Synopses & Reviews
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
Publishers Weekly, 11/28/11 “Shows off a celebrity fitness trend that could just be the next Pilates.”
Review
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.” 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“Combining Bowers’ exercises and eating tips is a surefire way to change up your workout or jump-start your weight loss plan.”
Midwest Book Review, September 2012“Clear examples of basic ballet movements even non-ballet readers can absorb.”
Taste for Life, October 2012“With this book, you can learn how to transform certain areas of the body to become more sculpted and defined…This book is for anyone who wishes to gain the strength and grace of a dancer.”
Portland Book Review, March-May 2013“Every woman’s ultimate guide for learning how to create a balanced, healthy lifestyle, from fitness to food to philosophy…Bowers is motivational and inspiring…Unerringly realistic, Bowers is that rare proponent of balance amid extreme yet popular fitness and health ideas.”
Synopsis
A ballet-based fitness and well-being program--from the personal trainer to Natalie Portman for her Academy Award-winning performance in Black Swan
Synopsis
Artistic. athletic. attainable. These three words represent the promise of Ballet Beautiful, a transformative approach to reshaping your body so that it becomes slender, long, and lean—with the strength and grace of a ballerina. Founder Mary Helen Bowers has used this method to help women lose weight, turn fat into lean muscle, and re-contour their bodies to achieve the regal posture, strength, and elegance of a ballerina. Deeply connected to ballet’s rich yet mysterious tradition, the Ballet Beautiful program is unique in the way it enables women to let their own inner beauty emerge. With this new book, you too can attain and embody a truly feminine energy of poise and power.
About the Author
Professional ballerina and founder of Ballet Beautiful, Mary Helen Bowers is a sought-after fitness expert with a high-profile clientele. Mary Helen trained at the School of American Ballet and danced with the New York City Ballet for ten years. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and lives in New York City.