Most people celebrate New Year's once a year, but at DanceBody we have it four times a year. At the start of every quarter, January, April, July, and October, we launch a brand new set of dances -- aka The DanceBody New Year! With this new movement, every three months gives you a chance to refocus, reenergize, relearn your body, and set different goals.
Just like with a New Year, a new quarter for us is a new start. The great thing about goal setting for a new quarter is that three months is an achievable amount of time -- not too short where you won't have time to see real change, but also not so long that your goal gets buried.
I always set an intention for the new quarter. Whether you want to switch up your eating habits, sleep routine, or your skincare, in three months you’ll start seeing real change. Here's a little behind-the-scenes look at how I prep for each New Quarter and what you can do to make the most out of your next three months.
First Stop: Inspiration Station
Inspiration is always my starting point, especially when we are preparing to start creating new dances for a new quarter. I derive inspiration in so many ways, it could be watching a documentary, listening to music, learning a new skill, or simply walking around the streets of New York - endlessly vibrant!
In addition to inspiration, it’s critical for me to listen to our current culture and what's top of mind. What are people interested in, listening to, searching for? For example, this past March, ahead of launching new dances for April, the training team and I asked ourselves, "what is the feeling?" A lot of this is intuitive, part art, part science. With the vaccine coming out, more stores and venues opening up, it feels like a prohibition era spring awakening after a very long winter. So all of the music we choreographed to had to be positive and uplifting for this quarter. We knew we wanted to create a bright, and sunny mindset to encourage people with our current Q2 2021 dances.
Out With the Old (Habits), In With the New
The new quarter is the perfect time to ditch any old habits that aren't serving you and start anew. Especially with the spring quarter, it's all about getting rid of stagnant winter energy and kicking off spring with a fresh, renewed perspective.
This doesn't just apply just to the body, it also applies to the brain and developing new behaviors. If it takes approximately three weeks to two months in order to develop a new habit, the new quarter is a natural time to start an improved sleep routine, clean up your eating habits, or update your gratitude practice. Ahead of the 90 day restart, adopting a refreshed routine habitually can get you feeling more positive and inspired. Remember new habits take real time to stick, so a new quarter could be a great time to test that theory.
Feel Your Sole
The first thing I invest in every quarter is new sneakers -- for me, the spring means a few new fresh white pairs of Hokas or Asics. There’s nothing better than a fresh set of kicks to get you feeling ready to tackle your workout. Shoes are one of the most important investments you can make, especially if you're working out five to six days a week! Just think about it, all your weight is landing on your feet - they deserve proper support, not just whatever is hanging out in your closet.
If you're attending DanceBody cardio classes most days of the week, you should be replacing your shoes every three months - minimum! This means new shoes at the start of a new quarter. If you're doing more DanceBody Sculpt, you won’t have to replace your shoes as often, every five to six months.
I'm also a big fan of cycling your shoes. For me, I'm getting two to three pairs and will switch between them during the week in order to make them last longer. Just remember, this is from a trainer’s perspective! If you’re a “normal human” but who is also working out more days of the week than not, I would consider switching your shoes every one to two days, just because you're grinding them down and you want to keep your feet feeling fresh and prevent pain.
Some of our DB Trainer's fave shoes are:
- Asics Gel Kayano
- Asics Gel Nimbus
- Hoka One Bondi
- Hoka Clifton
The Goal-Getter
At the start of every new quarter, I indulge in a weird, witchy ritual where I take out all of my crystals and write down my goals for the next 90 days. Even though 90 days is a significant amount of time, I break down the goals into small steps. Making ambitious, yet achievable goals in bite-sized pieces works for me! But action and attention is key. In order to keep myself accountable, I keep that sheet of paper out so that I check in daily to see if my actions are aligning with my intention.
One of my goals for the Spring quarter is to volunteer once a month, and plan it out ahead of time so that I don’t forget and run out of time. It's a personal goal, but it all makes all the difference for me professionally.
Going Up?!
A new quarter is the perfect time to challenge yourself to a duel… with yourself! This is the time to take Full Out or finally try a DanceBody double. Whatever the “next level” means for you, make a plan, and go there!
If you would like to try the more advanced DanceBody dance class, Full Out, I would encourage you to try it from the beginning. It's more difficult if you learn Signature first and try to learn Full Out later -- go ahead and commit to Full Out now, and you can always add Signature classes later once you're comfortable with the Full Out dances. If you start with Signature, Full Out moves are going to feel like they're on super speed and you're already going to be married to the Signature way of doing things.
Typically what you'll see in a Signature class is things are going to be repeated far more often and in a far more predictable way. Signature is more predictable and it's more balanced, it's the Libra of our dances. Where Full out is more Aries, like fire and brimstone.
What are your goals for the new quarter??
Comment below and let's hold each other accountable!
Xx,
KP
