Mary Helen Bowers

It definitely wasn't cool in junior high, when everyone else is trying out for cheerleading, to have a life consumed by ballet.

I want my workouts to feel like a luxury, a way to pamper yourself and add a beautiful dimension to your everyday life.

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.

I launched Ballet Beautiful not long after finishing at Columbia and met Natalie Portman shortly after. We began training and preparing her for her role in 'Black Swan.' From there, I continued to build and expand the method itself along with the business, always looking for ways to share the workout with others around the world.

Working out should be empowering! It should make you look and feel strong, elegant, healthy - the best possible version of you.

It's not about having a perfectly sculpted figure; it's about feeling healthy, fit, and confident.

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.

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.

I find that healthy eating makes me feel happier, stronger, and more confident.

A lot of fitness is about contractions - you're doing squats, or you're on a bike and your knees are bending but never stretching all the way, so your muscles get strengthened but look short and thick.

My body needs a lot of protein because I exercise so much. I eat dairy, meat, and gluten, but I stay away from white flour, sugar, and processed foods.