Maintaining a healthy diet is important for athletes and dancers like you.
The right amount of nutrients should be present in your body to keep your energy up, your muscles flexible, and your bones strong.
(just like what we covered if you would like to get a to die for figure and a perfectly shaped butt)
Pole dancing is a full-body exercise which requires you to maintain not only your physical strength but also your mental awareness.
This can be achieved if you keep a balanced diet rich in various vitamins the body needs.
Importance of Vitamins Supplements
Vitamin deficiency can lead to a lot of health problems.
Initial symptoms include fatigue, low blood pressure, and insomnia.
These conditions can hamper your performance as a pole dancer.
If you have a balanced diet, you may have little need for supplements.
However, they are important to those who are suffering from vitamin deficiency.
Vitamin supplements are readily available in drugstores through over-the-counter transactions.
Most of them don’t need a prescription, although it’s still best to consult a doctor before taking in any medication.
They’re still drugs that may induce some side effects if not taken in properly.
There are supplements that contain concentrated amounts of specific vitamins and minerals.
However, there are also multivitamins that contain all the minerals and vitamins the body requires daily.
Vitamins Important to Pole Dancers
Listed below are some of the vitamins important to the diet of pole dancers.
Make sure you take note of them so you can formulate your meals accordingly.
Calcium
Calcium is a vital element in your body.
It’s the nutrient vital to keep your bones healthy and strong.
Calcium deficiency makes the bones brittle and prone to breakage.
Aside from this, you may experience the following symptoms:
- Confusion
- Muscle spasms
- Brittleness of nails
- Tingling sensation on your feet, hands, and face
- Depression and possible memory loss
To make sure you keep the calcium levels on your body at a healthy level, include almonds, beans, cheese, lentils, sardines, seeds, or yogurt in your daily diet.
Iron
Iron is essential to the component called hemoglobin.
It is the substance responsible for carrying oxygen throughout your body.
Women pole dancers are more likely to suffer from anemia because of their monthly menstruation cycle.
During this time, some may lose a good amount of blood that can’t be reproduced immediately through natural processes.
Iron supplements may be recommended by doctors to hasten the production of red blood cells in the body and restore it to its natural state.
Iron deficiency can lead to a lot of problems.
If your body lacks the right amount of iron, you may experience any one of these symptoms:
- Paleness of skin
- Muscle weakness
- Lack of breath
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
To avoid suffering from these symptoms, it’s best to include beans, eggs, fish, nuts, pulses, red meats, seeds, spinach, tofu, or whole grains in your daily diet.
Magnesium
Magnesium helps keep the energy levels in your body and maintain your muscles healthy.
Calcification in the arteries is the worst thing that may happen to you when you suffer from magnesium deficiency.
You may also experience any of the following symptoms, none of which should be disregarded:
- Anxiety attacks
- Arrhythmia
- Falling energy levels
- Hormonal imbalance
- Muscle cramps
- Sleep problems
To avoid magnesium deficiency in your body, make sure you eat a lot of beans, nuts, seeds, leafy green vegetables, and whole grains regularly.
Protein
Protein helps build and repair muscle tissues.
It’s helpful in optimizing your muscle growth during exercise.
Beefing up your muscles can help you lift your body up on the dance pole and perform moves you’re having trouble with before.
Protein deficiency can result into the following symptoms:
- Bone fractures
- Fatty liver
- Greater appetite
- Increased calorie intake
- Loss of muscle mass
- Problems with your skin, nail, and hair
Rich sources of protein should be included in your daily diet.
Some of the best sources of protein available in the market are beans, dairy products, lean pork and lean beef, seafood, soy, and white meat (i.e.
breast part of the chicken).
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Vitamin B Complex
This group is called a complex because there are many types of Vitamin B that belongs to the family.
The complex is made up of 8 vitamins which include B12, B7 (biotin), B6, B5, B3, B2, B1 (thiamine), and folic acid.
These vitamins are water-soluble and are instantly absorbed by the body.
Deficiency in this vitamin will increase your risk of experiencing at least one of these conditions:
- Aggression
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Mental confusion
- Tiredness
- Skin rash
It’s advisable to regularly eat chicken, eggs, fish, pork, soya beans, vegetables, and whole grains to maintain a healthy level of Vitamin B in your system
Vitamin B Complex supplements are safe to take since they dissolve quickly in water and the body doesn’t store the vitamin for a long time.
It just absorbs the amount it needs and flushes the remaining down into the kidneys and bladder.
You’ll see a change in your pee color to indicate that your body is flushing out the excess vitamin B in your body.
Here’s an additional trivia: drinking vitamin B supplements can cure hangovers.
Make sure you have them in your pocket when you’re about to party and get drunk.
Vitamin D
The body generates Vitamin D when the skin is exposed to the sun.
Just loiter under the sun early in the morning for around 20 minutes to an hour to help the body make enough Vitamin D.
Don’t bathe too long under the sun, though, as this may cause skin problems.
Lack of Vitamin D in the body can result in the following complications:
- Back pain
- Bone loss
- Hair loss
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Muscle pains
- Osteoarthritis
Along with exposing your skin under the sun, make sure you eat plenty of cheese, egg yolks, sardines in oil, or tuna in water to maintain good levels of vitamin D.
Vitamin D supplements are usually found combined with Calcium in multivitamin capsules.
These two vitamins mix well together, especially when you include them in your daily diet.
Zinc
Zinc is responsible for helping the body develop the necessary proteins to keep you running.
It’s also important in fighting off bacteria to prevent you from illnesses.
Zinc deficiency reduces the ability of your body to heal and recover from injuries and sicknesses.
Your body will also take a longer time to recover from maladies.
Aside from these, you’ll easily get bruises and experience more muscle aches if your body’s Zinc levels are low.
As a pole dancer, it will be hard for you to get back on the pole when you suffer from any of these conditions.
You’ll know your body lacks the right amount of zinc when you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Hair loss
- Lack of growth in your muscles
- Reduced wound recovery
- Skin rash
- Slow mental ability
To avoid suffering from these symptoms, make sure you have chicken, beans, beef, dark chocolates, lamb, nuts, oysters, pork, or pumpkin seeds in your daily meal.
Other Health Supplements
Evening Primrose Oil
This is neither a mineral nor a vitamin but it’s a good nutritional supplement for pole dancers.
The oil is rich in Omega-6 and Omega-3 which are difficult to obtain by just eating alone.
Evening Primrose Oil also contains the fatty substance Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA).
The body converts this substance to Omega-6 which is beneficial for cell growth and healing of various inflammations.
This can help alleviate high blood pressure, arthritis, eczema, and a lot of other conditions.
When the levels of Omega fatty acids in your body drop down, you might experience any of the following symptoms:
- Dull, dry, and patching skin
- Soles and fingertips get dry and flaky
- Small bumps appear on the back portion of your arms
These, including cramps, tiredness, and bloating are some of the issues that can affect your ability to work on the dance pole.
To avoid experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s best to maintain healthy levels of Omega minerals in your body.
Whole grains, vegetable oils, and sesame seeds and nuts are some of the most common food sources that can help build up the stock of Omega-3 and Omega-6 in your body.
Evening Primrose Oil is also highly beneficial to women who are suffering from pre-menstrual tension (PMT).
It can help alleviate the discomfort felt due to hormonal issues that happen during ovulation.
You’ll know you’re having PMT when you’re experiencing any of the following symptoms:
- Hot flashes
- Getting too emotional
- Muscle cramps
- Tenderness of breasts
- Noticeable changes in your eating and sleeping behaviours
- Night sweating
Make sure you eat plenty of avocados, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, melon, tofu, and watercress to help regulate hormonal imbalances.
Avoid drinking caffeinated and sugary drinks, alcoholic drinks, sodas, and spicy foods as these may worsen your hormonal issues.
Are Multivitamins Bad?
Multivitamin supplements have been around for quite some time already.
Who doesn’t want a single pill that contains all the vitamins you need for the day?
Multivitamins are good but you have to be cautious in taking them too.
Your body may only need additional vitamin B complex and not the other vitamins on the capsule.
This may cause problems if not properly handled.
Vitamin B is soluble in water, which means it can be easily dissolved by the body.
The excess is automatically excreted so over-dosage won’t happen.
This is not the case, though, with vitamins that are stored in fat cells.
Overdose is possible and this can further worsen your current condition.
How to Buy and Store Supplements
Here are some tips to remember when you buy and store your vitamin supplements at home.
- Make sure you buy only from a trustworthy retailer.
- Check their prices online to make sure you’re not getting ripped off. Some drug stores sell these vitamins at a higher price compared to other stores.
- Check the seal on the bottle to make sure it’s not tampered or broken.
- Take note of the expiry date of your medicines. Expired ones are ineffective and may cause adverse reactions to your body.
- Store your vitamins in a cool, dry place. Avoid placing vitamin supplements, especially those that are oil-based, on places where they’ll be under direct sunlight. Keep them in a dark place, like in the drawer or cupboard, to keep their potency intact.
- Don’t transfer your vitamins into another container. You may forget what they’re for and the dosage required if you do this.
- Keep them away from children’s reach. They may think drugs as candies and accidentally eat them. This may cause over-dosage which is very dangerous, especially at their age.
- Pills and capsules are designed to dissolve inside your body. They also have been weighed and formulated to contain the appropriate concentration of vitamins and minerals required per dosage. Cutting them in half or crushing them can produce undesirable effects and further decrease their potency.
- Vitamin supplements are called as such for a reason. They should be taken in along with the proper meals we’ve discussed above. They should only act as additional sources that will boost the level of vitamins in your body and not something to be considered as a primary nutrient source.
- Make sure you drink your supplements as scheduled to maximize their effects. Set an alarm if you need a reminder.
- Before you take in anything, make sure you seek professional advice first. You may have allergies or other conditions that may cause reactions when you take certain vitamins.
- Always read the package insert to determine the right amount of dosage you need to take at a specific time of the day. If you have doubts or questions, ask your doctor for advice.
To be Broken or NOT to be Broken (final conclusion)
Pole dancing is no easy task.
It requires a healthy body and mind, which is why it’s important to keep yourself nourished.
Even if you maintain a balanced diet, there will be times that your body may need additional vitamins to cope up with the strenuous tasks you’re doing.
To be on the top of your pole dance game you need to give your body the right nutrients to recover in an optimal amount of time.
Vitamin supplements are beneficial to those who are suffering from injuries and over workout.
They can help to alleviate health issues but they should be combined with proper diet and other medical treatments.
Feeling fatigued, having sleep problems, or losing hair doesn’t necessarily mean you lack a certain vitamin in your body.
There are many reasons that can affect your condition.
There are overlapping symptoms of different vitamin deficiencies as discussed above.
With these factors in mind, it’s best to seek the advice of your doctor to determine the treatment suitable to your current condition.
Additional Resources:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20045506
- https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise-eating-healthy