Dance Resolutions for 2012

I hope everyone had wonderful Christmases, if you celebrate, and if you don't, I hope you're having wonderful holidays and breaks. My Christmas was a lovely, relaxing day...

Clara & the Nutcracker on my tree

So now that the new year is approaching, I have some dance-related resolutions to make:

#1) Get in shape, lose weight
Classic, right? Almost every girl wants to lose weight. But as dancers, it's not just part of looking good - it's part of the profession, the demand comes with the territory. To achieve this, I'm going to create a diet that works for me, go to the gym (which I have yet to set foot in) and ride the stationary bike or use the elliptical, and stretch after (almost) every shower. In turn, losing weight will not only help me feel physically better, but also will help me develop a stronger body/self image of myself as a dancer and person. I was lucky enough to get a bike as a gift, so I'll be using that over breaks to get my exercise when I'm not in class.

#2) Post more on both this blog and my Youtube channel
I said I'd post at least once a week on this blog, and even though few people read it, I'm glad I can help a few people out there who might be looking for specific things. I started this blog in order to motivate myself to keep up with the dance world, to watch dance, to stay inspired, and I kind of lost my way in the past few months. Likewise, I posted my last video on my Youtube channel at the end of the summer, and even with as few views as I get, it's another motivation for me to keep creating dance.

I also have a goal to convince some of my friends to guest post on this blog! I'm sure more than one perspective will be a welcome change.

#3) Do pointe more
My college doesn't offer a pointe class, sadly. However, we're allowed to do pointe at the barre during normal ballet classes. I only do it once every few weeks, but starting next semester, I'll be taking ballet 4 days a week. My goal is to do the barre en pointe at least once a week from now on.

#4) Keep sleeping!
I got so much sleep this semester - the most sleep I've gotten each night since before high school, I'm sure. It was glorious - even if I'm still tired a lot of the time, I have energy to do things and pay full attention in class. My dancing benefits from 7+ hours of sleep a night too. Even though I am taking a much harder load next semester, my goal is to sleep at least 6.5-7 hours a night (even though studies show that teenagers need 8-9 hours, 7 is better than the 4 I got in high school).

#5) Drink more water.
 It promotes health, clear skin, proper bodily functioning, disease prevention, etc etc...basically, life. I don't drink nearly enough. 'Nuff said.

That's about all, I think! Of course, there are lots of smaller goals, but these are goals for the rest of my school year. What are yours?