GOALS!!!

Last night's class was incredibly exciting! We ran through a new set of exercises, while still incorporating the basic foundation movements that we usually incorporate into the work out.

How coordinated are your legs? Can you touch your toes to the back of your head? What is your handstand looking like these days? And what is your upper body strength like these days?

The stunning and passionate goddess that is Laurel!

Well, my dear friend Laurel has been coming to class diligently for a few weeks now and her dedication and improvement are so inspiring!! She always puts her greatest effort forward in every exercise, but knows when her body is not yet ready for other maneuvers. But last night, Laurel accomplished three of her goals that she has been training for! 

1) She did her right splits so beautifully!
2) Her over analysis of a certain control exercise on the parallel bars was finally triumphed as she executed stupendous form and coordination!
3) SHE CLIMBED ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP OF THE SILKS!!!

Her radiance at the end of class was infectious and I could not have been more proud as a teacher and friend :) 

You never know where or when you might find a new goal to strive for, or even a new passion! 

If you'd like to try out a different kind of work out, please come by for class taught by me, Chelsea Co, on Tuesday nights from 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm at the Asheville Gymnastics gym at 50 Coxe Ave. across the street from the post office! Your first time is free so pull on those nice workout pants of yours because its time to feel the beauty that is strength.

The Health Benefits of Aerial and Acrobatic Performance

Aerial and acrobatic performance is one of the most physically demanding performance art forms in the world. It is the specialized art of being able to do various acrobatic techniques both on the ground and in the air. Many doctors and medical professionals promote it because of the strong sense of perception, proprioception, coordination and physical fitness that a person obtains during their training. Obtaining these benefits are not only good for the person’s physical health they are also very important for having a healthy mental well being as well.



 
Perception Training
Aerial and acrobatic performers participate in a great deal of physical work outs that are aimed to give them an expert sense of perception. These perception gaining exercises help the performers understand their body’s capabilities and limits. This gives the performer the control over their own body instead of their body having control over them. These exercises help to keep the mind clear from stress and anxiety so that the activities the artist is performing can be the main focus of concentration. This is beneficial to the performer’s mental health where stress is concerned. When the performer’s overall mental health is in sync, their physical well being is strong in most cases as well. These activities decrease the chances of a person suffering from strokes, heart attacks, anxiety attacks, bouts of angina, high blood pressure and other stress related health issues that many people suffer from.


 
Proprioception Training
Proprioception training will help a person to build up muscle that can be used to help support their entire body. These exercises give a person’s body its own sense of position when extended in space where a platform support is not available to depend on. It also provides the performer with a personal sense of power where their muscles and tissue fibers are concerned. A person who is proprioception training will gain the ability to control the direction of their body’s movement through the use of sense and direction identity. Where aerial and acrobatic performance is concerned, this type of training helps to decrease the likelihood of the performer sustaining common injuries that include twisted ankles, sprains to various muscles of the body and painful strains and tears within the muscle tissue, tendons and ligaments themselves. Vigorous continual proprioception training will result in a person developing a strong spine, stomach muscles, back as well as provide strength and muscle support for the ankles, the knees and even the hip joints over time.


 
Coordination Training
When working as a aerial and acrobatic performance artist, coordination training provides some of the most necessary benefits. The activities that one engages in when they train for coordination gives them a strong sense of balance that can be used during their performances. The artist benefits from learning physical movements that help to increase their safety in the variety of movements they use while performing. They learn the correct way to use one set of muscles to help sustain another set in order to reduce the risks of injuries. The overall health of the performer benefits from such training because they learn the proper ways of stretching and warming up before their performances.
Another important aspect of the overall health of the performer is their daily diet. In order to have the energy necessary for working the muscles throughout the human body, it is important to eat the right foods to gain the right fuel to create a platform for muscles to use so that they get the most benefit from their workouts. Aerial and acrobatic performance artists need to have diets rich in proteins that are found in lean meat varieties, vegetables and fruits. Since the performer works out a great deal of their day, they need to maintain a high hydration level by drinking plenty of water and electrolytes. With the excess amount of liquid that is consumed, the toxins within the body that can lead to illnesses are in most cases flushed out. 

So overall, the health benefits that aerial and acrobatic performance artists gain through their training includes a strong state of mental health which helps to decrease their likelihood of developing heart disease, blood pressure issues and anxiety attacks. The rigorous physical workouts provide the performer with strong muscles, a strong spine which is used for flexibility, strong tendons and ligaments which play a large role in the prevention of injuries such as strains, sprains and muscle tears, and weight control. Proper diet benefit’s the aerial performer because of the vitamins and minerals that are obtained to help keep the inner body functioning correctly and giving it the ability to fight off illnesses and other health concerns related to nutrition.

(taken from: http://www.zenartsla.com/news/health-benefits-aerial-acrobatic-performance/) 

DECEMBER!

But definitely not Decembrrrrrrr...it has been absolutely beautiful since the first day of the month! I hope it keeps up because I was in my bikini on my deck yesterday!

Life is full of opportunities and its up to YOU to discover them, to embrace and engage yourself in them!

I'm looking forward to class tonight, I've been really physical lately, really pushing my body to its limits so we'll see how my arms hold up tonight.

Class is on, as usual, at 8:30pm-10:00pm at the Asheville Gymnastics gym at 50 Coxe Ave.

Challenge yourself this December as a gift to your body, mind and soul. Fill your life with excitement and positivity! You deserve it!

I hope to see some of you tonight!