It has been 3 weeks since I fractured a bone in my right foot. I have never broken a bone, so the news that it was actually broken was very shocking. Oddly enough, the injury did not happen while I was dancing. However, the first thing I thought about when I heard the distinct crack was how will I be able to dance?!

As I slowly progress through the recovery process, and adjust to the no driving and no weight bearing restrictions, I’ve been thinking about the things I can do now to make sure injuries like this don’t happen again!

Dance requires so much strength, flexibility, and stamina. It is critical to eat well and stay hydrated before, during, and after class to both protect and strengthen my body. Warming up and cooling down at each session, along with getting enough rest every day, is definitely key. I’ve also realized that I can’t dance in isolation. A good cross-training schedule with strengthening exercises is essential to keep dancing for decades. Pilates and yoga, along with running, swimming, or biking with help me build my stamina back up for long performances.

Throughout this recovery process, I can’t thank all my students and families enough for being supportive. I was devastated when I broke my foot in the middle of a dance session, but so grateful that the kids are excited to continue where we left off once I come back!