Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

I took ballet for over a decade, and I loved it. I didn’t have the right ‘body’ for it (which I’ll remember my teacher telling me until the day I die), but I loved it and my ballet roots have clearly stuck with me. Outfit of choice: tights, leg warmers, fitted top and occasionally a tutu.

Lately, I’ve been noticing a trend towards adult beginner ballet classes: a delightful venue for those of us with ballet roots that are rusty (at best). Much of the practice involves long, strong poses with an emphasis on form and technique. Ballet dancers have incredibly strong core, balance and lower bodies that KILL. While my dreams of starring in Swan Lake are a tad too unrealistic (though I could probably manage a comedic performance, with a little hip hop), I still love ballet and the results I get from it.

With DVD’s like Cardio Barre and beginner classes popping up everywhere this year and next year, can you see yourself taking a ballet class?

It’s October and it’s apple picking season! Yay! Pies & snacks for all! Hope you can manage to get on out for some apple picking fun!

To celebrate, I thought a little dance party was in order. This playlist is a little bit all over the place, but I don’t care because I love it. I LOVE IT! Use it to inspire a new playlist of your own, or just enjoy the tunes! Or hate them, but keep it to yourself! Don’t burst my bubble. :)

The workout? Just DANCE! Have fun, don’t be too serious and let loose!

Remember: Music is one of the BEST workout motivators you can find. The higher your BPM, the harder you tend to work. Find new music to sweat to and remember to rotate new stuff in every couple of weeks (or every week if you get bored like I do).

This playlist dwindles down towards the end, for a nice Radiohead stretch after some Salt & Pepa & En Vogue. Plenty of new stuff too, but when it comes to abs & stretching, I really love my old favs.

SEND IN YOUR PLAYLIST SUGGESTIONS! I’ll be making a few follower MADE playlists next week and can use your input! I get fabulous suggestions from you all the time, so let me know what you’re sweating to!

I love Stacey’s work. As a fellow Canadian, I swell with a little bit of pride whenever I see her name as a judge or choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance. And she’s added a few Emmy nominations to her accolades thanks to her work on the show (see her emmy nominated choreography at the bottom of this post).

‘Tooks’ sat down with Fit Sugar this week to talk dancing, fitness and food. But while the interview was interesting on its own, I ALSO happened across a letter Tookey posted to her younger self that I drew inspiration from.

While she’s used to being behind the scenes, this interview showcases a different Tookey all together, one who’s getting used to a body that’s healing & new found fame. Her letter to herself is inspirational and highlights that ‘I wish I knew then…’ mentality that comes with getting older. I’ve shared excerpts from her interview with Fit Sugar as well as her letter to herself below. 

Excerpt from Fit Sugar

FS: How do you stay in shape, especially since you are on the road so much?
ST: I think Pilates is a great way to stay strong, because it was designed for dancers. When you are about to do a full performance, you don’t want to work out at the gym for three hours. For me that doesn’t worked; I have to pace myself. I usually do yoga or take a Pilates class to keep my body in shape but not strain it. Sometimes I’m traveling three countries in a week and am lucky if I can do a warmup by myself in the studio before I begin creating.

FS: When choreographing, are you still dancing the moves yourself or are you on the sidelines?
ST: I recently had hip surgery. It’s been traumatic, because a week after the surgery, I was in crutches trying to choreograph. It was very frustrating for me, because I still like to choreograph with my body. I had to start creating in a chair and depend a lot more on my assistants. I’m used to doing my daily workout, going into the studio, creating with my body, and sweating. When you are not able to do that, the reward is now how the work looks through someone else. I’m going through a bit of a transformation now.

FS: What does your diet look like, and how do you maintain it?
ST: I have a lot of diet restrictions and food sensitivities. I see an acupuncturist who has honestly changed my life. She makes sure my body is in optimal shape for all the traveling and long hours that I work. I don’t eat gluten, dairy, or processed sugar. I just dropped coffee this past year. That was huge one for me. It’s not easy to keep on the road, but in my house, I don’t have any of those foods. I start my day with a green smoothie. I’ll pack a blender if I have to to get my smoothie with kale, spinach, pineapple, celery, protein, flax seed oil, and coconut water. I know that if I fall off track later in the day, at least I started out with all those greens.

Stacey’s letter to her younger self from Dance Spirit Magazine…

Dear Stacey,

Don’t let fear hold you back. Being scared is an essential part of life. If you believe in your talent, you’ll discover that you’re the only person standing in your way.

Treat your body with love and respect. Listen to it. If you need to rest, REST! Dancing through your injuries won’t make you a hero—instead, it will prolong your healing time, damage your body further and add to your ­­frustration. You only have one body. Worship it.

Work hard at achieving perfection, but don’t beat yourself up. Being overly self-critical works to your disadvantage. (When you roll your eyes at yourself because you messed up a combination, it can be perceived as having a bad attitude.) Lighten up! It’s OK to make mistakes.

You’ll have ups and downs, but trust in the fact that you’re on the right track. Try not to be in a hurry to achieve everything all at once, because if you rush you’ll miss the fun of it all. The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Love,

Older and (a bit) wiser
Stacey Tookey

P.S. Take singing lessons!

Tookey’s Emmy Nominated Choreography for ‘Fear’, danced by Kathryn & Legacy.

The secret to flat abs? For Julianne Hough, it’s dancing. 

To say dancing’s a great workout is an understatement; and it doesn’t matter if you get all the counts or stay on the beat. After years of crunches, it wasn’t until I took up dancing (and kickboxing) regularly that I finally got flatter abs and the definition I wanted. And unlike other workouts, dancing has a learning curve that can keep you challenged (and interested) as you get better and better at it.

Dancing is not for everyone, but some people are simply too shy to join a class or get frustrated when they can’t master the moves right away. This is normal, but believe me, if you keep at it, you WILL get better! In fact, just trying is enough to make your muscles respond in new ways; this is especially important if you’ve been used to doing the same moves over and over.

Learning to master the moves can give you a huge boost of confidence and open you up to try new things later on. With workout DVD’s, you can improve your dancing in the privacy of your own home and practice the moves as often as you like without an audience.

Thought I’d share this free 10 minute dance lesson from Julianne Hough to teach you the basics for her workout DVD! It’s fast, a great introduction (and warm up) and might pop your dancing cherry. :)

See video here.