An actor’s schedule is dictated by many, many things; auditions, rehearsals, performances, survival jobs, and other life commitments can make you feel like every moment of the day is occupied. When you do have a spare hour to work on your craft, you are hopefully eager to practice your singing, learn new monologues, take a tap class, etc. This is a great impulse, since peak performance levels require countless hours of excellent repetition to achieve mastery.
However, we need to be in a healthy state to be able to create these excellent repetitions, and it’s important to check in with yourself before your practice session to see where your body is. Beyond a general sense of “How am I doing today?” here are a couple of ways to determine if this is a day where you should train or not. If your stress levels are high, the best thing for you today might be to rest and recover.
Test 1 – Heart Rate Test:
1. Lay down and rest for at least 15 minutes.2. Record your pulse rate (beats/min). To do this, you can use an oximeter, any of the variety of Fitbit-type products, or just count your pulse using a watch and your finger.3. Stand up.4. Fifteen seconds later, record your pulse rate again.
If the
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