A Few Simple Steps To An Elegant Posture

Your posture is the key to looking and feeling healthy, attractive and young. Whatever your age or physical structure, our modern lifestyle of sitting in cars, behind desks, and on sofas, takes it's toll on our backs, shoulders, bellies and chests, not to mention the legs. Our muscles adopt the laziest way to hold our bodies over time, and without proper exercise, causes us to look tired, out of condition, and certainly not at our best.


Here a few of my tips to bring your posture to a better shape. Try each of the exercises daily, about 15-20 repetitions and you will notice a significant difference in a couple of weeks.

1. Swan port-de-bras

This exercise you can do either sitting or standing. If you are sitting, you will also get a benefit from working your abdominal muscles.



Open your arms to the sides extending them in full length. Lift the arms up dropping your fingers down. Then reach up with with the fingers and push both arms down bending through the your wrists and elbows.

Make sure that your back is held straight and shoulders pushed down, shoulder plates should be tight so your shoulders don't move as you lift your arms up. Apply some resistance as you move your arms to gain better results.

2. Back Twist

Open your arms to the sides extending them in full length. Twist your body and arms to one side without slouching in your back. Come back straight and repeat a twist to your other side. Always reach to your maximum extension and don't lift the shoulders. Concentrate in moving from your waist not from the arms or shoulders.

3. Twist with the legs

If you are doing the above exercise sitting, try also adding the knee. Bend your opposite leg as you twist, slowly drawing the knee close towards the chest, keeping lower back straight.

4. Back Twist with port-de-bras

In the next exercise is important to keep the resistance in your pelvis, especially if you are trying the exercise standing up. Hips should stay still as you will move your upper body and shoulders around. Bring both arms in the rounded position up in front of your head, shoulders should be pushed down and back kept straight. ( 3rd arm position in ballet, in some schools also call it 5th). Twist your shoulders keeping the hips straight and open both arms to the horizontal position, palms are facing down. Bring arms back up to initial position, straighten up and repeat the twist with opening the arms to the other side.

5. Boat

The next exercise is also great if you want to strengthen your back. Laying on the front, keep you legs apart and arms in from of you. Lift your arms and legs at the same time, keeping the legs straight and arms rounded in front of you. Hold the legs up and open the arms to the sides, keep lifting the chest of the ground and bring the arms back in front of you. Lower it down.

Keep practicing and you will notice the results coming quickly. If you would like some guidance, try our online classes:



http://www.balletbodysculpture.com/online-classes.html

10 Hot Chocolate Recipes For You This Winter

Winter we like to call as our hot chocolate season. So here are 10 exciting hot chocolate recipes for you to enjoy and warm up this season. You'll find quite the range of different and exciting new cocoa flavours: everything from lavender to matcha green tea hot chocolate:)

1. Vegan Almond Joy Hot Chocolate

It’s like your favorite candy was melted into drinkable goodness. Bonus: It's vegan (perfect for your dairy-free friends). 

Get the recipe here.

2. Super Decadent Barcelona-Style Hot Chocolate

Rich in flavor but simple to make—the recipe only has four ingredients (plus water). 

Get the recipe here.

3. Coconut Kahlua Hot Chocolate 

One perk of adulting: upgrading your cocoa with Kailua. 

Get the recipe here.

4. Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

Throw a few ingredients into a slow cooker for an easy DIY of the Starbucks favourite. 

Get the recipe here.

5. Strawberry Sweethearts Cocoa

Beautify your hot chocolate with this rose-hued strawberry treat. 

Get the recipe here.

6. Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate

Pumpkin spice goes really well with hot coffee and hot chocolate. 

Get the recipe here.

7. Lavender White Hot Chocolate

This version keeps it light and sweet. 

Get the recipe here.

8. Dairy-Free Mocha Hot Chocolate 

This drink takes the standard mocha to the next level. 

Get the recipe here.

9. Matcha White Hot Chocolate

With just three ingredients you can whip together a super impressive green hot chocolate. 

Get the recipe here.

10. Peppermint White Hot Chocolate

The holidays can last all winter, as long as you’re sipping this sweet and minty treat. 

Get the recipe here.

Remember, hot chocolate is a great as well as fast energy source. So you can quickly recharge and have fun exercising!

See you in class!

www.balletbodysculpture.com

5 REASONS YOU AREN’T LOSING WEIGHT

You know what’s frustrating? When you work out, eat clean, are honest to yourself, and yet STILL you cannot lose weight! It’s weird! You’re thinking that life’s so unfair and what’s the point of all this suffering?!

Don’t give up! There are certain things you may be doing that are contributing to your plateau. I’m going to share with you 5 common, but unexpected reasons you may not be losing weight.

1. You’re not eating enough

You read that right. You may not be eating enough and therefore you’re not losing weight. Let me explain. The mentality of eating less to lose weight makes sense, but it’s actually one of the WORST things you can do! Depriving yourself increases the chances of binging later on in the day and you’ll end up eating MORE than you normally would! Not to mention, it totally messes up your metabolism. You’ll have no energy! Your body will go into starvation mode and it will hold on to the weight that you’re currently at because it thinks that it is dying. Over time you’ll find it harder and harder to lose weight or make progress in exercising. Restricting also tends to cause a continuous cycle of under and over eating, which just isn’t healthy. Instead, eat nourishing meals and snacks spaced out during the day. Give your body what it needs to continue to make progress. And also remember, being healthy is a LIFESTYLE. Your current diet needs to be something you can maintain your whole life. Please try not go under 1200 calories a day. But always consult with your doctor or dietitian.

2. You overeat on healthy food

Okay, so your problem may not be under eating, but it could be OVER eating healthy foods. Just because it’s deemed healthy doesn’t mean you can eat a crazy amount of it! Calories are still calories and if you eat too much of anything you won’t lose weight. So, you need to practice portion control! Be aware of how much food you’re putting into your body! Some foods may have more calories than you think! For example, nuts, nut butters and avocado are all super healthy, but they still have a high amount of calories per serving! I’m not saying don’t eat those foods – but instead pay attention to serving sizes and your waistline will thank you for it.

3. You’re not eating mindfully

Do you multitask when you eat? Do you eat on the go? Do you eat while you’re watching TV? It’s totally normal to eat and do a million other things at once because let’s face it, we’re busy! (Trust me, I can relate) But this tends to make us eat super fast and we may overindulge without realizing it. Being a mindful eater not only helps us listen to our hunger level, but it also lets us truly enjoy and savor each bite. (And who doesn’t want to enjoy their food, right?!) Try to sit down without distractions and only focus on eating. You may be surprised at how quickly you fill up! You owe it to yourself, your body and your health to be mindful about what and how much you eat.

4. You do too much cardio

Think you’re going to reach your goals by doing crazy amounts of cardio everyday? If so, you’re missing out on one of the most important ways to exercise – and that’s strength training! It not only sculpts lean muscles, but also boosts your metabolism so you keep burning calories longer throughout the day and night! Also, if you ONLY do cardio, your body will adjust and eventually you’ll plateau and stop seeing results. So, replace 3 of your cardio sessions with our Ballet Body Sculpture Classes and you’ll soon see the results you want! In our classes we are using your own body weight to build the strength, sculpt long lean muscles and also to create an elegant posture!

5. You aren’t surrounding yourself with supportive people

Losing weight can be challenging if you’re constantly surrounded by people who don’t support your goals. You’re more likely to cave into eating junk food and skipping workouts if everyone else around you is too. Try to tell your friends and family that it’s important for you to lose weight and reach your goals. They should respect you and who knows, maybe they’ll even learn from your healthy habits! Reaching a goal takes a positive and motivated mindset. Energy is contagious and if negative people surround you, then it can rub off on you! But DO NOT LET IT! Be stronger than that. Don’t be afraid to stay away from negativity. It’s YOUR life and YOUR journey. Do what’s best for you and surround yourself with positive influences ONLY.

There you have it – some surprisingly common reasons why you’re not losing weight! You may relate to all or some of these, but hopefully this will give you some perspective into your own fitness and eating habits! Making changes is difficult, but it starts with acknowledging where you can improve! Which one of these reasons can you relate to the most?

See you in our classes!


www.balletbodysculpture.com