When Tess Wells mentioned ballet in her article, A Universal Language, the neurons in my brain began to fire. Reading her piece caused me to reflect how ballet had a prominence in the lives of many famous athletes.
Did you know that Eddie George, Arnold Schwarzenneger and Michael Jordan, to just name a few, took ballet lessons?
Eddie’s lessons helped prepare him to maneuver on the football field so that he could more easily avoid being tackled. Arnold took ballet to help him sharpen his poses so that he could present himself in the best manner possible during bodybuilding contests. Michael worked with the Joffrey Ballet to improve his balance and rhythm. Ballet helped each of these athletes enhance their athletic prowess.
The many benefits of doing ballet often go unnoticed, especially when exploring its impact on wellness. One need not be a high-profile athlete to appreciate how ballet can influence physical and mental well-being.
Ballet and Physical Well-being
Having good balance is vital for everyone regardless of age. But as we grow older, balance becomes an issue for many and as a result, the propensity to experience falls increases. One of the best ways to reduce the risk of falling is to build one’s core strength. Core strength helps with posture control which enables us to become better at balancing. In addition to building core strength, ballet helps the body to achieve better alignment of muscles, the result being improved posture.
In addition to improving balance, ballet impacts the body’s muscular system. Ballet training improves the functioning of many different muscle groups through stretching. When one stretches, the muscles elongate which reduces the risk of strains and sprains as well as reducing the risk of tearing.
Who does not want strong muscles? Ballet promotes strong muscles through repetitive movements in many ways like weight training will do but sans the barbells and kettlebells.
Ballet and Mental Health
Many studies have been conducted to ascertain the relationship between ballet and stress. And to no one’s surprise, doing ballet enables one to better handle stress. A workout, whether in a barre class or through free flow movements on the floor, does enable one to handle stress more easily.
Many studies have been conducted to determine the impact of ballet and other dance activities on cognitive function. There appears to be evidence that doing ballet can delay the onset of age-related mental impairment including dementia.
With all of the benefits ballet provides, it’s not far-fetched to consider incorporating ballet moves as a part of your exercise routine. Tutus are optional.
Healthfully,
Phil Heit,
Executive Director Emeritus
Healthy New Albany
