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Ballet can be used to bring grace and beauty to anyone's body. Everyday more and more adults are using ballet as a form of loosing weight and toning the body.

Stepping toe first into the arena of adult ballet for overall enhancement of your body is definitely a step in the right direction. Many thousands of people, and not just professional dancers have looked to ballet as a beautiful and rewarding form of exercise ... yes even professional football players. Other than martial arts, ballet is the oldest form of disciplined movements created to tune and hone the body into peak overall condition. And, the best part is that you can do it in the comfort of your home without the need to compete with anyone but yourself.

Enhancement of the body through ballet is an achievement that simple exercise, such as jogging, cannot produce. Simple exercise such as jogging is usually performed on mental autopilot. Your mind is somewhere else. We have all seen someone exercising and reading a magazine, talking to the person on the next treadmill, or watching a television screen. These people are using the minimum of their power to transform their bodies, because they are only asking their body to perform a repetitive movement without a particular goal for the muscles. They are only demanding their body perform a normal function'burning fuel. The entire body is not involved, the mind is not involved'and the results are evident.

Ballet demands strict attention to every movement. Every movement must be performed to near perfection. This is only achieved when the mind is intently focused on every action and contraction made by every muscle in the body. Ballet demands that the hand move with the foot, and the head move with the legs, and every movement complements the other until this beautiful composition of motion is created. Ballet teaches the whole body to move in concert with itself, to be a balanced creature, aware of its' placement at every moment. This perception of the whole body as a cohesive blend of muscle responses allows the ballet dancer to have a marvelous sense of control ' which ultimately leads to a particular joy when performing ballet movements.

Beginning Adult Ballet -

As with any other exercise that has the potential of stressing the body, the most important element is common sense. Don't worry if you can't do all the exercises like a ballet dancer. Just do your best and have fun.

You will be performing a very wide range of movements, so dress accordingly. You are also preparing to perform ballet, a dance regimen that demands total awareness of the placement of your limbs, torso, feet and head. You must be able to see these placements, so you may wish to re-think the baggy sweat suit. But don't be too concerned with what you wear as long as it feels comfortable and doesn't hinder your movements. Circulation of the extremities is very important as well, many ballet dancers find layered apparel helps sustain and regulate circulation.

Footwear is as important as your clothing. You may wish to wear dance or ballet shoes, but many prefer to work barefoot or in socks. Put some thought into what you wear, because feet are what ballet pivots upon'ensure they are supported and comfortable.

After you have chosen your exercise attire, it is time to prepare your body to exercise. This means easing your cardio-vascular system into a higher gear, and waking your muscles up for your impending demands. Muscles respond with greater resilience when allowed to slowly fill with blood and oxygen, as opposed to sudden stress, where the muscle becomes quickly engorged with blood and cannot replenish oxygen quickly enough'and fatigue sets in even though the muscle strength has not expired.

Warming up should consist of several simple floor exercises that safely stretch your muscles. Never force a movement and never repeat a movement that creates pain. Pain is the warning signal'to stop, to slow down, to assess. Make your warm-up a mental warm-up as well, concentrating on the feeling of each muscle and each muscle group. Your warm-up movements should incorporate the heart of ballet teachings, meaning that even simple transitions of movements should be beautiful, flowing and controlled.

Your ballet exercises will require a "barre", or something that can provide the same function, like a counter, chair back or table. Your barre should be around waist high and very stable'do not use something that could tip over if you lose your balance. Ensure that you will also have free range of movement.

Ballet is a dance form enjoyed by thousands of people who reap the incredible rewards this exercise form affords. Graceful carriage, self-assured movements and a lovely, flexible body come to all who embrace ballet.