PRO Exclusive: Physical Health in Circus with Yasmine Mucher – Body Maintenance
In this new CircusTalk Original Video Series, Certified Athletic Therapist and former professional aerialist Yasmine Mucher will be educating us on all things physical health for circus artists. From general maintenance and wellbeing to specific care for various acute and chronic injuries, this series will teach you how to understand and manage your body, as well as provide practical steps you can take towards optimal wellness. The Physical Health Series will be a valuable resource for circus artists of any discipline, however, the information within the episodes should not substitute individualized diagnosis and treatment for injuries that require immediate medical attention.
From Toronto, Ontario, Yasmine Mucher is a Certified Athletic Therapist, Registered Kinesiologist, and CSEP Certified Personal Trainer. She started training in circus arts in 2008, specializing in all things trapeze. This sparked her love and curiosity for the capabilities of the human body, but pain and injury exposed to her the lack of research, and practitioners knowledgeable in the area of circus arts and the needs of the artistic athlete’s body. Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology from Dalhousie University in 2017, and an Advanced Certificate in Athletic Therapy from Mount Royal University in 2020, throughout her education and thereafter, Yas worked as a circus performer and coach for people of all ages, applying scientifically informed methods to her own and her clients’ training and reaping the results.
In this pilot episode of four, we are talking about all things maintenance, keeping the body in as good condition as possible while we are training hard and performing. While we’re going to talk a little but about how to do this during our actual training time, the meat and potatoes of this episode really is more about how we can optimize everything that surrounds our training and practice, focusing on methods to optimize sleep, nutrition, hydration and in part, emotional wellbeing.
During the video, there will be references to supplemental charts and graphics in the “show notes.” That’s this space right here! Be sure to keep referencing back to this page to get the nitty gritty numbers and details on the topics discussed.
Sleep:
There are many strategies to help with this but, like everything in this article, we are talking ideals, we are talking if this was a perfect world. Do not feel like you need to be perfect to benefit! These are strategies, even just one can be helpful, and they are not set in stone.
Nutrition:
Our bodies have evolved to need all three of the macronutrients, carbohydrate, proteins, and fats, so when we are talking about fueling for performance, we do not want to cut out any single one. Check out the charts below to see suggested intake for carbs and protein for two varied bodies and exercise intensities.
Hydration:
Adequate hydration can be an easy stressor to forget about.Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headache, fogginess, and overall decreased performance. See the chart below for detailed intake – note tohave something to sip on throughout a practice or performance if possible if you’re a sweaty athlete!
Training Considerations:
Warm ups are so important to get the body ready for the specific movements you’ll need for your training or performance. They’re included here because they can help reduce risk of injury, get the body ready for stress, and be a great place to add in some rehab and maintenance exercises.
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