Between pursuing her two passions, acting and animal advocacy work, Kate Mara is living the good life. The vegan actress is all about using her platform for making the world a better place and she knows it starts with creating balance within herself. One of her favorite ways to relieve stress and recharge is working out at L.A.’s ‘Ballet Bodies’ 5 days a week. Celebrities that want a long, lean and toned ballerina body have been going to Ballet Bodies’ owner, Romi Rivera’s, classes. She includes a combination of her professional ballet training and Pilates moves in her workouts. Mara tells Shape Magazine “You have to focus so intensely when you’re doing ballet moves, and it’s a great way to clear your brain.” Try this Ballet Bodies workout and let us know if it has the same therapeutic effect on you!
When she’s not doing ballet bodies, she also finds time to save baby chimpanzees. How cool is she?!
Roll Downs into Rotations– Warm up the spine and core. Sit up tall with your legs bent and feet hip distance apart. Place you’re arms in a high 5th position over your head. Roll down one vertebrae at a time as you lower your arms, palms up. Once your entire spine is on the ground, bring your arms up over your head. Reach the arms forward as you peel your spine off the floor back into a seated position. Once at the top, straighten your back and posture as you lift the arms back into a high 5th position. Repeat. Do 8-10 and then hold at the top. Scoop your abs in as you lean slightly back and bring your arms in front of you like you’re holding a big beach ball. Without moving your legs, twist your torso off your hips to rotate to each side. Exhale with each twist. Do 8 on each side
5thPosition Hip Pikes– Lie on your back and bring your legs straight up in the air. Turn your legs out, point your toes and cross one leg over the other squeezing your inner thighs together. Press your triceps into the ground by your sides and use your lower abs to lift your legs and hips off the ground straight up into the air. Keep the work in your abs by not allowing your feet to come too close to your face. Do 2 sets of 16.
Plank Élevés– Get into a plank position on your forearms with your feet turned out, heels together, toes apart. Keep your abs scooped in as you point your feet, rolling onto the balls of your feet. Your entire body will shift forward. Flex the feet, pushing the heels back to move your plank backwards and complete one rep. Continue to move forward and back horizontally by pointing and flexing your feet at a steady pace. Do 2 sets of 16.
Attitude Wrap Around– Sit in a tabletop position with your left leg bent in front of you and your right leg behind you. Place your hands on the ground in front of you slightly wider than shoulder width apart for support. Try to stay as upright as possible as you use your entire right outer hip and oblique to lift the right knee off the ground. Without changing the shape of your leg or allowing it to drop, wrap it behind your body and then to the side again. Do 24 on each side.
Quadruped Développé– Get down on all fours with your hips directly over your knees and shoulders over your wrists. Keep your spine long and straight as you straighten your right leg in parallel behind you. Turn your right leg out as you pull your right knee into your right shoulder. Développé or extend the right leg straight out to the side trying not to drop your knee. Keep your right leg straight as you bring it back behind you in parallel. Do 8 reps and then reverse the movement. Repeat on the other side.
Are you a fan of Kate Mara? We are, obviously. ;D
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Photo: Kate Mara via Instagram
