What to Do on Your Rest Day as an Irish Dancer

How many times have you heard the MWM Coaches talk about the importance of a rest day as an Irish dancer? It is something that we must mention at least 10 times a week to dancers in our 1:1 sessions and also our Gold Club. But there’s a very good reason for this…

…before any major championship, but especially the World Championships, dancers and teachers work very hard. Dance classes are normally increased and the intensity of those classes increases as well. We remember ourselves as dancers trying to work as hard as we could during the week, and then attending as many feises as we could as well, to make sure we had enough practice on stage. 

But one thing that wasn’t spoken about enough, when we danced, was the importance of a rest day as an Irish dancer! This is why Meg found herself sick before her Oireachtas every year and Annabelle found herself sick the week of the World Championships in London (so much so that a lot of her choreography had to be changed the week of the Worlds but that’s a story for another day!). 

THIS is why we talk about it so much – because we want you to learn from our mistakes!! 

So, here’s 10 things you can do to keep yourself occupied during a rest day as an Irish dancer: 

1. Do your homework or revise - I am sure this sounds really boring to you, but it is a great time to catch up on your schoolwork so you are less stressed during your dancing days  
2. Sleep - this is especially important if your dance classes finish late or you travel long distances to dance class and get home from class late of an evening; use your rest day to go to bed early and sleep more. 
3. Low impact activities - such as going on a long walk with the dog or going for a bike ride with your parents. 
4. Stretch - we have a special weekly rest and recovery class in our Gold Club with our Coach Racheal that is perfect for relaxing your mind and your body on your rest day 
5. Spend time with your family and friends - maybe you could use this time to go to the cinema with your friends or play with your siblings and spend some quality time together 
6. Mindset work - you can work on your mindset by writing down your goals, visualising, journalling or even writing down a strengths list to boost your self-esteem and self-compassion. Our previous homework tasks from our weekly Gold Club Mindset Class with Annabelle will help you with ideas as to what you could do too. 
7. Have a bath - enjoying a nice hot bath is a great way to relax your muscles after all the dancing you have been doing 
8. Read a book - immerse yourself in another world, away from Irish dancing, and curl up with a good book to de-stress on your rest day 
9. Organise yourself - maybe there’s something you’ve been meaning to do for ages but just can’t find the time, well this is your chance. It may be washing your makeup brushes to going to buy your friend a birthday present; by getting this task ticked off the list you’ll also feel productive 
10. Simply rest - there’s nothing wrong with lying on the sofa and watching a film and enjoying simply resting on your rest day 

There’s so much you can do on your rest days to keep you busy and productive if you wish to be. Remember that your rest days are there to help you become a better dancer - don’t make the same mistakes that we did!