Ballet Beautiful - by Mary Helen Bowers (Paperback)

About the Book

A ballet-based fitness and well-being program--from the personal trainer to Natalie Portman for her Academy Award-winning performance in "Black Swan."

Book Synopsis

Ballet-inspired fitness for every woman! You don't have to be a professional ballerina to look like one! With Mary Helen Bowers' Ballet Beautiful, forget beating yourself up in the gym and suffering through starvation diets for some unattainable goal. You can achieve your ideal body and develop the strength, grace, and elegance of a dancer by following Mary Helen's proven program-one that's got everyone from celebrities to busy moms to executives raving!Ballet Beautiful is a fitness method that blends the artistry and athleticism of ballet with an easy, accessible eating plan that works for every body - and absolutely no dance experience is required. Created by professional ballerina Mary Helen Bowers, this transformative approach to fitness and health will reshape your body and your mind!Ballet Beautiful's three-fold approach is not an extreme workout nor is it a radical diet for an overnight fix; it's a roadmap to achieving and maintaining your ideal health, shape and size-all with the elegance and strength of a ballerina. Part One of the book introduces the program's empowering mindset, the key to supporting and guiding you through lasting change. Part Two, the Ballet Beautiful Method, consists of challenging, effective, and fun workouts that sculpt and tone sleek ballet muscles and build beautiful posture. Whether you have a full hour or only 15 minutes, you can tailor the program to your own schedule and needs. Part Three shares the Ballet Beautiful Lifestyle, a healthy, balanced approach to nutrition. With meal plans, shopping tips and quick but delicious daily recipes that will satisfy and nourish your entire body, it's a stress-free, diet-free plan that will help keep you feeling as strong and healthy as you look.

Review Quotes

Daily Mail (UK), 6/13/12
"The ballerina responsible for whipping Natalie Portman into shape for her role in Black Swan is giving us the chance to attain 'prima' perfection with the release of her a book."

BlissTree.com, 7/25/12"Provides step-by-step exercises, as well as a detailed rationale as to why and how her program can get you that coveted ballerina-esque grace and poise, as well as a strong, lithe, dancer's body."
Bookviews.com, August 2012"Filled with photos and a world of good advice regarding a sustainable health regimen rather than fad diets or overworking one's body."
InfoDad.com, 8/2/12"Not just an exercise book but a book about grace, style and elegance, which ballet dancers have in abundance...The fitness routines...are an unconventional approach to toning and shaping, and will certainly be effective for readers who can stick to them."

ForeWord This Week, 8/21/12"With dozens of ballet positions and exercises in [Bowers'] 60-minute workout, along with healthy recipes and meal plans to turn fat into lean muscle, this fabulous guide provides the methods for any woman to achieve the long, toned, powerful body shape of a dancer."

San Francisco Book Review / Sacramento Book Review, 9/4/12

Natalie Portman
"Mary Helen's technique . . . allows anyone to achieve the long, toned physique of a dancer."Zooey Deschanel"Mary Helen knows how to make ordinary women look like ballerinas. She's the real deal."Liv Tyler"Mary Helen is wonderful! We train together using her Ballet Beautiful program doing leg work, butt lifts, and stretches. I love working out with her."Publishers Weekly, 11/28/11
"Shows off a celebrity fitness trend that could just be the next Pilates."YouBeauty.com, 6/12/12"We recommend her book not only for the easy-to-follow, illustrated exercise plan, but also for Bowers' extensive explanation about how to get into the right mindset for changing your body."People StyleWatch.com, 6/13/12"Bowers counts Zooey Deschanel, Kirsten Dunst and Liv Tyler as clients. If doing these ballet-inspired workouts allows us to look like any of them, we'll be donning our tutus shortly."

About the Author

Kara Richardson Whitely has hiked Mount Kilimanjaro three times while weighing as much as 300 pounds. Kara, a motivational public speaker, has written for Self, Everyday with Rachael Ray, and Runner's World magazines. She has been featured on Oprah's Lifeclass and Good Morning America, and in the New York Times, Redbook, Weight Watchers, and Backpacker magazines. She lives in Summit, New Jersey, with her husband and three children.