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MISTY COPELAND ON HOW TO BOOST YOUR BODY IMAGE WITH POST-IT NOTES AND OTHER GENIUS ADVICE
Let’s be honest: Normally if we saw a book that had the words “Ballerina Body” in the title, we’d walk right past it. After all, at barre3 we celebrate strong, healthy bodies and individuality—not an attachment to an unrealistic and often unhealthy body ideal.
But this book is different. Why? Because Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You is written by the incredible Misty Copeland—a champion of body positivity in every way. The first African American Female Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland has spent much of her life defying the traditional dancer’s mold. She has a more athletic, less willowy body than many of her counterparts—and instead of apologizing for it she celebrates it.
We knew right away that this book wasn’t going to be about counting calories to slim down, and it certainly wasn’t going to encourage conforming to an ideal—and we were right. Ballerina Body is full of helpful insights and sage advice that applies not just to dancers but to everyone. Read on for Copeland’s advice on loving the body you’re in—including a genius tip for boosting body image with Post-It Notes—plus (bonus!) her favorite stretches to help with posture.
ON APPRECIATING YOUR BODY
“As a dancer, my body is my instrument. I speak to the audience through every muscle and tendon, with every glissade and renverse. When I recognized those truths, my fitness journey became one of joy and not frustration. I wanted simply to respect my body, to get the most out of it that I could, in order to live my best life.
Your body is essential to you as well. That’s why it’s so important to love it, to have faith in it. Take a stack of sticky notes and paste reminders of all it does for you all over your mirror, or jot words of appreciation on the lined pages of your journal—My legs propelled me out of bed this morning. These shoulders gave a piggyback ride to my children. My arms allowed me to rake the soil in my garden on a Sunday afternoon.”
ON SHOWING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WHO’S BOSS
“When negative thoughts rise in your mind and start to go round and round—My stomach is too jiggly! My thighs are too wobbly! My arms are too flabby!—push those self-critiques away and refocus on how singular you are, and how, with small changes and small efforts each and every day, you can become stronger, more vibrant, more sculpted, no matter what your natural shape.
By shifting my focus, changing my self-perception, and shoring up my spirituality, I have come to love the body that I am in. The muscles that ripple through my legs allow me to do thirty-two fouettes without crumpling to the floor. The curves that swell beneath my clothes help me to relay the message to the world that you can be healthy, fit , and, yes, voluptuous too. My physique, like the color of my skin, is helping people reconsider what a ballerina looks like.
You are fiercely, lovingly, and divinely you. My ballet-based fitness plan is simply going to help you maximize the wonderful body that you already have and enable you to be as fit, joyful, and dynamic as you can possibly be.”
ON THE POWER OF GOOD POSTURE
“Strong posture is perhaps the first and most basic step toward honing your ballerina body. When your stance is solid, it keeps you conscious of your physical self, reminding you constantly of how vital your body is and how important it is to do all you can to nurture and strengthen it.
Posture is also essential to your workout, creating a channel of energy that flows freely from your mind, through your core, and down to your toes. That sparks both a physical and a mental connection that will help you power through your exercises.
Many of our bodies have curled into a slight slouch that comes from sitting at desks much of the day, or hunching over our cell phones. But just the way strong posture becomes programmed into the muscles and skeletal structure of professional dancers, practicing an elegant stance can similarly fire up your muscle memory, becoming a form that your body slips into naturally. You can retrain your muscles to push up against gravity, maintaining a steady connection between your mind and your core, which will make your workout ever-more effective.
Stretches to help with posture:
- When you find yourself slouching, stand, clasp your hands behind you, and then stretch them down and away from your body. While doing this, you may find that your head goes slightly forward or back. This is fine. Try the stretch both ways: Let your head fall forward as you stretch your arms behind you. Then try it allowing your head to go back, looking up. Do not stay in this position longer than feels comfortable; a few seconds is enough. Release and come back to a neutral stance. Repeat in the direction—head forward or head backward—that feels the most helpful, as that is what your body needs at the time. For some, both directions relieve tensions.
- Whenever you have a towel or a long belt in your hands, hold it so there’s enough space between your hands for you to bring it over your head without bending your elbows. Bring it behind you and back again without bending your elbows or losing the symmetry in your shoulders. Do this two or three times in a row, keeping a slow tempo.
Let’s be honest: Normally if we saw a book that had the words “Ballerina Body” in the title, we’d walk right past it. After all, at barre3 we celebrate strong, healthy bodies and individuality—not an attachment to an unrealistic and often unhealthy body ideal.
But this book is different. Why? Because Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You is written by the incredible Misty Copeland—a champion of body positivity in every way. The first African American Female Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Copeland has spent much of her life defying the traditional dancer’s mold. She has a more athletic, less willowy body than many of her counterparts—and instead of apologizing for it she celebrates it.
We knew right away that this book wasn’t going to be about counting calories to slim down, and it certainly wasn’t going to encourage conforming to an ideal—and we were right. Ballerina Body is full of helpful insights and sage advice that applies not just to dancers but to everyone. Read on for Copeland’s advice on loving the body you’re in—including a genius tip for boosting body image with Post-It Notes—plus (bonus!) her favorite stretches to help with posture.
ON APPRECIATING YOUR BODY
“As a dancer, my body is my instrument. I speak to the audience through every muscle and tendon, with every glissade and renverse. When I recognized those truths, my fitness journey became one of joy and not frustration. I wanted simply to respect my body, to get the most out of it that I could, in order to live my best life.
Your body is essential to you as well. That’s why it’s so important to love it, to have faith in it. Take a stack of sticky notes and paste reminders of all it does for you all over your mirror, or jot words of appreciation on the lined pages of your journal—My legs propelled me out of bed this morning. These shoulders gave a piggyback ride to my children. My arms allowed me to rake the soil in my garden on a Sunday afternoon.”
ON SHOWING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS WHO’S BOSS
“When negative thoughts rise in your mind and start to go round and round—My stomach is too jiggly! My thighs are too wobbly! My arms are too flabby!—push those self-critiques away and refocus on how singular you are, and how, with small changes and small efforts each and every day, you can become stronger, more vibrant, more sculpted, no matter what your natural shape.
By shifting my focus, changing my self-perception, and shoring up my spirituality, I have come to love the body that I am in. The muscles that ripple through my legs allow me to do thirty-two fouettes without crumpling to the floor. The curves that swell beneath my clothes help me to relay the message to the world that you can be healthy, fit , and, yes, voluptuous too. My physique, like the color of my skin, is helping people reconsider what a ballerina looks like.
You are fiercely, lovingly, and divinely you. My ballet-based fitness plan is simply going to help you maximize the wonderful body that you already have and enable you to be as fit, joyful, and dynamic as you can possibly be.”
ON THE POWER OF GOOD POSTURE
“Strong posture is perhaps the first and most basic step toward honing your ballerina body. When your stance is solid, it keeps you conscious of your physical self, reminding you constantly of how vital your body is and how important it is to do all you can to nurture and strengthen it.
Posture is also essential to your workout, creating a channel of energy that flows freely from your mind, through your core, and down to your toes. That sparks both a physical and a mental connection that will help you power through your exercises.
Many of our bodies have curled into a slight slouch that comes from sitting at desks much of the day, or hunching over our cell phones. But just the way strong posture becomes programmed into the muscles and skeletal structure of professional dancers, practicing an elegant stance can similarly fire up your muscle memory, becoming a form that your body slips into naturally. You can retrain your muscles to push up against gravity, maintaining a steady connection between your mind and your core, which will make your workout ever-more effective.
Stretches to help with posture:
- When you find yourself slouching, stand, clasp your hands behind you, and then stretch them down and away from your body. While doing this, you may find that your head goes slightly forward or back. This is fine. Try the stretch both ways: Let your head fall forward as you stretch your arms behind you. Then try it allowing your head to go back, looking up. Do not stay in this position longer than feels comfortable; a few seconds is enough. Release and come back to a neutral stance. Repeat in the direction—head forward or head backward—that feels the most helpful, as that is what your body needs at the time. For some, both directions relieve tensions.
- Whenever you have a towel or a long belt in your hands, hold it so there’s enough space between your hands for you to bring it over your head without bending your elbows. Bring it behind you and back again without bending your elbows or losing the symmetry in your shoulders. Do this two or three times in a row, keeping a slow tempo.
