Things You Can Do To Manage Your Stress

With everything going on in today's world, it is easy to get stressed out. Things are constantly changing, and though you might not have control of that, you can control the way you feel. At Valeo Dance Studio, we value the importance of self-care. Here are four things you can try to help manage your stress and feel your best! 

Outdoors

The outdoors is an excellent place to start when it comes to managing stress. According to The American Institute of Stress, spending time outdoors can help improve mental health. Their research shows that nature excursions can help alleviate feelings of time pressure and mental stress. Since COVID-19 began, many of us have been asked to self-quarantine and stay in our homes. As a result, mental health has gone down. A great way to combat that is to get yourself outside and move! The outdoors can improve your mood, recharge you, help you see the bigger picture, and feel productive! 

Exercise

Exercise is another excellent way to manage your stress. A great option for exercising and managing stress is dancing. Dancing requires your full attention, so you don't have time to worry about anything else. It is an excellent way to release some endorphins while staying fit at the same time.  Endorphins are the happy chemicals in your brain that help to relieve stress and pain. Also, exercise and endorphins help lower the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress! So don't waste any time, get up and get moving!

Human Interaction

Other great ways to manage stress include human interaction and a positive mindset. After months of being self-quarantined, it’s great to be around others again. All of these things help boost our immune systems and keep up healthy for whatever we face next. An excellent way to reap these stress-busting benefits is to combine them all! At Valeo Dance Studio, we offer outdoor group dance fitness that keep you feeling good, strong, and healthy.

We know the tough effects of stress, which is why we reopened with new outdoor workouts. By coming to one of our classes, you will experience the outdoors, friends, exercise, and endorphins. In addition, you will experience all of these things in a healthy and safe environment that follows the CDC guidelines. For more information on our classes, visit us online here! If you can't make it to one of our classes, that's okay! We also post online tutorials for those at home to follow along. For the online tutorials, please click here! Don't wait any longer and get your body moving at Valeo Dance Studio! 

Outdoor Classes At Valeo Dance Studio!

Over the years, with your help, we have done an incredible job creating a virtual dance family via our YouTube channel (currently more than 320,000 subscribers all over the world and more than 150 FREE dance fitness workouts). While the most natural route would have been to transition everything online to virtual dance fitness, we decided to take a very different path for our reopening phase. We are moving our classes outdoors!

Why Outdoors?

At Valeo, we have always been a family, and that remains a priority, along with safety. Moving classes outdoors allows for safe human interaction in line with the CDC's guidelines. An overwhelming number of studies show that spending time outside is good for our mental and physical health, and might be particularly useful for our well-being in these uncertain times of increased stress and anxiety. Also, the less time we spend moving our bodies, the more likely it is to gain weight. By heading outside for movements, we are decreasing the chance of weight gain and increasing the opportunity for endorphins! As a result, we decided to combine our universal need for human interaction and necessity for being outside with new Outdoor Valeo Dance Fitness classes starting Wednesday, May 27th, at 6:30 PM!

How It'll Work

As stated before, safety is one of our top priorities, and we will do everything to keep ourselves and you safe. The location of outdoor group dance fitness classes is the same as our studio. We will be outside in a beautiful courtyard with stunning views just to the right of the main entrance (if you are looking at the entrance from the parking lot). The times of the classes are the same as always! Please visit the Valeo Dance Fitness Schedule to sign up for classes! If it's a rainstorm, of course, the class will be rescheduled.

Since most people are currently working remotely or unfortunately not working at all due to lay-offs, the good news is most people are coming from home. So dress to dance! There is no place (at the moment) to change and also no bathroom since the building remains closed (only for a short amount of time), so please plan accordingly! While the classes are in the evenings and Saturday mornings, please be sure you have enough water. Bring your own water bottle and a sparkling personality!

Preventative Measures

Being outside will grant us plenty of space and fresh air that will help us stay safe. We can easily maintain the six-foot social distancing guidelines currently in place by CDC and the local GA government. We also ask that you bring your own set of free weights. If you don't have them, bring two water bottles, and they will do just fine. We also will utilize plenty of outdoor space for activities, so you can wear workout gloves that help protect your hands. As we are navigating our way through the reopening phase, we will be making adjustments as needed. 

For all existing and new members, we will require an electronically signed COVID-19 liability waiver form. Existing members, please be sure to do this from the regular website version of MindBody (not MindBody app). When you log in to sign up for classes over the next few days, you will be prompted to check a box acknowledging you have read the information. 

If you are sick, have a fever or not feeling well, please stay home to protect yourself and others. If you have traveled over the last few days, please be sure to check the CDC website, whether the city/country you came from requires you to self-quarantine for a period of time. Lastly, this is a new phase for all of us, so let's help each other stay positive while getting back to life responsibly!   

Other Studio Updates

We are also doing our private lessons outdoors beginning Tuesday, May 26th. Click here to schedule an appointment! We will continue all Intro First Dance Consultations virtually via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime to ensure everyone/s safety and to make it more time-efficient for couples and their families! 

If you have any further questions about our new schedule, guidelines, preventative measures, and more, visit us online here. We have missed you so much and look forward to seeing your smiling faces soon, six-feet apart, of course!

Our New Virtual First Dance Consultations

We are so excited to offer a new and updated way to meet the needs of our engaged couples. Are you looking for a first dance class to prepare you for your big day? Look no further! In light of COVID-19, Valeo Dance Studio has decided to offer virtual consultations finally. Here's why and how it works!

Why Virtual?

This is something we have wanted to do for a very long time, and now have the chance! Since the pandemic has begun, we have wanted to find a way to still meet with engaged couples. Your wedding day is one of the biggest days of your life, and we want to make sure you feel confident in those first steps onto the dance floor. All the first dance intro consultations will be via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime! We want couples to save time commuting and keep everyone healthy as well. 

How It Works

As stated before, there will be a few different ways to make this possible. You can choose to meet with Asiya via Skype, Zoom, or FaceTime. You will schedule a consultation by visiting our consultation page online here. The consultation will consist of a 30-minute introductory session where we discuss all the details of the dance. Asiya will help you in selecting the perfect song for your first dance, discuss your goals, and choreography ideas. Ideally, the couple is together in front of the computer so we can get a feel for how you move, but it's not required! It helps couples tremendously and makes things a lot more efficient, but if not, we can find other solutions.

If you are interested in our virtual first dance consultations, we encourage you to schedule it as soon as possible. This is essential for all summer and fall lessons. We realize a lot of couples have had to change their wedding dates due to COVID-19, so we want to make sure we meet with everyone. So sign up as soon as possible! To schedule your consultation online, click here. In addition, ALL private dance lessons will be in person starting June 1st, and this will not change! We ensure you will get the best service during your dance lesson. Again, we want to make this memorable for you! 

For more information on our studio and the type of services we provide, check us out here. We also want to give a huge thank you to all our couples who have already joined us for online consultations! We love seeing you and hope to see new faces soon. Stay well! 

Boring Workout? Try Dance Cardio!

We all have fitness goals, right? Some people want to shed a little bit of weight. Some people want to look more toned. Some people just want to lead a healthier lifestyle. Regardless of what you are trying to accomplish when you set out to exert your body, there is one type of workout that you will likely have to face at some point: cardio. 

Here's the problem. Many of the traditional cardiovascular exercises can tend to get a bit repetitive and mundane, thus making them chore-like. How often can you go running or spinning before you are just sick of it? A week? A month? After a while, even the most dedicated of fitness-gurus need to add a little bit of flavor to their workout routine. 

At the Valeo Dance Fitness Studio, they have just the right exercise to get you excited to work out again!

The Power of Dance Cardio

That's right. Dancing also counts as a cardio workout when it is done right. Cardiovascular exercises consist of activities that raise a person's heart rate for an extended period of time. After one dance fitness class, you will understand just how strenuous a simple activity like dancing can be.

Dance cardio eliminates the inevitable dullness that comes with some other cardio workouts. As the music changes, you change. Sometimes it's fast, sometimes it's slow. No two classes are ever the same in dance cardio, while the collective movement of your group can also drive home an intoxicating feeling of community.

What's more, dancing tends to target more muscle groups than running, cycling, etc. It is a full-body cardiovascular routine that can trim fat, tone muscle, and leave you hungry for more as soon as it is over. 

Time to Hit the Dance Floor!

All of us must face a cardio workout eventually. That doesn't mean it can't be fun, though! Dance cardio integrates infectious music and a variety of movements that can help you reach all of your fitness goals. But most importantly, you don't have to be bored during the journey to your ideal body, as boredom simply does not exist on the dance floor. 

Dance and music are truly an international language as well. When you try dance cardio, you are opening yourself up to a wonderful way of expression. Due to COVID-19, our lives have changed drastically. Since then, we have received videos of people dancing all over the world with us - Argentina, Italy, the UK, Germany, Israel, France, Iran, Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, and more. Join us in a fun new workout and find our videos on YouTube here. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for joining us!

Check out this video of our friends from all over the world dancing with us!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXRLt9iq4Vo

Benefits of Dancing with Weighted Hula Hoops

Looking for something new in your fitness routine? Check out weighted hula hoops! They're easier to twirl around your waist and have multiple uses as part of the perfect total body workout to get you feeling good.

Tone Your Body

The weighted hula hoop is great for movements that target different muscles in your body, one of which being your obliques. Your obliques are your outermost abdominal muscles and when you are shaking your hips to the rhythm of the music, they will be the first muscles that will be engaged. You will be having so much fun that you wont even notice just how much you are working out until later.

The hoop can also be used in place of a ballet barre. This will help you engage your core and various leg muscles as you work on plies, squats, and leg lifts.

Great Cardio Workout

Working out with a weighted hula hoop is an excellent cardio exercise. It will stretch and strengthen your core muscles as well as your arms and leg muscles, depending on the move. In the process it will improve your posture and balance while strengthening your heart and lungs. You will be raising your heart rate to burn calories while having fun and moving to the beat of the music.

Decrease Stress

Exercise, great music, and movement can help you decrease your stress level. Plus the accomplishment of improving your dance skills and looking sexy while doing it always helps. Bring your friends and family and make it a group experience, everyone will leave feeling happy and healthy.

Weighted hula hoops are used as part of the ValeoFit1000 group dance fitness class, our ultimate dance fitness workout! Want to see weighted hula hoops in action? Check out the Valeo Dance Fitness Studio's YouTube Channel.

FlightFit: A Creatively Fun Airplane Workout

You care about good health, wellness, and treating your body with love. So do we! You're likely the kind of person who pays attention to the amount of good quality exercise you're getting, and if not, you might at least be interested in beginning the journey to better physical health. Either way, investing in yourself is an excellent decision, and we're all about finding creative new ways to help you feel good and live your best life!

We know how important it is to stay active. Our bodies were created to move, so sedentary activities, like constantly sitting down, can have detrimental effects over a long period of time. Health complications, such as blood clots, heart disease, DVT (deep vein thrombosis), leg swelling, and high blood pressure, to name a few, often develop in the bodies of individuals who are inactive. Exercise allows for adequate blood flow throughout your system, supports the brain and heart, plus endless other benefits. This is why it's so important to move!

But, what about times when exercising is more difficult? Let's say you're 35,000 feet in the air, traveling to another country by airplane, sandwiched in the middle seat, and suddenly feeling your lower region going numb. Getting up and doing aerobics or going for a jog is definitely not ideal. With decreased oxygen levels and prolonged immobility, you've increased your chances of "Traveler's Thrombosis", a blood clot typically occurring in the leg. How are you going to get that blood circulating?

FlightFit! That's how!

FlightFit is an innovative airplane workout regimen created specifically for that scenario. We'll give you videos to show you exactly how to move in that cramped little space. We'll also give you the resistance bands needed for a full body airplane workout right from your seat! FlightFit targets muscle groups such as the legs, the biggest area of concern for blood clots caused by air travel. A good cardio workout and resistance training will have you feeling fresh and filled with energy by the time you get to your destination!

Taking a long trip in the near future? We recommend FlightFit for anyone traveling by plane for four hours or more. You can find out more about FlightFit's airplane workout by clicking here, or if you're already eager to get started, contact us! We'll set you up with everything you'll need for your fun and energetic in-flight FlightFit workout today!