Ballet Baby: Fit & Graceful Pregnancy DVD Bundle
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Original price was: $21.99.$13.99Current price is: $13.99.
Beautiful workouts for a healthy, happy and fit pregnancy brought to you by ballerina, celebrity trainer and new mama, Mary Helen Bowers! The Ballet Baby DVD bundle includes two 60-minute, full body prenatal workouts along with a 15min stretch designed to take you through each trimester of pregnancy and beyond. Workout with new mama Mary Helen during her pregnancy and Enjoy a combination of gentle prenatal stretching, toning and light cardio work created to strengthen and tone the body during the first, second and third trimesters.
Run Time: 2 DVD set ~150 minutes
Level: All Levels*
*Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise while pregnant or postnatal.
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10 reviews for Ballet Baby: Fit & Graceful Pregnancy DVD Bundle
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Meet Mary Helen Bowers
A professional ballerina by training, Mary Helen danced with New York City Ballet for 10 years before graduating from Columbia University and founding Ballet Beautiful. She personally trained Natalie Portman for her Academy Award winning role in Black Swan along with countless other A-list celebrities, supermodels & millions around the world, delivering authentic, results-driven ballet-inspired training.
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Sandria –
How I start my morning!
“I am currently 8 months pregnant and this workout video has really helped me stay motivated to dance, move and workout again. I had about two months off from barely any exercise (school hours monopolized my time) and as someone who has been very active for many years, I was feeling like I was in a physical rut. I really enjoyed the pace of this workout and it’s challenging too! I did get a little lost at times when setting up into positions (I am a little rusty with my terminology) but it isn’t too hard to follow when you get out of your head and just start to move. I highly recommend! My thighs are on fire and I love it!”
Leanne –
This set is designed to be the less challenging Ballet Baby set
“Although I am not pregnant and am not planning on being so, I ordered these and the Ballet Baby: Fit & Graceful Pregnancy Bundle anyways, hoping that they’d be similar to Mary Helen’s prenatal streaming workouts, which I did when I subscribed to her online service for one month. My review, then, will be geared towards those of us who are not expecting, but who are interested in purchasing these, as I was. I have only had the chance to preview these so far, but I can tell that I’m going to love these just as much as I love Mary Helen’s other Ballet Beautiful workouts. These definitely do not disappoint!
I had been worried that these might not be good for non-pregnant women, but that won’t be the case at all. They look just as challenging as her regular workouts.
~~ DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO “BALLET BABY” SETS ~~~
I ended up ordering both sets directly from Ballet Beautiful before I even knew what the workouts would be like just because I love the BB workouts so much. I wasn’t sure what the difference between the two sets was, but, after hunting around a bit, I found an online article (from _The Daily Mail_) that said this:
“The first series is Fit and Graceful, a more gentle introductory workout designed for women who aren’t familiar with Mary Helen’s techniques. ‘This is for people that maybe are new to Ballet Beautiful, who haven’t worked out with me before and want to get started, to change their muscles but in a more sort of gentle way,’ she explained.”
The same article also went on to say this:
“For Mary Helen’s more experienced students – like supermodel Doutzen Kroes, who trained with her while pregnant with daughter Myllena – there’s the more advanced Energized and Elegant series. ‘This is the DVD for people who’ve done Ballet Beautiful for a while,’ says Mary Helen. ‘So for myself or for someone like Doutzen, who’s going into pregnancy already ultra fit and used to a challenging workout.'”
~~ BACKGROUND INFO ~~~
In each workout on all four DVDs, it’s just Mary Helen, and she’s in what looks to be her home studio. It’s a beautiful space, with flowers in the background and a window. Mary Helen looks radiant and beautiful as always, and it’s fun to see her working out while she was pregnant with her daughter Lumina Belle.
As with her other workouts, Mary Helen does four sets of eight for most exercises, and she counts out each rep. This doesn’t bother me and I find it meditative, but I wanted to point this out since I know it bothers some viewers.
The high rep format is great for hourglass shapes, and last year I had some impressive results when I was just alternating her Ballet Beautiful: Total Body Workout and Ballet Beautiful: Body Blast workouts, with no cardio. I lost weight and leaned up, and had better results in just three weeks of using BB than I did with 42 days of Tracy Anderson.
To do the workouts on both DVDs, you’ll need a yoga mat, a chair or barre, and some light handweights.
~~~ “TRIMESTERS 1 AND 2” DISK ~~~
On the main menu, you have an “Intro to Ballet Baby” one-minute segment, along with the three main segments of the DVD:
* Mat Workout — just under 30 minutes
* Standing Work — about 30 mintues
* 15-Minute Gentle Stretch
There is also the great “Play All” feature so you can string all three workouts together.
The Mat Workout has a lot of variation on inner and outer thigh work, along with some leg lifts, where Mary Helen is leaning on a low stool for support. There is also some nice ab/C-curve work.
The Standing Work segment doesn’t use a barre or chair, but does use light weights. There is a lot of nice standing leg work, along with some weighted triceps and shoulder work.
~~~ “TRIMESTERS 2 AND 3” DISK ~~~
As with the “Trimesters 1 & 2” disk, on the main menu, you have an “Intro to Ballet Baby” one-minute segment, along with the three main segments of the DVD:
* Mat Workout — just under 29 minutes
* Standing Work — just under 30 minutes
* 15-Minute Gentle Stretch
The Mat Workout for this one uses a folded blanket to properly position yourself, and includes some nice lying moves like seated attitude lifts, while also including some kneeling arm work, where you lean to the side and gently work your arms and abs.
The Standing Work uses a barre or chair. The releve work here is similar to the work in some of the other Standing Work series in these new sets, but with minor twists on the moves. There is a nice light cardio factor to these moves, too.
~~~ OVERALL NOTES ~~~
For those who are pregnant, Mary Helen also gives good form pointers throughout, and she also encourages you to think about your belly and your limitations.
In none of the four Ballet Baby workouts will you find bridge work, which makes sense since I imagine that it’s contraindicated for pregnant women. That being said, I find Mary Helen’s bridge work to be excellent for toning the rear end, so it’s worth picking up her Classic or Blasts DVD for the bridge sequences.
In both workouts, Mary Helen does her usual stretches between moves. Although these short stretches may not seem like they’re doing much, they really do help keep your legs feeling limber and long. I’ve also noticed that she does more stretching in all four of the Ballet Baby DVDs than in her previous ones; she holds the poses for longer, too.
The moves are varied enough, though, that these don’t feel at all like repeats of her previous four workouts.
Overall, I’m really pleased that I got these! As mentioned at the start of my review, pregnant women may have a different view of this set, but as a non-expecting woman, these two new sets feel fresh to me, and they don’t feel like they are just for pre-natal women.
I’ll be sure to update my review as I use these over the next few weeks, but I’ve had great results in the past from using just Ballet Beautiful workouts (with no extra cardio), and know that I’ll get the same results from these, too!”
Cynthia Hannah –
Five stars
“Love this bundle , Mary Helen Bowers does it again!”
Diane –
Best short exercise for Ballet Beautiful fan
“I love Ballet Beautiful because it’s giving me results and not making me sore the day after. I was pregnant and did this exercise – it’s really gentle and relaxing to do. It doesn’t have the Bridge segment – which to me is the killer routine and the one I had most difficulty with. I’m now using it during the recovery after miscarriage. 30 minutes is the optimal exercise time for me.”
KH –
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Pregnancy Workouts!
“I am 20 weeks and I love these workouts. I use her Ballet Baby workouts 3-4 times a week. I have used Ballet Beautiful workouts in the past and I loved the way they helped my posture and made my arms and legs feel strong and tight. These workouts are not nearly as intense as her regular workouts, but they do give you a burn. Mary Hellen Bowers is encouraging throughout the workout and gives you great tips to make sure you’re in the proper form.”
helluvagoodnews –
Not Just For Pregnant Women!
“Okay, so, I’m not pregnant, and I’m not planning to be until a little later on in life. These will come in handy for when and if that time comes, though. That said, I am a big fan of Mary Helen Bowers and I have become a collector of her work since the past year. I came across the Ballet Baby bundles, so I will review this one first before reviewing her other one, so please check my other reviews!
This is a very gentle workout series that targets the arms and upper body, legs, butt, thighs, and abs. The abs workout is extremely gentle, for obvious reasons, though you can try to make it more challenging by putting your arms up in mid-air and hold them as you do the crunches. There are no bridge series in this bundle or the other baby bundle, again, for obvious reasons. This bundle is the more easier one, and the other one is more challenging. Both the bundles have very gentle cardio series to compliment the weight/strength/toning aspects of it. You need both for successful weight loss, especially during your pregnancy!
I love doing these bundles when I’m near my menstrual cycle. When PMS hits, I get very emotional and I feel too weak and too much in pain to do her other classical and challenging dvds. The cramps hold me back from working out, but I figured, rather than letting it overcome me, to just do gentle workouts. So, Ballet Baby is the perfect solution to this. You don’t have to be pregnant to use the bundles; they are great for toning and elongating your muscles, just hard enough to notice the results, but not too hard that it adds to your menstrual (or pregnancy-related) aches and pain. I may not be able to control the PMS bloat and water retention during the horrible week before my period hits, but at least afterwards, my body looks noticeably slimmer and tighter after the storm has passed. 🙂
And that’s a beautiful thing, you know?”
HY –
love it
“I love the Ballet Beautiful series – although i find the regular workouts a bit challenging. As I’m currently trying for #1 i knew i had to order this Fit & Graceful Bundle.
Because i’m missing the first disc, I instead decided just to try the trimester 2&3 disc workout instead – which i absolutely love. It really is a great workout and is easier than the regular BB workouts so i can keep up and complete the entire workout without needing to pause for an additional stretch break.
I know I’ve read reviews where others felt the opposite, but i actually really enjoy MHB’s simplistic yet informative talking throughout the workouts – she explains the movement, counts out the reps and sets, prompts for stretching and gives a bit of instruction for modifications depending how big your bump is. I find other workout trainers tend to have a constant running monologue throughout the entire workout that gets repetitive after a few viewings – i dont find this to be the case at all with MHB as i’ve done this workout almost everyday for the past week or so and it doesn’t bother me at all.
I also find her very encouraging and i am amazed how she keeps a smile throughout the routines. Shortly after purchasing this I decided to also buy the other prenatal bundle BB offers: Energized and Elegant – it is definitely a bit more challenging than the Fit & Graceful Bundle, but a great addition to the prenatal series to keep on hand when you want to switch up routine a bit from the Fit & Graceful – or if you find the Fit & Graceful gets too easy or you are just feeling like you need a bit more of a challenging workout that day.
I would definitely recommend to any mommy’s-to-be or even those trying to conceive (looking for gentler workouts) or even those not trying/not pregnant who just love Ballet Beautiful but find it a bit too challenging to start off with the regular dvds right away.
I really look forward to doing by BB workouts – which is rare for me as I usually give up quite quickly on new routines. Maybe it’s the fact I bought some ballet slippers to do my routines in, that just makes me feel like i’m taking a ballet class (i know it’s not like an actual ballet class, but as i’m in my late 20s and never took a ballet class as a child – only jazz – it’s a close second for me).
I’m also already noticing changes in my body after only a few workouts. I also feel much stronger and my clothes are starting to fit a bit better.”
photogirlla –
Great introduction to Mary Helen Bowers
“I am not pregnant, I am menopausal w/fibromyalgia and hypermobility. But I find the Ballet Beautfiul series to be very helpful for those conditions; precisely because her exercises use small muscles that normally never see the light of day. These muscles, as they tone up, seem to hold my ligaments in place better than any other kind of exercise I’ve tried. I was doing a lot of yoga, but my physiotherapist told me to lay off of it because of the hypermobility.
So the first DVD I tried was the Classic Ballet series. It was very difficult, but I enjoyed it, and I was looking for something a little less strenuous to do on days when my energy was low, or I had done weights at the gym and just wanted some movement in the evening ( I find I have a lot less fibromyalgia pain if I move around).
This DVD is much gentler than the Classic Ballet series. It involves a 30 minute mat session, 30 minutes standing session, and a 10 minutes stretch session, covering the different trimesters. Having sweated and cursed my way through the Classic Ballet and the Ballet Blast series, this was much easier- but it contains different variations, so I still feel it. Mary Helen has grace, a soothing voice, and an engaging smile; this is no drill sergeant, which I like. The last thing I need is someone yelling at me if I can’t lift my leg up; I like someone to encourage, not lambast me.
Mary Helen gives a very gentle clear instructions for pregnant ladies, so I would imagine this would be very helpful. The only thing that I didn’t like was no explanation of the ballet positions and the correct form in the standing exercises. I am not a dancer, by any stretch of the imagination, so in trying to emulate her foot positions I tweaked my knee. Nothing major, and I’m going to look up what the ballet positions are and see if I can teach myself better form before I try to do the standing series again. That’s the only reason I’m deducting a star here, because she gives such good instruction in modification for pregnancy, but I would have liked a little instruction on where my feet should be and proper form. I think you can injure yourself if you try to imitate her without a basic knowledge of the terms and foot positions.
But for anyone who, unlike me, has actually taken a dance class, this is a great workout, and a nice introduction to her series, even without a baby bump!”
NB –
I love most of Mary Helen’s workouts
“I love most of Mary Helen’s workouts. I’ve done the streaming workouts on and off for the past few years, and I have her Classic workout as well. I bought this set after finding out I was pregnant, along with Tracy Anderson’s Pregnancy Project.
Workout Breakdown:
Disc 1: Trimesters 1 & 2
Mat Workout
– Seated core work: Similar to classic exercises that require you to engage the core muscles and twist or pulse, but in this video she has you support yourself by leaning back on your elbows or hands.
– Outer thigh exercises: some extensions, circles, and raises. 4 sets of 8 reps, per usual for MHB. Stretching in between each set.
– Inner thigh exercises: raises, little circles, some more complex patterns. 4 sets of 8 reps each. Stretching.
– Seated swan arms. 4 sets of 8 reps. Stretching in between.
Standing Work
– Standing stretches.
– Workout from the plie and lunge positions, using tendu, degage, and arabesque raises. Releves at the end in sixth position.
– Stretching.
– Standing arm exercises with light weights. Swan-arms based exercises (arms in first, second, etc.) using 1-2 pound weights.
– Stretching.
Gentle Stretch
– Some simple, relaxing stretches for the upper and lower body.
Disc 2: Trimesters 2 & 3
Mat Workout
– Seated arm workout with light weights. Swan arms based movements using the 1-2 lb. weights from Disc 1.
– Seated core workout: core exercises with additional modification options depending on the size of your bump.
– Outer thigh exercises: similar to those on disc one, with extensions and attitude raises added in.
– Stretching when switching between each leg.
– There’s one mistake on this DVD: she stretches laying down in between two outer thigh sets on one side, but doesn’t do this when repeating on the left leg.
– Stretching at the end.
Standing Workout
– Passes, releves from 1st and 4th positions mostly. Some lunge variations and isometric plies.
– Standing stretches.
– Standing arm work with light weights.
Stretching
Gentle Stretch
– Similar to the stretching workout on the first disc. Gentle stretching for upper and lower body.
PROS:
– Mary Helen’s presence is soothing (Attack of the Clones reference…). I’ve always enjoyed her personality as a trainer, but she’s more personable in these workouts than in her original classic workout. This is probably due to increased experience– her more recent streaming workouts also demonstrate a more engaging persona.
– You can easily see how she performs each move due to attire. She wears a leotard, tights, ballet slippers and warm-up shorts in each workout so you can clearly see her form.
– She consistently offers modifications for form in each exercise. Seated core exercises, prone parallel, seated arm exercises– there’s always a modification offered.
– She includes extensive stretching after each set of the exercises. These don’t seem like much, but they’re extremely helpful when you tire more easily early on in pregnancy.
– Speaking as a former ballerina, her form and posture are excellent, and she frequently reminds you not only to maintain good posture, but how to do this (lengthen through the neck, shoulders down and back, core pulled in as much as possible).
– Explains how you might still be able to engage certain core muscles even if you can’t feel others later in pregnancy.
– Upper body exercises help develop arm and back strength and encourage good posture. Very helpful during pregnancy.
– A gentle set of workouts that are excellent particularly if you don’t really workout but want to start in your pregnancy.
CONS:
– 1 mistake in the mat workout on disc 2 (stretching one side and not the other). Not too much of a problem if you remember to pause and complete the stretch on your own.
– It’s not that difficult a workout. It did burn a great deal the first few days I used it, but I strengthened up pretty quickly. This might be because I used to do a lot of her workouts and danced before that. You can increase the challenge by doing more sets though.
– There’s not much variety, which doesn’t bother me but might be tedious for other exercisers. Dancers are accustomed to repetition with the goal of perfecting a movement, so the constant sets of 8 structure doesn’t bother me.
– There’s no bridge work, which is good because that’s not always good in the second/third trimesters, but I would have liked some of it in the first trimester mat workout (even though morning sickness has made the bridge work nauseating…). There is a Ballet Beautiful Baby Bridge workout on Ballet Beautiful’s website though.
CONCLUSION:
Overall, I would say it’s excellent. On days when I’m not feeling good or feel too fatigued I’ll just do one of the 30 minute workouts (either a mat or standing workout). Other days I do a full hour (both mat and standing). I took off from exercises for a while before becoming pregnant, and these exercises were a little tough at first (they burned so bad!), but she’s very encouraging and right there with you and that helped me keep going. The workout does seem like it will get too easy after a little bit, so I’m going to purchase her BB Baby: Energized & Elegant set as well. As another reviewer mentioned, the Fit & Graceful is aimed at those with less experience in her workouts or with exercising, so I purchased it based on that guideline (thanks for the heads up, Leanne!). I imagine I’ll use the two sets interchangeably for as long as I can.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the cardio isn’t necessarily that strenuous, but my OB/GYN told me that it’s not recommended to let your heart rate go over 140 during pregnancy, so a gentler cardio isn’t too bad. I supplement with swimming and walking on a high incline on the treadmill a few times a week though.
Overall, I think this set is excellent. The exercises are helpful to improve strength, stability and flexibility, and they seem like they’ll help be get back in shape after delivery/before I’m ready to go back to my classic Ballet Beautiful workouts.”
sunshine –
bought this for a gift
“I bought this for my Daughter in Law, who is 3 months along. she was very excited to receive this bundle. I know she is looking forward to using this every week, we love working out with piano music and calm but effective toning exercises. Thank you for much for making this available in DVD format.”