Dusting off the cobwebs...

I am currently lamenting the fact that I have not danced in two months.
Unforgivable, I know.
I am so out of shape and rusty right now. It only takes a week and a half for muscle mass to start to diminish, but takes three weeks to build it back up. So I gotta get to work! I've been missing my ATS classes too, and I really miss it. I'm going next week, and am excited about dancing with the ladies again.

Two things have factored into my temporary dance retirement:

1. Finishing the bulk of my senior year of college. I was working 4 days a week, going to school full time, and working on my thesis. Busy lady! But it's done now! I turned in my thesis last week, and I feel amazing. Now I'm looking for an internship for the fall to fulfill my Fieldwork Studies requirement, and then, the bachelors degree is officially done. hooray!

2. Body issues/figuring out I have Celiac disease. I decided to try going gluten free to see if it made a difference with my health. I've had joint and tendon pain all over for years, as well as mental fogginess, and some intestinal issues. This semester my back pain got so bad I could barely handle sitting up in class, my back would spasm intensely the whole time. Even though I've known for awhile that it could be gluten that was causing my health problems, I was reticent to try the diet because I'm already vegan, and gluten free vegan just sounded like a holy pain in the butt.
Mid Semester, I decided to give it a go and see if I felt better. For a few days after going GF, I felt AMAZING. And then, BAM, I felt like holy hell. Apparently, gluten is a neurotoxin for some people (like me), and going off of it is like quitting an opiate. So thus began a month and a half of awful withdrawl.
During that time, I really didn't feel like dancing. BUT, as of lately, I feel so much better. My back and tendons don't hurt anywhere near as bad, I can fall asleep without tossing and turning for a comfy way to lay, and, the best part I think, I can actually get energy from food. I seriously never knew that you should feel energized after eating, it was always the opposite for me. Rad! Carrots give me a buzz. I love it.

So that is the story of my hiatus from dancing. Next week, it's back on! I'm gonna shimmy like crazy and get back into shape. :)

I'm also really really sad that I'm not at Tribal Fest this year. I couldn't afford to take time off work. Sad. I'll be waiting anxiously for all of the youtube videos, and will probably post some here.

xo