Smoothstyle Dance Studio

The Problem with Efficiency

By Maria: May 1st, 2012

- posted by Maria

In general, we think of efficiency as a good thing. Businesses strive to be efficient to make maximum use of resources so that they can focus on things that yield high-value returns (profits and new revenue streams). Athletes want to be efficient so that their energy can be directed toward goals such as increasing speed or strength.

Neurologically speaking, our brains and bodies are designed for efficiency. The brain is wired to learn patterns so that it can go into “auto pilot” and repeat the patterns, thereby conserving energy for important tasks such as survival or other pursuits. New (or long forgotten) experiences tax the brain (and the body) – that’s why it’s “human nature” to resist change, and that’s why an activity like raking for the first time each year can cause aches and pains even if you are fit.

It’s also why things get easier the more we do them. Although it can be difficult to believe when you’re trying to learn new dance technique, for example, eventually if you repeat something enough it becomes automatic for the brain and body to do. Thus the expression: “Practice makes permanent”! (Practice only makes “perfect” if what you are practicing is correct).

The Down-Side of Efficiency

Lately I’ve been dealing with both the upside and downside of efficiency. On the upside:

The work I do for my clients (at my marketing communications company) is starting to become routine again, after a chaotic period during which (for some reason) a number of new client initiatives all began at once. Finally I’m able to relax a little and be confident the work is going to get done even if I’m not on top of it every second of the day.
The West Coast Swing choreography that David and I recently finished creating is becoming a true “routine” – more and more comfortable and natural, thus freeing up our mental and physical resources to focus on adding satisfying details and more polish. When a routine gets to the that point it’s such a pleasure to be able to focus on the performance rather than having to be mentally engaged in getting the steps and transitions right.

On the downside, I’ve been having a helluva time getting my heart rate over 120 bpm when I work out … which means weight control is becoming more difficult, and working out more frustrating. I find that in order to get my heart rate up to 165 bpm or so, I have to do very high impact workouts. The problem with that is my muscles take a beating and take days to recover – and having sore muscles all the time isn’t an option when I need to be able to dance and perform regularly.

Consulting an Expert

Frustrated, I talked to my personal trainer about the problem. I asked her what I could do to make my no-impact cardio workouts effective again. She had a simple answer: “Increase your speed.” For some reason that’s the one variable I had overlooked. Over time, I had increased my cardio program to maximum resistance and then, once I wasn’t satisfied with the results any more, I increased the time I spent doing it.

My trainer told me to decrease resistance and duration but increase speed. Not only has this given me an interesting new goal to keep my attention when I do workouts on the elliptical trainer, but it’s working: I’m again able to get my heart rate up where I want it to be and I don’t have to punish my body to do it.

I still cross-train with outdoor running, boxing workouts and HIITs (high intensity interval training) but now I can reserve those types of exercise for periods when it’s O.K. for my muscles to scream for a couple of days after.

What are You TOO Good At?

Since I like to finish my articles with something to get my readers thinking or doing – how about this. Take stock of your daily activities – at work, play or home – and identify something that you’ve become very efficient at. Something you used to have to think about but now do without any thought at all. It could be an activity, a task or even a relationship.

Then:

Ask yourself if it’s something you SHOULD be doing in the first place – we form involuntary habits all the time and they may not be good ones.
Ask yourself if it’s something that you WANT to be thinking more actively about, or something that you SHOULD be working harder at to get better or different results.
Force your brain or body into a period of INefficiency – put your energy into making a change – a small change may be all it takes to disrupt a pattern!

Shocking Your System

By Maria: April 9th, 2012

- by Maria Ford

Lately I’ve been reading a lot about neuroscience and specifically its practical applications in personal and professional realms. It’s got me reflecting on many things, such as how people (adults) learn, how habits form, the nature of creativity, why some people think “outside of the box” but most people don’t, why some people embrace change but most do not, and so much more.

One key take-away from my reading so far is this: to achieve a new goal, overcome a challenge (physical, mental or interpersonal), or change something in your personal life, work or hobby – you have to change your perception. And changing perception is an incredibly difficult task for the brain, which is essentially “a lazy piece of meat” as one neuroscientist, Gergory Berns, so eleoquently puts it. If the human brain can make an assumption, take a known path, or find a short cut, it will.

One way try to make a perception change happen in your own life is to shock your system – to put your brain/body into a situation for which it has few or no previously learned navigation skills. The vast majority of humans are creatures of habit and routine. In fact, routines are important for the brain to conserve energy for really important tasks. To really challenge ourselves requires a great effort. You won’t, for example, achieve a breakthrough in your dancing by continuing to do the same things in the same way.

If you are struggling with a barrier in your life, work or passion, think about how you could shock your system to trigger a change in perception. Try something that is way outside of your comfort zone and pay attention to how your brain responds and what new neural pathways open up!

Here a few dance-related ideas for you to try to trigger a perception change:

You know that dancer you think is SO amazing that they intimidate you? Ask him or her to dance.
Try a competition even if (especially if) it scares you
If you regularly compete, attend an event and do NOT compete
Take a lesson from someone who intimidates you
Try a different dance style that you don’t understand or think you don’t like
[insert your ideas here]

Assignment

If you’re game, try this assignment on your own:

On a piece of paper (must be paper, not an electronic device), write down one aspect of your dancing that you want to change. Describe how you want to change it and be specific as possible.
Next, write down something you can do that would force you to go way outside of your comfort zone in terms of dancing. Note that this does not have to be related to #1.
Post your completed assignment on your bathroom mirror, fridge, cubicle wall or another place where you will see it almost daily. Leave it there for at least 3 months.

And that’s it.