These days, people seem to be so excited about everything ‘ballet’—ballet outfits, ballet pilates workout, ballet body, and ballet fitness. I must say I was one of the many who welcomed it with open arms, a fact that is illustrated by me joining pilates workout classes and ballet classes held in Singapore.
Why everyone is so excited about ballet isn’t exactly a mystery, given its graceful routines and the benefits it could offer. Today, let me walk you through the ballet trend and why you too should be embracing it.
Ballet As an Interval to Your Regular Training
As a regular to the gym, I struggle to find an appropriate training to complement my workout. I have become quite accustomed to the routine and while effective, I wanted to take a break from it from time to time. This is a very common issue, I believe, among other fitness enthusiasts.
When I was introduced to body ballet fitness workout, I saw it as a way to increase endurance, maintain a healthy body weight without bulking up on muscles. It is also a great way to improve one’s endurance, which can help in preventing injuries from occurring. However, there’s more to ballet than those.
• Balance & Coordination
First off, ballet helps improve your body awareness by connecting the mind with the body. It allows you to feel your body in a smarter way, helping you become aware of which areas can be improved and which muscle areas to work out on and tone up. Over time, it assists in improving your coordination and balance which can ultimately help you avoid any accidents or injuries.
• Increased Energy Levels
Ballet pilates workout can also improve your blood circulation, which in return can also help you boost your energy levels and productivity. Because it stretches your muscles, a ballet routine can also improve the transportation of oxygen and blood throughout your body.
• Stress Relief
Moreover, ballet can also calm your mind and improve your sense of well-being. In fact, some research suggests that stretching, which is part of the ballet routines, can work better than sedatives in terms of calming the mind, helping you feel relaxed and function with a clear mind.
• Better Sleep
Such stress-properties of ballet can also help you get a good night’s rest. By communicating with your body, you can focus your attention better on your breathing pattern and not your stresses. It can help you address some sleeping issues such as troubled sleeping, insomnia and even the feeling of exhaustion right after waking up.
• Improved Overall Health
Like many other exercises, a ballet workout is also great in lowering cholesterol and keeping glucose levels low. What’s more, it can help reduce risks of lower back pain by reducing the stiffness in your back and improving mobility to your body without being time-consuming.
What If I’m Not a Dancer?
This is the same question I asked myself before I started ballet. I am a fitness enthusiast, not a dancer. But, that didn’t stop me from signing up for the ballet classes hosted by BalletBody in Singapore.
While we welcome the chance to dress up as ballerinas, it makes me wonder whether the actual ballerinas resent non-dancers like me for embracing the art? Do we make an impression that just because it’s a trend, we’re jumping on the bandwagon?
Do we not share the same passion as they have for ballet? I personally don’t think there should be a problem here because ballet should be for everybody, regardless of their skills, history with ballet or the lack of it.
It’s a good thing that there’s no discrimination as such in a ballet class. In fact, I don’t think there’s anything that illustrates embracing diversity than a range of ballet workout classes designed to train students of different skill levels.
At BalletBody, for instance, they have different ballet classes, ranging from basics to advanced. I started out with their BalletBody Basics, which are great for those who want to learn the fundamentals of ballet all while giving your body a full workout. I am looking forward to joining their Stretch classes, which involves 45 minutes of stretching and other techniques to assist in muscle recovery and increasing flexibility.
So, is a ballet workout worth it? If you love the ballet trend, then why shouldn’t you embrace it? A few times joining ballet classes is anything but boring. It has given a new life to exercising and loving your body; working out has never been this fun.
If you are reading this and would love to try ballet yourself, let’s meet at BalletBody dance studio in Singapore, yes?
