I've debated back and forth with myself about whether or not to post this, but I feel that it is necessary. Why you might ask? Because in the competitive field of authoring a self-help/dance fitness/dance health book, sometimes readers and potential buyers would like to know what exactly makes my book different than those already out there, some of which are written by famous dancers. Today I am going to share some insight into how my book is different from Misty Copeland's Ballerina Body.
Please feel free to ask me any questions or share your thoughts.
A Dancer's Diary VS. Ballerina Body
Let's start off with Misty's book. First of all, I love Misty Copeland. She is such an inspiration and I love that she is using dance as her platform to change the dance world for the better. I picked up her book in Barnes & Noble when I was beginning the publishing process of my own; probably back in late 2017. I wanted to see what she had to share and how her book was laid out.
I was impressed. Granted, I didn't have any background information to go on except for the fact that she is a famous dancer and she was writing about health and fitness, however, I was impressed nonetheless.
It was great how she shared her personal story and struggles in dance. I loved her chapter on taking care of your mind and accepting your body for what it is. I'd almost say it rivaled mine for the better because she struggled a whole lot more than I ever did. Her background in that area made for the best chapter of the whole book.
She encourages dancers to follow their dreams in dance and gives them a little help and guidance as far as how to go about following those dreams. Her insight into balancing life and finding time to breathe is great.
One of my other favorite parts of the book is where she shared some of her Physical Therapy exercises to prevent/heal injuries and to increase strength. The stretches were helpful and the section on why posture is so important in dance were all great.
Now, let's get into the differences between her book and mine.
Without being biased, I'm giving everything to you straight. I wrote A Dancer's Diary specifically for helping dancers achieve their highest potential inside and outside of dance. For me it was important to really focus on preventing injury and illness, something I didn't see in Ballerina Body. Yes, injuries happen, but preventing them is the best defense.
I also have a grandmother who is a Naturopathic doctor who has worked with me pretty much all my life, teaching me a lot of medical ways to care for your body. I may not have a medical degree, but A Dancer's Diary was closely looked over by my grandmother to ensure that the information I presented was correct and scientifically sound. She even worked with me to compose several chapters and she wrote the forward.
The nutrition aspect of Misty's book was fine, but was strongly focused on a Pescatarian diet, which you should know by now is a lifestyle I don't agree with and definitely would not recommend to dancers. Nutrition must be balanced! I hate to break it to you but soy is not good for you. It contains hormones and toxins that can disrupt hormones and damage your body (you gotta read my book for this one).
Fish is excellent for you! I will agree with her on that. As well as the vegetables. However, in order to balance your diet properly, you must have some other type of protein and it should ideally come from chicken, turkey, beef, or lamb. I go into a lot of detail as to why these types of meat are so important for you in my book.
There isn't a lot of focus on fitness outside of dance. I didn't see any reason why cross-conditioning for dancers is so important. This is where my Personal Training background found its use. I focused a lot of effort in giving my readers prevention techniques for both injuries but also illness. This is something that I haven't found in any dance-health books. If you have found one, please let me know.
Anyway, to sum it all up, A Dancer's Diary offers so much more than Ballerina Body.
Injury prevention and care
Illness and allergy prevention
Healthy eating tips and how to shop wisely
Sleep and why it is so important
Hydration and how to make water interesting
Why sugary sodas, vitamin water, and snacks are detrimental
Why sugar-free, colors and dyes, and even fat-free/low-fat foods are NOT good for you
Taking care of your hair, feet, and skin with at-home "spa" recipes
Stretches and fascia release
Exercise prescriptions and ideas on how to build cross-training into your schedule
Weight-loss and the myths that surround it
The list goes on.
I hope that this comparison helps you see how my book differs from some of the most widely-read dance-health books on the market. A lot of the ones I've looked through, are very similar to Misty's book. When writing A Dancer's Diary, I wanted to provide a comprehensive resource that can be utilized not only by dancers, but also by dance teachers and the dancer's parents.
Please know that I enjoyed looking through Misty's book. She is such a beautiful inspiration. I would never want to bash her work or criticize her in any way. If you have found any of the information I have presented to be untrue, please share with me. The fact is, I took a completely different approach to writing a book in the same genre and I'm very proud of the final result.
You can purchase your copy of A Dancer's Diary by clicking the link in the upper left corner of the site. I also encourage you to join the member's area or sign up for regular email updates on the blog, the book, and events.
Don't forget that I'm hosting a LIVE Facebook event on my Facebook page Saturday (March 23rd) @ 4 PM EST.
Thank you for reading!
Amanda
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