How to get a lean ballerina body

By Rebecca Almond

Thighs burning, abs shaking, face a sweaty mess – working for a toned ballerina body is harder than I thought. I’m at Barrecore in Mayfair, London, road-testing the ballet-inspired workout craze that’s got the nation pirouetting with glee at its body-shaping power. ‘It’ll be fine,’ I convince myself as I walk into the studio, recalling my dance training of days gone by. But this is not the toes-pointed, tutu-wearing Swan Lake style of ballet I remember. Ballet shoes and experience are not required for this exercise class – just a willingness to work your body hard.

‘This will hurt – your muscles will shake, they’re supposed to,’ the instructor warns at the beginning of the session. And she’s not kidding. The 60-minute workout is a blend of high repetition pilates and barre exercises that use your body weight and small equipment (light weights, pilates ball, resistance band) to exhaust every muscle group, alternated with stretching – and boy do you need to stretch! It’s these isometric movements (static holds with small contractions) that shape and hone the muscles, improving your posture and alignment – and burn up to 500 calories.

In spite of the pain, I leave the class feeling a few inches taller, tauter and buzzing with endorphins – I even booked myself in for the same time next week. An exercise class that tones the whole body and burns calories, all under the pretence of gracefulness… I'm hooked.

The next day, I catch up with Barrecore founder Niki Rein and ask her to share her ballet-body tips:

What’s so good about the Barrecore way of exercising?

We work the body like dancers do – targeting every muscle in the body, especially the small stabilisers (the muscles that hold the body in place so a desired movement can be performed) to create long, lean lines.

What’s your favourite exercise?

I love our thigh exercise, V Waterski. Stand at the barre, heels together with toes turned out, then lean back and pulse towards the barre. It’s a thigh killer that shapes the inner and outer muscles, stretching and elongating them at the same time. Plus, it lifts the seat, flattens the abdominal wall and sculpts the back. 

The V Waterski

When is the best time of day to exercise?

Before 10am is the best time as our cortisol (stress response hormone) levels are highest. The amount of cortisol in our bodies naturally reduces throughout the day so we are relaxed by bedtime, but exercise – a stressor – results in the release of extra cortisol from the adrenal gland. By working out in the morning when cortisol levels are already elevated, it gives the body plenty of time to reach the relaxed state needed for deep restorative sleep. Exercising later in the day may disrupt the natural cortisol rhythm. Plus, studies show people who work out in the morning are more consistent exercisers than those who exercise in the evening. 

How long should you wait after eating before working out?

Two hours after a large meal, but it’s fine to have a light snack just before exercise.  Great light snack choices include a handful of nuts, a raw energy bar such as LoveRaw, or even a couple of bites of chicken will help you burn fat and sustain your energy levels during the workout.

What is your favourite post-workout snack?

I love a green vegetable and apple juice after exercising. Workouts cause acidity in the body, so the greens help increase alkalinity, while the sugar in the apple helps improve insulin uptake after exercise. I always aim to get a little bit of protein shortly after my juice, too, for muscle recovery.

What’s your best piece of fitness advice?

Stay mentally connected to what you are doing – try and visualise your muscles working and changing. This will get you working harder and burning more calories.

Fancy trying it for yourself? Barrecore has studios in London’s Mayfair and Chelsea, or you can download one of the online classes and workout in the comfort of your own home. Visit barrecore.co.uk for class times and prices. 

Ditch the takeaway – try this…

There’s a misconception that all Indian cuisine is fattening, calorie-laden and generally unhealthy. But step away from creamy curries and deep-fried starters and you’ll find a host of fresh, flavourful dishes that are not only kinder to your waistline, but good for your health, too.

Sabbir Karim, Best Innovative Asian and Oriental Chef of the Year 2013 and owner of London’s Namaaste Kitchen and Salaam Namaaste, is an advocate of healthy Indian cooking. 

"I’m not sure where this misconception began that made people think that all Indian food is high in saturated fats, calories and overall just unhealthy for you. In the past, it's true, more attention used to be given to the taste of the food, rather than considering the nutritional value. But as more and more chefs have become aware and educated in the healthy eating and healthy cooking concept, they have shifted their focus to the nutritional value and how the Indian food is prepared. The fact is that when we cook traditional Indian food, unlike some of the takeaways people are used to, we use fresh ingredients and produce and we also incorporate a lot of vegetables into our dishes. Indian cooking also requires using a lot of spices that are considered to have healing properties, such as turmeric, ginger and garlic – all of which are healthy ingredients."

So this weekend, ditch the takeaway menu and treat yourself instead to Sabbir’s signature recipe…

Lahori Tawa Lamb Chops (lamb chops marinated in fresh ginger paste, papaya, herbs and spices)  

Prep 20 min + marinating

Cook 35 min

Serves 4

For the lamb chops

2tbsp ginger paste

2tbsp garlic paste

1½tbsp papaya paste (½ papaya, deseeded but skin on, blended with 2tbsp cooking oil)

4 large lamb chops, trimmed and flattened slightly

1tbsp lemon juice

2tsp garam masala

½tsp chilli powder (to taste)

1tsp ground cumin

1tsp ground coriander

5tbsp natural yogurt

½tbsp fenugreek seeds

½tsp chilli flakes

½tbsp cooking oil

1tsp English mustard

2tsp mint sauce

For the sauce

50ml cooking oil

4 onions, chopped

3tbsp ginger paste

2tbsp garlic paste

2tsp tomato purée

4 cherry tomatoes, sliced

4tsp makhani cooking sauce (available from Waitrose and Ocado)

1tsp chilli powder

2tsp ground turmeric

245g natural yogurt

2tsp lemon juice

1½tsp ground coriander

2tsp chopped fresh mint

½tsp kewra water or rose water

2tsp garam masala

Watercress, to garnish

1. First, prepare the lamb chops. Combine the ginger garlic and papaya pastes in a large mixing bowl, then massage into the lamb. Cover, then transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 40 min.

2. Put the remaining lamb chop ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to a fine paste. Take the lamb out of the fridge, then add the paste to the bowl and turn to coat the chops. Cover, then return to the fridge for at least 1 hr.

3. Preheat the oven to its hottest setting. Lift the lamb chops out of the marinade on to a baking tray, then cook for 10–15 min. Set aside and keep warm.

4. Next, make the sauce. Heat the cooking oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onions until golden. Add the ginger paste, garlic paste and the tomato purée and mix well. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until soft. Stir in the makhani sauce, then add the chilli powder, turmeric and yogurt. Add the lamb chops to the frying pan with the lemon juice, ground coriander, chopped mint and 500ml water, then simmer for 3–4 min until the sauce is reduced and thick. Stir in the kewra water or rose water and the garam masala.

5. Divide the lamb among 4 plates, then garnish with watercress and serve with garlic naan or basmati rice, if you like.

Per serving

513kcal

30g protein

26.9g fat

6.6g saturates

28.6g carbs

20.3g sugar

4.1g fibre

2.1g salt

293mg calcium

5.1mg iron

Low sat fat

Low sugar

High protein

High calcium

High iron

Gluten free

1 of 5-a-day

Health tip: why this dish is good for you

Lamb is a good source of vitamin B12, needed for normal cell division as well as neurological and psychological functions, and to prevent fatigue.

Garam masala (a blend of traditional South Asian spices, such as cumin, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves) is great for adding flavour, so you don't need any salt.

Ginger is good for soothing the digestive system and may also help alleviate pain linked to arthritis.

Yogurt is a good source of protein and is rich in calcium, needed for healthy bones and teeth.

Could chocolate and wine save us from type 2 diabetes?

By Tracy Kelly, Diabetes UK clinical adviser

According to research just published, eating high levels of flavonoids is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Flavonoids aren’t only found in healthy food such as berries, apples and pears, but also in wine and chocolate – so can it possibly be true?

The study does seem to show an association between flavonoids and lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Almost 2,000 women completed a food questionnaire designed to estimate total dietary flavonoid intake, then their blood samples were analysed for evidence of both glucose regulation and inflammation and were used to give an indication of insulin resistance. The researchers found that those who consumed plenty of anthocyanins and flavones (two specific types of flavonoids) had lower insulin resistance and were also less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

But we need to interpret the findings with caution. For one thing, there have been contradictory findings from other studies. For another, even if high flavonoid consumption and lower type 2 diabetes risk do tend to happen together, it doesn’t necessarily mean one is causing the other.

So what should people be doing to reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes? Diabetes UK already recommends a healthy lifestyle that involves doing regular physical activity and eating a healthy diet to help maintain a healthy weight. This includes eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, many of which are rich in flavonoids. But we don’t advise going mad for red wine and chocolate, which also contain them.

Our advice is to limit your consumption of these – and that’s unlikely to change, even if further research does demonstrate that flavonoids reduce type 2 diabetes risk. That’s because any health benefit from the flavonoids would be dramatically outweighed by the calories in the chocolate and the alcohol in the wine!

So although this is interesting research, the findings don’t alter our recommendations for lowering your risk: eat a healthy, balanced diet and get plenty of physical activity.