Help with irregular schedule! ...and is dancing exercise?

[lalajun]

Hi All,

I have had this problem before trying Whole 30, but I thought you might have some suggestions.

I am a tango dancer and can be out VERY late. I usually go to a class in the early evening and dance until 3 am. By the time I get home it is around 3 or4 and I stay up a little while longer. I then don't sleep well and wake up around 10. I wake up ravenous and want to eat immediately. However, I also get home ravenous and usually eat something at night/early am.

I am so confused. The dancing I do is not extremely strenuous, although I do work up a sweat at times. I can dance for twenty minutes, but then sit for 20. I can't imagine I am using up sooo much energy. I usually take a nap midday and practice dance/yoga before I go to class. I can't imagine fitting in going to the gym at the moment as I am usually too tired to do more than the activity I already do.

How would you suggest I plan my meals? I seem to be hungrier in the daytime hours and want to eat again two hours after breakfast. But I can also stuff myself when I get home. I am a couple days into a not so perfect whole30 and will restart soon. Hopefully my hunger will diminish and I will be able to go longer hours without eating.

Thanks for any tips you can offer!!

[Tom Denham]

Dancing is enough exercise to be good for you, but probably not enough exercise to require pre- or post-workout snacks.

The natural rhythm of our bodies makes being hungry in the day time normal. I would recommend eating breakfast within an hour of waking. Ideally you would space meals 4 to 5 hours apart, but if you are hungry after just 2 hours, eat another meal. However you space them, try to eat at least 3 and maybe 4 meals each day. You might try eating your last meal after class and before your evening dance activities. When I first began eating the Whole30 way, I ate 5 and sometimes 6 meals per day. With more practice, I eventually became satisfied with just 3 meals per day.

[lalajun]

Thank you Tom! I will aim for eating every 4-5 hours and not worry if I need something a little sooner. I had the same idea about dancing, so I will just eat on a normal schedule. But do you think I really need to do extra cardio in a gym or running outside? I just hate cardio and it always makes me tight for dance. Not to mention I have little extra energy (hoping that will change!).

[befabdaily]

If you are dancing intermittently from early evening to 3 a.m. that is totally a workout and absolutely merits a (W30 mini meal) snack before and after (and if nothing else a lot of water during). People who don't dance do not understand how demanding it really is to maintain posture and form through that many hours even if you take some sit-down breaks. If you're dancing that much there is no reason on earth to do cardio -- if you have time you'd probably benefit more from adding on some bodyweight exercises and mobility exercises than from adding on cardio.

[Tom Denham]

I think you get plenty of exercise from dancing and would absolutely not recommend any cardio. You might enjoy some strength training, but I would not sacrifice much to fit that in.

[lalajun]

It sounds like I'm off the hook for extra cardio...woohoo! But I have thought about adding simple weight training at home. Thanks for that input Tom. @ Befabdaily, it has always been hard for me to determine if dancing was enough exercise and whether it "counts." Thanks for your perspective :-) I feel as though I am active enough to not demand more of myself, especially when I feel so tired. Not to mention I live in Germany and walk A LOT compared to life in the U.S. when I felt I had to drag my butt to the gym every day! Again, thanks for the help!