Ballet gives you a full-body exercise as you dance from your pointed toes to the fingertips raised above your head. When you're not in class, you can still practice your steps at home with the aid of a ballet mat and bar, also called a "barre." Even if you've never taken a ballet class, you can still reap the mental and physical benefits of basic ballet exercises.
Equipment
For individual use, purchase a freestanding wooden bar or one that mounts on your wall. Multiuse bars allow you to move the bar from the wall to the floor as needed. The bar should sit about 4 feet from the ground and be around 4 feet to 5 feet long. Many bars have adjustable heights. You can use a gym mat for many ballet-inspired exercises. Also called tumbling mats, a small gym mat measures 2 inches thick and 4 feet wide, and may be 6 feet or longer. Filled with a dense foam or similar material, the mats cushion your body as you exercise and help break your fall if you lose your balance.
Bar Exercises
The bar helps you stretch your legs and keep your balance. For a good leg stretch, extend one leg up to the bar and lean into your leg with your back and arm. Practice lifting up to your toes from the five basic ballet positions. At the bar, you can plie, which is to bend from the knees with your feet turned out. In a demi-plie, you bend halfway down, whereas in a grand plie, you bend down until your thighs are horizontal. Holding the bar lightly with one hand, you can practice balancing on one foot while you kick your other foot out in front of you, to the side and behind you.
Mat Exercises
You can also exercise on the mat, focusing on your flexibility and muscle strength. Sit in a straddle with your legs outstretched to your left and right. Lean forward as far as you can, attempting to touch your stomach to the mat. You should feel the stretch in your thighs and back. Bring your legs together and lean forward in the same way. Flex and point your toes as you stretch. To increase your core muscle strength, try the ballet twist exercise recommended by "Fitness" magazine. Sit on the mat with your legs pressed together. Lean back 45 degrees with your arms overhead, in fifth position. Twist your torso to the right, bringing your right arm to the floor. Hold for three seconds. Then repeat the twist on your left side.
Benefits
Ballet and ballet-related exercises can improve your muscle strength, coordination, flexibility and balance. When you're dancing at the bar, you're engaging in weight-bearing exercise, which can improve your bone-density and reduce your risk for osteoporosis, notes "Fitness" magazine. Ballet also benefits your mental health: when you exercise at the bar or on the mat, your brain produces endorphins, which help you feel more peaceful and happy, notes KidsHealth.org.
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