Singers?

I used to be, pre-children, but these days just keep my voice in singing in one of the cathedral choirs and doing occasional concerts. I think there are a few of us on here.

Hi! This is interesting that this topic would come up so quickly as I look into this online community. I am a singer in Northern Indiana, and have been singing professionally for over 25 years. I love it, and it's how I met my husband -- we've been married 18 years this coming Monday, May 14.

My goal weight is depicted in my office by a photo of myself singing on stage about 15 years ago. I have been almost the same size for most of my years. But now I'm in my mid-40s and the habits that made up my lifestyle aren't keeping up with the metabolism drop (evidently).

I feel that I have about 7 lbs to lose to be at my optimum -- and performing keeps me from going off course too often -- I want to fit into the clothes well, I want photos that others share on facebook to look decent, I want to sound great and look even better!

So, my lifestyle now consists of lower carb options and better fat sources -- less restaurant food!! I play tennis, own my own advertising company, and garden in my greenhouse, so life keeps me hopping, but belongs to me!

I'm glad to hear that you are looking into lifestyle changes, because it takes ongoing healthy habits to maintain voice, lung and mental as well as physical stamina to perform well. I sing rock music, and high energy all night long is a part of the job.

I got extremely serious about this just a month ago, and have noticed the benefits already. I've lost two pounds so far, and have seven to go. That may sound like nothing to some people on this forum, but the principles and dedication are the same thing. My body responds to my choices.

This lifestyle change is working, and should help me continue on in the same size rock and roll clothes. That's the goal for me...to stay in my current wardrobe. What is your specific goal?

Have you tried pilates? I found that very helpful for breath control. It helps strengthen and add flexibility to your diaphragm.

I am not a career singer but I sing opera semi professional and do the odd concert. This is very interesting. I was actually wondering whether all my intensive cardio/strength/weight workouts were helpful to my voice or not. So far it didn't feel like it made much of a difference other than the voice rings much better after a cardio workout! I didn't know about Pilates being helpful.

I am a professional singer and have been blessed with an amazing career, but my weight has been an issue throughout my career. I got sick of it and decided to slay this dragon once and for all. The picture on the left is from me at my WORST so that I I never go back there! That was 26 pounds ago. I have 50 more to go. Oy.

I haven't found there is any truth to the warnings against damage to the chords from lifting weights, but I have found that injuries to the core are a really big deal.

My understanding is that it isn't the weights themselves that cause problems, but the heavy-pressure grunting that often accompanies a lift that can be an issue, which makes sense. I try to remind myself to consciously exhale/blow out on the lift when doing weights, to avoid this. Good point about the core risk - something to be aware of. Could you expand more on one-legged squats?

And here is what I sound like these days. As you can hear, I am still learning to deal with having less total mass and much more strength, and this creates some tension. Not good especially for a lighter voice like mine. I'm hoping to get good at the process so I can start a summer program with a friend aimed at teaching singers how to develop a healthy lifestyle to meet the new image requirements of the business without sacrificing their art. I find that most personal trainers just aren't equipped to teach singers how to get fit without creating bad vocal habits.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9nn6s2lqemvhxyv/Castagnerichbaueganz.m4a