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26 March 2012

Jade Hurst incorporates a graceful new addition to her daily exercise régime.

I’ve been seeking out some inspiration of the fitness persuasion. Something to get me moving in ways that I didn’t realise I could. I’ve recently injected a bit of excitement into my regime – a regime that I previously was starting to grow very weary of. Without sounding too much like an infomercial for a new fitness-fad, I’ve introduced a new way to work out, and it sold me in the name – Body Beautiful.

Body Beautiful is a well balanced, challenging (yet delightfully achievable) workout. It’s a tremendous stretch for both the mind and the body, the perfect way to start the day. With promises of long, lean thighs and sculpted arms, improved posture, flat abs? Yes please. I was naturally curious.

Originating from ballet fitness, it’s a craze that was bubbling away in LA, where Casey Green, the talented and beautiful founder of Body Beautiful, stumbled across the concept. It was there in a ballet studio in Santa Monica that the initial romance sparked. New Zealand was in desperate need of this style of work out…and so here we are. The first studio has recently opened its doors, finding its home on Queen Street, Auckland.

Body Beautiful strikes perfect balance between a strength work and stretching, using the ballet barre to assist your workout. Rest assured, you don’t have to be a dancer to take the class, as the 50-minute workout is an achievable mix of Casey’s favourite exercises as well as incorporating a dash of yoga, pilates and core conditioning to complement the traditional ballet movements. The class was a low-impact fusion of cardio, free-weight exercises, core work and a series of ballet barre exercises that got the heart rate surprisingly worked up and really felt like it was working its magic on all of my muscles. Give it a go, if anything I can assure you that you’ll bounce out of this class on a well-deserved high.