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

How Does Ballet Help Develop your Fitness Level?

If you're excited by the prospect of longer, leaner muscles and a more graceful appearance, Ballet Body Sculpture class might have more appeal than the local gym. It takes time to learn ballet's unique vocabulary, master even basic steps and movement combinations, but as you exercise in class, keep your eye on the prize. Over time, ballet would help to develop an elegant posture, flexibility as well as considerably improve your fitness profile, working a deep tissue muscles and bringing a longer term results than regular sport activities.

Understanding Fitness

Ballet training involves, to a greater or lesser degree, all the components of physical fitness - healthy body composition, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and of motor fitness: power, speed, agility, balance and coordination. Improving your motor fitness with ballet training will enhance your performance on the soccer field, running track, hockey rink and racquetball court.

The Strength Story

Ballet exercises boost strength throughout your body, from the small intrinsic muscles of your feet to the larger muscles of your back, glutes and calves. Classical ballet technique involves rising onto the balls of the feet or toes, turning out the leg at the hip socket and sustaining high leg extensions to the front, side and back. Constant repetition of these exercises builds considerable strength in all areas of your body: abdominal muscles, lower & upper back, arms, hips, upper tights, calfs & feet. Pilates & stretching techniques that we use in Ballet Body Sculpture classes will help to balance the body tone, improving flexibility and developing an effective protection from any injuries.  NLP - neurolinguistic programming will engage your mind, helping to secure long term results.

Getting More Bang

Taking one 60-minute class a week might be great for de-stressing after work, but once-a-week dabbling with degages probably won't bring the hardcore fitness results you want. Improvements in alignment, strength, flexibility and speed take time and consistency. For measurable fitness gains, you'll need to take two or three classes a week over a period of a few months to notice considerable gains. When you're in class, maximize your time there by staying focused and paying close attention to the corrections. Try combining some of our online exercises, practise at home to help boosting your fitness level and speed up your progress. Or, if you are interested in your best progress and want to focus on your personal desires as well as gaining the results considerably faster, enquire to try our the bespoke training developed specially for you - Ballet Body Sculpture private training classes.

To find out about our classes, go to our website!

www.balletbodysculpture.com

Does Exercise Slow the Aging Process?

Almost any amount and type of physical activity may slow aging deep within our cells, a new study finds. And middle age may be a critical time to get the process rolling, at least by one common measure of cell aging.


Dating a cell’s age is tricky, because its biological and chronological ages rarely match. A cell could be relatively young in terms of how long it has existed but function slowly or erratically, as if elderly.

Today, many scientists have begun determining a cell’s biological age — meaning how well it functions and not how old it literally is — by measuring the length of its telomeres.


See full article here...


It seems that ballet exercises, many complex and very detailed steps will help you not just keep your youthful appearance, but also have a demonstrable effect on your health & wellbeing.


To find more about Ballet Body Sculpture classes & personal training, as well as try out:


www.balletbodysculpture.com

Wishing you a great week ahead and look forward to seeing you for more great results in our studios!www.balletbodysculpture.com
Posted by Ballet Body Sculpture on Monday, November 9, 2015

3 Ballet Exercises To Help You Shape Up This Autumn

Autumn is here, and ballet can help you stay in shape. If you’re desperate to flaunt your new outfits but you want to trim up, these three exercises will help you reach your goals.

1. Pliés

Got saddlebags? Pliés are a foolproof way to stronger, leaner, butt and legs. Like fancy lunges, they work your gluteals and quadriceps, helping to tighten your thighs and those stubborn areas around your backside. Not a Tchaikovsky fan? Blast some Beyoncé while you tone your tush. Practice 8 sets of 8 in first position, and take it slow. The slower you go, the more you engage and strengthen your muscles. Want more of a challenge? Practice 8 sets of 8, in all positions, first through fifth. The summer sun won’t be the only thing burning!

2. Relevés

If you would like more defined calves, practice heel raises, or relevés. Standing with feet parallel, or in first position, lift your heels off the floor, rise to the balls of your feet, and hold for one count. Lower your heels down to the floor. Again, repeat 8 sets of 8. If your legs start to cramp, shake them out and take a minute to stretch your calves and achilles tendons. Want more of a challenge? Place one foot behind the other in coupé, and rise up on one foot! When practicing relevés, maintain good posture by staying on top of your hips, and keeping your knees straight. This will encourage proper alignment and decrease risk of injury.

3. Port-de-bras

So, you say the only muffin top you want has blueberries? Practice some crunches, ballerina-style: Sit on the floor in straddle. This means your legs are open in the letter V. Lean your body to each side, reaching for your foot. Want more of a challenge? With your hands behind your ears and your elbows outstretched, lower your upper body until your right elbow touches your right knee. Don’t allow your spine to twist and your midsection to fold inward. Activating your core, lift your body upright and repeat to the left. This exercise targets your oblique abdominals, slimming your waistline and helping you firm up. Practice 8 sets of 8.

If used correctly and consistently, ballet technique, in combination with a healthy diet, can help you create a leaner, stronger body.


But most importantly, if you want to see good results, exercise needs to be persistent! 2-3 times a week for about 60-90min or 15-30min daily. 

See you in our studios! Or online! :)

www.balletbodysculpture.com

You gain confidence and grow stronger by every experience in which you really push yourself to do something you didn't think you could do. - See you by the barre!www.balletbodysculpture.com
Posted by Ballet Body Sculpture on Friday, September 4, 2015

How To Shape Your Body With Ballet

We've been chatting to Cylex, see our latest interview here:
http://www.cylex-uk.co.uk/company-interviews/ballet-body-sculpture_23658025.html

How can I lose weight quickly - few days before an event!

As it's a party season, we all want to look and feel at our best, the big question is how to get slimmer quickly to look better in that lovely dress? Is it really possible to slim down in a day or two?.

No worries, here are some great tips. First of all - do a workout that makes you sweat a lot the day before, alternate cardio with total-body strength moves. No time to get to the gym or exercise studio? No worries, join online classes and gain the benefit from your personal trainer at home! And don't skimp on H2O, start drinking eight cups of water per day two days before and up until your event, cutting back to six the day of, it dilutes sodium in your blood, preventing water retention.

So let's get going and to get you ready for the great party time!

www.balletbodysculputure.com

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

Post by Ballet Body Sculpture.

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The Best Anti-Aging - Dance - To Keep Yourself Young & Healthy

Jogging and going to the gym often lose their appeal as we age. Few would argue that dancing is much more enjoyable. What’s more, it can benefit the heart, lungs, muscles as well as improving the joints and general well-being even more than cycling or that jogging session in the rain.

“As we age, the benefits of physical activity cannot be underestimated and dancing is a great way to keep healthy, have a great time and enjoy exercise” says Sam Turner of Policy Research Institute on Ageing and Ethnicity Charity.

Dancing and ballet is of course a great group activity, a fun way to meet those new life-friends that you haven’t met yet and a good way to boost self-esteem confidence and memory. “The social, emotional and psychological benefits of dancing are important, especially for those people who are at the risk of becoming lonely or isolated” says Sam Turner.

Let’s all dance ourselves Young and Healthy…

Heart, Health & Weight Control

Dancing can help lower your resting heart rate, your blood pressure and can even lower your cholesterol as well.

Depending on how quick or how energetically you move, dancing can give your heart and lungs a good cardiovascular workout with the added bonus of weight loss thrown in. In actual fact, dancing burns as many calories as swimming or cycling and with ballroom dancing 180 to 480 calories can be lost within an hour’s class - even if you jogged for an hour and burned off 430 calories it would never be half as much fun as if you danced them off.

Bone and Joint Health

As a weight-bearing exercise, dancing helps build, strengthen and maintain healthy bones.

The side-to-side movements of many dance steps strengthen the weight bearing areas of the body including those of the bones in the legs which helps to prevent the onset of osteoporosis in which the limbs become fragile, brittle and can easily break.

A research study by the University Of Maryland School Of Nursing found that dancing helps increase flexibility, co-ordination and the balance of any person, which researchers believe can lead to fewer falls in the mature adult.

Dancing may also help keep joints healthy, supple and mobile and because dancing is a low-impact exercise it doesn’t put strain or too much pressure on those difficult areas. In fact dancing is recommended for those who have had replacement bone and joint operations as a form of therapy, holistic treatment and after-care.

Mental & Emotional Health

When you learn a new dance, remembering the steps could help you keep your memory sharp, alert and active. Research studies have shown that through the use of dancing the likes of dementia prevention are highly expected.

A Study by the Eisenstein College of Medicine in New York followed 500 people aged 60+ who took part in a variety of activities including swimming, cycling, walking and dancing. Out of all the results gained from the study of these activities, researchers discovered that dancing was the only activity associated with a lower risk of mental deterioration. Meanwhile at the other side of the world, Greek scientists have found that dancing is makes a person more positive and with a great outlook on life; and a group of older women who took part in a Thessaloniki based study said that weekly dance classes helped increase their feelings of well-being, self-worth and newly found optimism.

Dancing has been proven to help you relax and take you mind off those troubling worries because of the amount of energy that your body uses during it’s dance sessions you will notice a more physically relaxed person after your class and will be able to sleep easily at night.

So let's get dancing, a bit of ballet & some exercise will keep you young and beautiful for longer. To join our group classes,  private training as well as online ballet video classes, please register via email at our website:

www.balletbodysculpture.com

Post by Ballet Body Sculpture.

Exercising Ballet - A Treatment For Your Body

Most women through out their life spend many hours trying improve their look in some way. Looking after the skin, fashion, cosmetics or beauty salons, it all makes us feel more confident. Unfortunately exercising and looking after the physical part of the body is often pushed back, as it takes a lot more effort and willpower to get started. But the great thing is that physical exercise becomes very easily addictive to your mind & body, giving that wonderful feeling after a good workout. 



Why do you need exercise?
For younger people, exercise is often a bit of a stress buster, as you get older, it’s much more about staying mobile and supple so that you can continue doing all the things you enjoy. Keeping fit and enjoying your daily routines, travelling, gardening and dancing.


Is ballet workout class hard work?
It’s challenging but also great fun. It’s a 60-minute class that focuses on posture, mobility, balance and strength. It starts off with a warm-up, gradually increasing the pace. Some of the moves involve learning and remembering a sequence of dance steps, which also exercises the mind! Passive as well as active stretches maintain flexibility and strength. NLP exercises will secure what's learned, allowing fast and positive progress.


Is it intimidating?
Not at all. It’s very sociable. Exercising in a group is great for motivation, everyone is there for the same reason. It’s always welcoming and non-judgemental, don't be afraid to get it wrong! The social contact is just as important as the exercise.


How often do you need to exercise?
Well, it depends on what you would like to achieve. Just as much as your facial skin, your body needs attention daily. To achieve good results ballet workout class is advisable to exercise at least 3 times a week. 


And lastly...
It’s not about being a skinny or having a model figure. It’s about feeling great. Exercise should make you happy,  bring positive moods, is more about how it makes you feel than how it makes you look. It can make a real difference to things like preventing falls by working on your balance and cheating osteoporosis through better bone density. Regular exercise is known to be beneficial for those with high blood pressure or late onset diabetes. Ballet exercise will help you get to know your body. You learn to recognise alarm bells, such as stress and fatigue. It gives you the tools to help you feel better through relaxation and good breathing techniques, enabling better sleep, avoiding injury and feeling in control of your health. 

For more information about the ways to exercise, our personal training, group as well as online classes:

www.balletbodysculpture.com

Post by Ballet Body Sculpture.

Fabyouless Interview With Ballet Body Sculpture!

Please see our interview to Fabyouless here

Embrace Your Inner Ballerina – Ballet Workout For All Women

With devotees like Madonna, Kelly Ripa, and Natalie Portman, it's not surprising ballet workout classes becoming increasingly popular. But it's not just Hollywood hype! Ballet-inspired workouts are a great way to develop lean muscle mass while improving your balance, flexibility, and range of motion.

Should I try it?

That depends. Are you looking for a fun and unique total-body workout? If so, then yes! Ballet workouts are suited to all fitness levels and – in spite of what you might think – no previous dance experience is required. Tutors provide exercises for everyone to help and get the most out of their workout.

What should I expect?

A lot of people think you need to be coordinated or that you need to be a dancer, but you really don't. Go in with an open mind, listen to the instructor, listen to your body and enjoy yourself.

What's in it for me?

Yes, if you are keen on having a read carpet ready body like Natalie Portman and Zooey Deschanel, who are both fans of the ballet based fitness method. You would be burning anywhere from 400 to 600 calories in an hour-long class (depending on your weight and height),  so you're bound to see changes sooner rather than later. Long lean muscles, sculpted abs, toned thighs and calves, and improved posture and flexibility are often reported. And don't forget all of the other benefits that come with regular exercise: a decrease in stress levels, better sleep and improved cardiovascular health to help ward off heart disease and diabetes.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable, breathable workout clothing that's easy to move around in, but not so loose that it's impossible for the tutor to see your form in class. As for your feet, leave the cutting-edge cross-trainers at home. Soft ballet shoes are the best option, they can be purchased in all ballet shops. Alternatively, to begin, simple socks will do the job.


How often should I go?

Regular ballet workout class, three or four times a week will deliver dramatic results in the form of a slimmer, more toned physique.


Where can I try it?

We have a range of group& private classes available, as well as lessons for absolute beginners in various locations. Attendance is flexible, you are not stuck with specific course, certain start dates, or even week day. However regular exercise is always advisable to gain maximum benefits. Start with attending a Taster class and start gaining progressive results directly.

For those that live further away and are not able to attend our classes in available locations, we created a great resource library with online ballet workout classes, that will be available to enjoy in the very near future.

www.balletbodysculpture.com

Post by Ballet Body Sculpture.

Speed Up Your Metabolism

The poor metabolism gets blamed for everything these days. Weight gain, lack of energy, even our day-to-day health. But what actually is it and is there any truth to the rumours we constantly hear?

The Metabolism is the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available. Basically, its the entire chemical processes going on continuously inside your body to allow life and normal functioning.

All metabolism processes are controlled by hormones and the nervous system and influenced by your age, gender, muscle-to-fat ratio, eating, physical activity and overall lifestyle.

The total amount of calories we spend every day to run all these processes is called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), and it’s spent as follows:

    •    60-70% just to maintain vital functions such as breathing, regulating the temperature and the heart beating - this is the BMR (basal metabolic rate).   

    •    15-30% to do our daily activities (working, training, commuting, etc.)

    •    10-15% to break down the food and assimilate it.

Basal metabolic rate, daily activities and food eaten are the key factors that affect our total daily energy expenditure (daily metabolism).

The primary reason the metabolism slows down as you grow older is because your hormone levels drop down and you lose muscles.

If you keep up with your training, get good sleep and eat adequate levels of lean protein, vegetables and fruit, you should prevent hormones from falling down and muscle mass being lost.

Don't use your age as an excuse - it's not uncommon to see 50-year-old people being fitter than someone half their age and you can bet their metabolism is faster as well.

You have full control over your metabolism. There is no proof or scientific indication to state that we inherit our metabolisms or the speed at which they work.

Quite simply, you can't blame weight gain or energy loss on the speed of you metabolism. You control it and can make the difference with a few simple steps.

Join our Ballet Body Sculpture programs to choose a unique way to keep your metabolism going, speed it up with some more intense #ballet based workouts, balance your body with more therapeutic routines, using NLP #exercises, and experience fast results giving you confidence and a great sense of #wellbeing.

www.balletbodysculpture.com

Post by Ballet Body Sculpture.