got lighter (strange huh)

other than that i've grown a small belly that i think looks cute :lol:

[Danoo]

hmmm.. lets see

my nose got fatter..
my small toe looks squeezed..
my eyebrows got more muscular..
and the color of my eyes got lighter (strange huh)

other than that i've grown a small belly that i think looks cute :lol:
lol thats hilarious
yeah for me its change how i walk a little
but more to come as im a improver :)

[cocodrilo]

I work out every day anyhow, so not too much has changed with the exception of the muscle mass behind my thighs. I am getting lots more butt compliments these days but that I attribute to my new collection of jazz dance pants, heh heh 8)

[squirrel]

:) My legs look much better... :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: not to mention the rest...!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Lucretia]

hmmm.. lets see

my nose got fatter..
my small toe looks squeezed..
my eyebrows got more muscular..
and the color of my eyes got lighter (strange huh)

other than that i've grown a small belly that i think looks cute :lol:

and the only kind of hair I have to cut nowadays are those inside my nose :wink: :D :D :D


/Lucretia

[Sabor]

my nostrils are much more shaped.. and my eyelashes more curvey..

[etchuck]

What the heck were we talking about? :)

I guess I've lost some weight. Can't really tell. I'm fairly sure my lower body has adjusted nicely, but I still have to work on my upper body strength. Aside from that I guess my butt is still huge... but I can move it better than before. ;)

[Lucretia]

and the only kind of hair I have to cut nowadays are those inside my nose :wink: :D :D :D



I'm sorry I jumped off the thread. But I heard this joke when a man complained about him becoming middleaged and there was no hardly no hair on his head....


No, my body hasn't changed yet. But I hope it will soon. I lost some weight in springtime. Salsa is a very good way to burn fat. (Low intensive training...60-65 % of max hearthbeat.) But summer, parties, ice-cream and less dancing has made me gain weight again.

I know my hearthbeat will go down at least 10 beats per minute after some weeks with the salsaclasse. That feels great!

My internal mental shape has changed a lot since I started salsa! :D

/Lucretia

[hobrien]

I am hungry all the time, possibly I now have an increased matabolism but I am not sure. I have a problem gaining weight. Some people may think this is a benefit, but it isn't, it's a struggle to keep my weight up, whats more my muscle tissue is also effected if I dont eat vast quantities each day. I am not complaining , it is just the way it is.

:bandit:

Hugh

[Doug]

My body has grown older.

[Sagitta]

My body has grown younger. :wink:

[Purr]

My body has grown younger. :wink:

That's happened with me too, dancing this past few years. 8)

[cocodrilo]

I'm fairly sure my lower body has adjusted nicely, but I still have to work on my upper body strength. Aside from that I guess my butt is still huge... but I can move it better than before. ;)
Most of the women in salsa I know just dance and do no other exercise, so they have skinny arms(eek!). To have nice definition, I lifts weights, not large ones, just for toning. I find doing sit-ups important if one wants to get away with the bare midriff look(a must for me in the summer cause it's so bleedin' hot here!) Anyhow, it's important to work your whole body! I don't know what to say about the butt, but aerobic exercise is usually the answer! :wink:

[Sagitta]

Don't say anything about the buTT coco!! I have a big butt and it shows. The ladies don't mind it though!~ :wink:

Off to continue with laundry down the street. :car:

[cocodrilo]

Having ample tush is better than having no tush at all, if ya ask me! :wink:

[Lucretia]

Don't say anything about the buTT coco!! I have a big butt and it shows. The ladies don't mind it though!~ :wink:

A friend of mine has a nice word for his butt…love flesh.

(You need something soft to pad and hug. :wink: )

/Lucretia

[Sabor]

love flesh..? pad & hug..? :lol: :lol:

aww..Lucretia is a romantic :lol:

[vey]

I do not want to sound abnoxious but I'm desperately trying to gain some wait after all this salsa dancing 4-5 times a week!!!

Believe me, I NEVER had this problem before, all my life I was trying to loose some weight :shock: :shock: :shock:

[mhgroove]

Having ample tush is better than having no tush at all, if ya ask me! :wink:


Cocodrilo,

I had a devilish comment in my mind when I saw this post. However, I agree with your post. I'm delighted that you as a woman like your tush! Heh Heh Heh! Have a good one! :wink: :lol: :D

[fascination]

I am noticing since doing more latin that I am getting enormous quads...so I decided to hunt through the archives b/c I knew we had a thread on body changes

[SPratt74]

My legs and arms definitely look a lot stronger than they ever have, and my pictures are showing that now! In fact, I took a really great X-Mas picture that showed my arms off (haven't taken any pics since), and I was like... is that my arms lol? I was proud of myself for that. ;)

[lcdancesport]

Changed a ton. More definition in my back and some nice abs showing off a waistline. Everything overall looks leaner. Only bad thing is when a lady loses weight, you sometimes lose it in places you don't want to!

[tanya_the_dancer]

I am noticing since doing more latin that I am getting enormous quads...so I decided to hunt through the archives b/c I knew we had a thread on body changes

I've noticed that my quads got bigger, more tone everywhere else. Compared to people who exercise but do not dance, I have very well-defined feet. I had a massage once and the m.t. commented on how strong my shins are compared to the average person's shins.

[fascination]

Changed a ton. More definition in my back and some nice abs showing off a waistline. Everything overall looks leaner. Only bad thing is when a lady loses weight, you sometimes lose it in places you don't want to!
the "twins" are the first to suffer

[etp777]

size is not everything ladies, trust me. Least, us dancers know better. I know that high school - college girls I dated averaged something like a 34C. Since graduation and starting dancing, haven't dated much, but women I've been interested in have been noticably "smaller", ahem. :) But they've also all been dancers. And have lots more toned bodies than anyone I was interested in before.

That being said, so do I. still some padding around middle, but dancing has helped me lose a LOT of weight, and I'm at least as strong as I was back when I did gymnastics/football/wrestling, if not more so.

[tanya_the_dancer]

the "twins" are the first to suffer

Depends on your genetics I guess. I wouldn't mind if mine shrunk a bit, but they won't. But mother nature was generous to all my relatives, so apparently this is genetics in action.

[fascination]

but etp...if the lower quadrant is going to round up...it is not so wonderful that the upper aspects diminish...sigh...oh well...if I keep eating two dinners I won't have to worry about it ;)

[fascination]

Depends on your genetics I guess. I wouldn't mind if mine shrunk a bit, but they won't. But mother nature was generous to all my relatives, so apparently this is genetics in action.
well my mother had nothing to give...i obviously am the product of two recessives meeting...but when I am losing weight I will lose there first

[etp777]

Heh, not sure I have a safe response to that one. :)

That being said, I've definitely come to expect and like more muscular lower halves matched to smaller tops, not as a rule, but as a common theme among dancers. What can I say, I just like dancers. :D

[chachachacat]

I have been dancing six days a week for almost four weeks now and I am a little slimmer and my muscles are a little stronger.

I would like to make myself do a barre, situps and stretch every day.

[DanceAngel]

My leg shape has changed... for the better... it think. It could also all be in my head :)

[chachachacat]

Practicing on carpet with slippers with rubbery bottoms overworks the ankles, knees and legs.

What kind of footwear do you find tolerable to dance in on carpet? Jazz shoes?
Slick soles, maybe?

[fascination]

barefoot for me

[Lioness]

I've been dancing for 2 years and I've noticed that my thighs have gotten smaller and generally I am more toned. I had someone actually comment on it a couple of weeks ago, which was a surprise.
My, err, upper half has also shrunk a little bit, but it doesn't show that much.

[newbie]

Bs and Cs...
No Bs I'm afraid, I gained weight and lost hair/speed/strength the same way I would have if I had taken up, say, a stamp collection.
For the Cs I'd say that my feet and toes and ankles and knees hurt more.

[3wishes]

Hmmm, slimmer torso - more defined. Can't say my body changed as I teach adaptive down hill skiing which keeps me in really good shape. I suppose if anything - my feet have changed - they gotten stronger - and I've gone down an entire shoe size (-:

[etp777]

I'll give another vote for barefoot on carpet. Easier to move your feet, and easier on the carpet too.

[samina]

but etp...if the lower quadrant is going to round up...it is not so wonderful that the upper aspects diminish...sigh...oh well...

sounds like a ballroom body-math equation...

[JEM]

I've been pleasantly surprised at the changes; wasn't expecting that. I'm more toned everywhere, much more definition, even in my calves - how great. Doesn't even feel like exercise - just having fun!

[NURDRMS]

well, I've always been a runner (Air Force requires I pass a fitness test every year) and have toned legs as a result, but when my daughter made a recent comment about the muscles in my back and my six-pack abs it was a nice surprise.

[jwlinson]

Losing weight, noticing more muscle definition in my arms and legs, better posture (I've always had a slouch since I was younger), I can squat and return to standing position without any problems at all, the list goes on and on...

Add to that the psychological benefits, chief of those being confidence I never had before. I've always been a shy person. Dancing has helped to bring me out of my "shell."

[drejenpha]

I've dropped a bit of weight, which goes back on when I go home from school and away from dancing. I have all sorts of problems getting cheap dress clothes now; I fit well into the large size of one style of shirt which I can no longer find smaller than XL, and the large size of the new style needs sleeves about 6 inches longer and half an inch in the collar. I also need to get a shorter belt, and I can't find the design I like for that either.

[lcdancesport]

Losing weight, noticing more muscle definition in my arms and legs, better posture (I've always had a slouch since I was younger), I can squat and return to standing position without any problems at all, the list goes on and on...

Add to that the psychological benefits, chief of those being confidence I never had before. I've always been a shy person. Dancing has helped to bring me out of my "shell."

I agree with the shyness thing. Dance has made me more social than I've ever been before. Sometimes I'm trying to find peace and quiet again!

[fascination]

sounds like a ballroom body-math equation...
trust me, i would never intentionally use a math analogy ...for anything...

[fascination]

while not presenting that way, I am shy about things that are important to me...and definately also about my own body image....I will probably always be shy about important relationships, but dance simply won't allow me to be shy about my body, b/c i can't use it well that way...it is just something I have to ignore when i dance....

[gracie]

I've gained an inch in my thighs! Good for bird legs. Back looks longer and leaner- i think from standard. Now, if I could just stop eating!

[QPO]

I am developing quite strong muscles in my back , cant notice other changes yet...legs have always been in reasonable condition form the bike riding I did when I was younger.

What I need to work on is the arms, tricep dips would be good but it hurts my wrists...
What dancing has done is helped to maintain my weight under control

[chachachacat]

trust me, i would never intentionally use a math analogy ...for anything...

:nope: LOL. Neither would I!

[etp777]

QPO, might see if you can figure out some kind of resistance training with excercise bands around forearm and something fixed, and straight your arm pulling against the band (not sure if that description makes sense). THat way you'd be working out triceps but the tension would be on forearm, wouldn't hurt your wrist. Not sure you'd be able to make something like that work though. Don't have any bands here to try it, just thinking.

[Chiron]

-Gained a few pounds
-Lost 1-1.5" in my waist (this one really suprised me since I've been a runner for a long time)
-Have these nice ridges on my stomach
-Better posture
-Developed some new calluses on my feet

I've also become a lot more comfortable w/ my body since I've started dancing.

[Chiron]

size is not everything ladies, trust me. Least, us dancers know better. I know that high school - college girls I dated averaged something like a 34C. Since graduation and starting dancing, haven't dated much, but women I've been interested in have been noticably "smaller", ahem. :) But they've also all been dancers. And have lots more toned bodies than anyone I was interested in before.

I personally will take a hit in the twins for a slimmer toned body every time... Actually, I guess that tends to be my type.

[etp777]

Didn't used to be for me, but i"ve definitely learned better now. :)

smaller twins, more toned core and toned (and even bigger, yes, ladies) lower body? looks great to me. :D

[Chiron]

There is a reason they say dancers have great legs...

[QPO]

thanks for the tip will give that a try.. I have a band I can use

QPO, might see if you can figure out some kind of resistance training with excercise bands around forearm and something fixed, and straight your arm pulling against the band (not sure if that description makes sense). THat way you'd be working out triceps but the tension would be on forearm, wouldn't hurt your wrist. Not sure you'd be able to make something like that work though. Don't have any bands here to try it, just thinking.

[LatinDancer006]

I am noticing since doing more latin that I am getting enormous quads...so I decided to hunt through the archives b/c I knew we had a thread on body changes

That's weird b/c mine are getting bigger since I've focused on Standard. Actually it's more of the hamstring. I now have that ridge/cut between the quad and the hamstrings when viewed from the side.

[LovingIt28]

abs and calve city here folks :)

Arms and upper body has become more 'normal' (did a lot of gym work when I was younger)