Dancing Away Disability Part 6

 Tips To Dance Away YOUR Disability

By Irene Marie Kuch Watson

“My lessons in ballroom dance have brought me an amazing recovery from the disabling effects of Parkinson’s Disease and Nonclassic Cystic Fibrosis and ,despite my 72 years of age, I feel vitally alive again.”

I learned how to recover from Parkinson's from Dr. Becky Farley (http://www.pwr4life.org/about/team/drfarley/), the neuroscientist whose research at the University of Arizona revealed how one must exercise in order to effect structural changes in the brain that support recovery. My husband Rick Hilgers and I served as volunteer research subjects for Dr Farley during the years of her discovery.

Choosing to Dance

1. You have to be willing to work to get better. You must exercise intensely and regularly.
2. If this is for you, then get a physical checkup first to be sure its safe for you.
3. Decide if ballroom dance is for you.
   a.  Scientific research has shown that lessons in ballroom dance, especially in Argentine Tango, are the best antidote to chronic disease and aging.                                                           b.  You must choose exercise that is fun. Fun lowers stress, makes us willing to endure the sore muscles and ensures we will continue. (Note: Sudden sharp pain during a workout or joint pain is a signal to stop. However, muscle pain from exertion means we are working near our limit and that our muscles are getting stronger, which is what we want to do for maximal results.)c.  If you don’t know if you would enjoy ballroom dance lessons, give them a fair trial period to find out. However, if dancing is not fun for you, then choose a different exercise program that is fun and that meets the criteria listed here.  

Getting Started

1. Find a professional dance instructor who intricately understands movement, who is insightful, helpful and fun and who you like and can learn from. Usually the first lesson is free so you have a chance to try someone out. I love my teachers and recommend them highly.
2.  Be sure to tell your teacher your health issues, your goals, the types of dancing or other exercise you most enjoy and your requirements for an exercise program, namely that your practices should emphasize movement that is:
   a. Difficult for you, such as taking big steps, rotating the spine, shifting the weight from foot to foot, turning while walking or otherwise moving forward, moving to a changing tempo and maintaining an upright posture
   b. Physically challenging and aerobic for you
   c. Complex enough to require your constant attentional focus.
3.  Decide on a program of lessons that meets the criteria.
   a.  Private lessons will give you the best results and are worth the money, so take as many of these as you can afford.
   b.  Supplement with weekly group classes.
   c.  If you can’t get all the group lessons you need at one location, then sign up at multiple places.
   d.  Sometimes, if you can provide a service that is valuable to a teacher, you might be able to trade your service for lessons.
4.  Practice 30 minutes per day four to five times weekly. This does not need to all take place during your lessons. You should also practice on your own at home or at another convenient place.
5. Set ambitious goals, such as to perform in a student showcase.  Goals give you milestones to see your progress and, when they are sufficiently ambitious, they also increase your motivation to keep upping the challenge as your skill level goes up.

STICKING WITH IT

1. If you don’t already have one, adopt a positive attitude and believe in your ability to bring about change. Remember what Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”
2. Don’t let others discourage you. You are entitled to get better. You are entitled to take the time needed to take care of yourself and to get better. It’s not selfish. Everyone around you will benefit from your getting better.
3.  Find within yourself (its there) the willpower to continue when the going gets tough. We all feel discouraged from time to time and sometimes the whole prospect of becoming a better dancer feels hopeless. Nonetheless, keep up the work and attend all lessons unless you are seriously ill or there is a death in the family or other serious matter. Make your exercise program a high priority and don’t let rationalizations or performance anxiety derail you.
4.  Don’t be hard on yourself or get discouraged when you fall short of meeting a goal or when your progress plateaus despite your hard work. Attempting to regain lost function can be very frustrating and requires a high level of resolve to persist despite the frustration involved. Falling short of a goal happens to us all at some time and is part of what to expect. Just keep up the good work and progress will occur again, sometimes when you least expect it.
5. Develop personal friendships with your teacher and other dancers so that your lessons also become social experiences that you share with people you look forward to seeing.
6. Celebrate your achievements. Every little improvement deserves your recognition and appreciation.

© 2014 Irene Marie Kuch Watson