The problem with many women, is they think they are in competition with men, which means they end-up wearing the same cloths and working-out the same way.

There’s nothing wrong with this — if that is a woman wants to be less than she can be, and loose the advantage of her grace and femininity. For some women, this statement of strength fits the identity they desire to be - often because the polarity of their core energy is strongly male. However, as a general trend in the way women approach life, it tends to lead them in the wrong direction if they want to embrace all that they can be.

There’s common saying that ballet world has perpetuated an unrealistic ideal. As a result, many adults are reluctant to try ballet because they are self-conscious about their body and find countless reasons or other self-deprecating remarks to discourage themselves. This negative attitude prevents many from experiencing the physical, mental, and social benefits that an adult ballet class has to offer. Let’s have a look at some popular misconceptions about the art form to help you to develop a healthy perspective if you are keen to develop your ballet body and enjoy wonderful benefits for your posture, fitness as well as overall wellbeing.

To be able to achieve long lasting progress, happiness and success in anything you do – finding the right balance is a must.

When we think about health, diet and exercise are typically the first things that come to mind. However, good health isn't just about the physical body. Our mind and body are interconnected and affect each other tremendously.

It’s well known that exercise is vital if you’re looking to lose some weight. But sometimes if you do too much of exercise you might end up overeating as a result. Or, you don't work out enough and then you don't see any results on the scale. So how much exercise to lose weight is really needed?

Researchers and medical experts provide weight loss exercise recommendations per day and per week, not only for slimming down but also to prevent weight regain.

People often ask me what I do or don’t eat to stay in shape. My approach to eating is very similar to my approach to ballet: develop good habits, listen to your body and enjoy everything you do!

Research shows different activities have quite specific mental effects – here’s how moving your body could sharpen your ideas. The brain is often described as being “like a muscle”. It’s a comparison that props up the brain training industry and keeps school children hunched over desks. We judge literacy and numeracy exercises as more beneficial for your brain than running, playing and learning on the move.

When it comes to your brain, an oblique approach can be surprisingly effective. In particular, working your body’s muscles can actually benefit your grey matter.

Achieving a certain degree of flexibility is absolutely critical for anyone involved in dance, exercise workouts or sports; otherwise there will be at some stage a breakdown in body tissues leading to an injury. If you are too tight in certain parts of your body, you are functioning below your real potential – remember that performance enhancement is the second very important reason to stretch: flexible muscles perform a lot better than tight muscles.

We all want to have a flat stomach, but do you know that abdominal fat is the most difficult to deal with? You work out, you try to adopt healthy diet habits, but you don’t see visible results in the mirror. Stubborn belly fat is still there, and it seems that it doesn’t plan to go anywhere.

Let’s be honest, most of us love chocolate! But could dark chocolate be your secret weapon for weight loss? It might be! Dark chocolate as a treat can help support your weight loss efforts in a few ways. First of all, it’s very low on the glycemic index, which means that it won’t cause sugar spikes. Keeping insulin levels steady is very important to weight loss.

With maturity usually come the wisdom and better understanding of who we are, what we want, and what makes us happy. No matter what age you are, ballet practice offers a wonderfully effective yet versatile way to be active, learn something new overtime, get fitter more effectively than any traditional gym or aerobic activities, and, most importantly it allows to enjoy something that brings a sense of beauty to life at any age!

You can make amazing ice cream and keep it healthy! There are lots of different ingredients to experiment with (coconut milk, frozen bananas, avocado, soy or almond milk), and you can do it with or without an ice cream maker. Here’s one simple summer desert recipe for you to enjoy. Sweet and creamy, it’s the perfect cold treat on a hot day!

In recent years, science has been showing posture to be a magic bullet for everything from low back pain to low energy and low self-esteem. Add to this (in case you haven’t heard) that sitting is now the new smoking. Our shoulders, backs and hips ache from sitting, our necks seem to be permanently bent over the smartphones, challenging our mind and body on daily basis both physically and psychologically.

One of the most powerful aspects of Ballet Body Sculpture that our members benefit from — that NO other fitness program offers — ballet based or otherwise, is access to world class mental coaching; and when I say world class, I really mean the highest international standard.

Workout should not be a chore.  Exercising makes you feel terrific and look even better.  Your skin glows, your clothes fit better, you feel happier, relaxed and more confident, your sleep is more restful and satisfying at night.

So why do we sometimes fear it?

A fruity smoothie is the perfect ‘pick me up’ in the morning! This recipe is super refreshing and simple to make as it only has 3 ingredients.

For most of us stress is a regular part of the day. Some statistics suggest that up to 77 percent of us feel the physical effects of stress on a regular basis in the form of headaches, insomnia, anxiety, weight gain, muscle aches and pains, crankiness, and difficulty focusing. Learning how to deal with it in a healthy way can actually help get rid of some of the worst symptoms.

If you spend most of your work day working on a computer and then you spend your evenings scrolling through things on your phone, neck, back, and arm pain can become a constant problem. A sedentary lifestyle does a lot of damage to your health: your muscles can become stiff, you can experience numbness, and tingling sensations may appear regularly.

Here are some simple exercises that can relieve neck pain, shoulders, stiffness in the back, hips & legs.

Often the biggest barrier to our health and fitness goals is our own state of mind. Fear, frustration, a desire to wait to begin exercising until we lose some weight, have more time, less busy time at work, more energy... there are many reasons, when it comes to working out and getting results it is very easy not to make it happen. 

Sometimes all you need is a reminder to be mindful and to  take care of yourself!

One of the most popular ballet moves that has also been passed on to barre fitness and other aerobic exercises – Plié. The origin of the correct technique and alignment in order to gain the best benefits from the exercise though still remains in ballet.

It's not exactly a secret that diet and exercise are key when it comes to weight loss, but don't overlook the hidden powers of your mind! Here are some mindset strategies to help you reach your weight-loss goals.