An expectant ballet instructor has been photographed while dancing at 39 weeks pregnant. Mary Helen Bowers, 34, from New York City, says that her routines have enhanced her pregnancy, and has even inspired her to create a ballet-based pre-natal workout.
The creator of the Ballet Beautiful workout told Elle.com: ‘By continuing to work out and dance while pregnant, I feel a double reward from maintaining my normal routine, but all the while knowing that baby is sharing in my day.’ Ms Bowers is best known for training the Victoria’s Secret Angels and getting Natalie Portman ready for her role in Black Swan. Prior to starting Ballet Beautiful, she danced with the New York City Ballet for over a decade.
She says that dance has helped her maintain body strength, which has alleviated some of pregnancy’s notoriously unpleasant side effects. ‘I’ve avoided back pain and swelling by keeping my core strong and body moving. I feel terrific and plan to work and workout until the end,’ she wrote. Ms Bowers says that she is physically cautious for the sake of her child, and that her doctor is completely on board with her exercise plan.
Ms Bowers’s pregnancy has even inspired her to create a pre-natal specific Ballet Beautiful workout. ‘[My doctor] is incredibly supportive of me not only continuing with my workout, but also with maintaining my regular routine: running my business, creating a new pre-natal series for BB, the works! Pregnancy can be a really exciting and creative time!’ she said. In studio portraits and photos posted to her Instagram account, Ms Bowers appears toned, graceful, and at ease with her figure in a series of tight leotards.
Ms Bowers’s biggest piece of advice to active, expecting mothers is not to fight the changes happening in their bodies. ‘My approach has been to embrace the bump and my ever-changing physique,’ she wrote. ‘Rather than fighting the changes in my body, I’m celebrating them and I love seeing other women do the same.’
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