I became completely obsessed with body oils while pregnant.
— Mary Helen Bowers
All of the vintage photos of Ballets Russes are so inspiring.
An all-white space has a purity that is refreshing and serene.
I like to customize my tights by cutting them myself to create a stirrup or convert the look into a capri.
Keep it simple. Layer your leotard with high waisted skinny jeans, legwarmers, and heels or high boots.
I live in my Ballet Beautiful street shoes.
Pregnancy is magical, I've never felt more connected to my body.
It's not realistic to say never eat sugar, but I try to limit my sugar as much as I can to buckwheat honey and dark chocolate, which I love.
I love nuts and popcorn with olive oil and sea salt.
I'm from North Carolina, so I am really picky about my fried chicken.
Because I dieted so much in the past, I just can't diet again. It's something I don't want to do and I don't even know if I am capable of. I think it's a much healthier and happier way to live.
I'll buy a special occasion dress even if I don't know when or where I'll wear it.
When you work out a lot, it's so important to eat the right foods.
If you don't have the time or money to get to the gym, work out at home. It saves tons of time and makes life more efficient.
Any exercise is better than nothing, even if it's only five minutes.
In yoga, you hold the positions, whereas in dance, you're constantly moving, extending, reaching through the legs and arms, which helps build long, lean muscles as opposed to shorter, tighter ones.
With ballet, you're really focused on the inner thigh and butt and just lifting and lengthening everything, including your arms. You're not using weights, but holding up the weight of your own arms is a challenge.
I love white linens and walls mixed with antique Victorian furniture.
I want my workouts to feel like a luxury, a way to pamper yourself and add a beautiful dimension to your everyday life.
Before founding Ballet Beautiful, I was a ballerina with the New York City Ballet.
A leotard is more versatile than you might think!
You won't find me in a sports bra and low-slung leggings.
My company, Ballet Beautiful, is built around celebrating the strength and femininity of the female body - for me, pregnancy has just been an extension of that.
I've found the entire process of being pregnant to be such a miraculous, beautiful time.
One of the big things, especially if you're eating out frequently, is either splitting an entree with someone or ordering a protein-heavy appetizer for an entree, like a salmon or steak tartar. If I'm dying for a burger, I'll get the burger but have it with salad instead of fries and a glass of red wine instead of a beer.
My style is a little '70s and classic old Hollywood. I incorporate a lot of vintage, bohemian blouses paired with a good wedge.
When you're not experiencing your food, that's when it's harder to pay attention to when you're full, and that's what being satisfied really means.
I train a lot of celebrities, including a lot of women who work for Victoria's Secret as Angels.
Posture has such a big impact on the way people perceive you.
I try and get as much sleep as I possibly can, although it's harder with a baby.
It's important to remember that life is hectic and unpredictable.
Have something that you enjoy, that satisfies you. For me, that is dark chocolate, red wine, and cheese. But make room in your life for vegetables and whole grains to nourish your body.
Ballet targets smaller muscles that you don't often use - instead of working your quads, it works the inside and the back of your leg.
The idea for 'Ballet Baby' started when I was going through my own pregnancy.
I adore the tapestries at the Musee de Cluny in Paris!
A calming place, where you can go to escape it all and just focus on your body, is so wonderful to have.
I've learned that there are many people out there who want to feel powerful and strong on their own terms, who want to tune out the noise and the punishing nature of grueling workouts. With 'Ballet Beautiful,' we have peeled back the mystery of ballet and allowed people to do these workouts anywhere and in their own time.
I love how chic yet simple ballet style is for everyday dressing.
For the hair, a few French hairpins and a tortoiseshell clip will dress up any bun!
The changes that your body goes through during pregnancy are so radical, I've really tried to embrace and celebrate my new body, and hopefully I can encourage other women to do the same.
I love berries, greens, and salmon.
Could you physically lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks? Maybe. But there's no way you could do that in a healthy way or that you could maintain it.
Audrey Hepburn was always so chic, simple, and beautiful.
Even if you're having a snack, enjoying it in a beautiful teacup or on a lovely plate makes it feel like more of an event.
I had the opportunity to train with Natalie Portman for 'Black Swan,' and the program we created was intense and involved a lot of travel.
Sometimes people feel really trapped by the body that they have. Women are told, 'You have this body shape; you're a pear or string bean, and you can't change the way you look.' That's just not true.
Generally, I snack on lots of fresh fruit and raw nuts, such as almonds.
To look and feel your best, it's essential to work out, eat well, and make sure that you are also drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep.
I think being in the right mindset is a huge challenge for women, who often take an all-or-nothing approach to working out or eating well.
Ballet can be hard on your joints, and when you're on a movie set doing take after take, it can become really repetitive.
