Taking Care of Your Instrument

Have you considered the fact that, as an actor, staying healthy is one of your most important tasks?

As I sit here fighting off a sore throat, I realize that I need to say something about taking care of your BODY -- which is your "instrument." You don't leave a guitar lying out in the rain; you would never put away a violin or flute without wiping it down. Treat your body well, and it will reward you with a good performance.

Staying Healthy

Easy things to do:

• Drink lots of water! I want to see all of you with a water bottle at school ... and use it. Try to drink 16-32 oz during the school day. Water (and staying hydrated) helps your voice, your throat, and your overall health.
• Eat right. Avoid "huge meal every 6 hours" and try "small snacks a lot more often." You'll feel better overal. Are you bringing a snack to eat after school on rehearsal days?
• Get some exercise. Run around the building before rehearsal or play basketball in the gym. You'll be amazed at how it clears your head so you can focus on the next thing you have to do.
• Goof off. Yes, I mean it. Sometimes, the best thing to do -- even when you're slam-busy-- is to goof off. Your brain can't keep running the marathon when it's tired. Figure out what helps you recharge -- playing sports, playing XBox, playing an instrument, or just ... playing. But make sure you get that goof-off time.
  

Harder things to do:

• Get enough rest. Teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. (!) You probably never get it, which explains why you come dragging into school every morning. :) Do everything you can to get the rest you need -- including tearing yourself away from the computer or TV set or even your homework. Sometimes sleep is more important than a late penalty. And if you ask nicely, teachers are often pretty gracious.
  
• Try to reduce your stress level. Yeah, I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is that stress is bad for your health. At least stop worrying about everything you've got to do between now and whenever. Worrying about it won't get it done any sooner... but worry will make it hard to sleep at night ...
  

If you push yourself to hard to "get it all done," you'll get sick.
And if you get sick, you'll get NOTHING done. That's no solution to the stress problem. =)


Seriously, folks....
There are no understudies for your roles. If you let yourself get run down this month (historically the worst month of the year anyway), you're gonna get sick ... and that leaves the other 25 of us in an awful spot.

take care of your body. You're the only one who can do it.


And with that....
I head out to do some work for a while, then to bed-- no matter what's not "done" yet, I'm getting my sleep tonight!


PS> Good work in rehearsals this week! We've still got a lot of work to do, but the play is starting to take shape. Woohoo