Quotes from Mary Helen Bowers

Have something that you enjoy, that satisfies you. For me, that is dark chocolate, red wine, and cheese. But make room in your life for vegetables and whole grains to nourish your body.

A calming place, where you can go to escape it all and just focus on your body, is so wonderful to have.

I think being in the right mindset is a huge challenge for women, who often take an all-or-nothing approach to working out or eating well.

One of the things I found as a dancer is that you're trying to perfect your body but also protect it and keep it injury-free. When you work against your own weight, you're still building lean muscle and bone density, but you're in a safer zone.

An all-white space has a purity that is refreshing and serene.

I'm very sensitive to salt. I always see and feel a big difference in my body when I eat it, so I try to consume salt in moderation.

I'll buy a special occasion dress even if I don't know when or where I'll wear it.

For a ballerina, the center of balance is everything - creating a strong center of balance begins with building strong abdominal muscles.

The muscles that are used in Ballet Beautiful are similar to those used in classic ballet. They're also muscles that don't get used very often, which is why it burns so much.

Before founding Ballet Beautiful, I was a ballerina with the New York City Ballet.

I like to think that when you take care of yourself, when you do nice things for yourself, it has a nice ripple effect on the rest of the world.

I don't believe in depriving myself; it's an unhealthy state of mind.

It's important to remember that life is hectic and unpredictable.

Ballet opens up the chest and the arms and elongates the body, so you carry yourself straighter. That's so important for a model. But also every woman.

Making fitness a priority will energize you, make you look and feel better, and help diffuse stress.

Carrying a baby is such hard work, I've found that the stronger I am, the better I feel.

My approach in general is to take really great care of my skin, but I try not to overdo it and not use too many crazy products.

A leotard is more versatile than you might think!

Designing and creating dance clothes has taken my love for dancewear to a whole other level, melding the creative process with my daily fashion and allowing me to bring my most dreamed-about ballet styles to life.

Working out should be empowering! It should make you look and feel strong, elegant, healthy - the best possible version of you.

I train a lot of celebrities, including a lot of women who work for Victoria's Secret as Angels.

When you dance, you engage your abs in every step.

All of the vintage photos of Ballets Russes are so inspiring.