Misty Copeland has a new book out and it’s one you need to add to your library ASAP. The ballerina and three-time author debuted “Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You” on March 21 and it’s currently climbing the charts. In the hardback title you can expect to read about the importance of loving your body, healthy recipes and exercises, and words of motivation from Misty that have helped her throughout her successful career.
“There has been a shift in recent years in which women no longer desire the bare bones of a runway model,” she says in an excerpt from the book. “Standards have changed: what women do want is a long, toned, powerful body with excellent posture.”
USA Today outlined the top 5 tips they learned after reading the book:
- Be mindful- Misty discusses the importance of mental clarity
- Good posture is everything- She says correct posture “magnifies your presence”
- Stretch whenever possible- Focus on the head, neck and shoulder roll
- Dance on the floor- You don’t need an injury to find new ways to stay fit.
- Don’t be afraid of fats- Helps keep your energy high
Nearly all of these make sense on its own, especially good posture and stretch when possible since Misty is a ballerina. But I was shocked to learn about her diet which is full of fats! Yes, you can have an incredible body by including healthy fats in your diet but it’s important to know this won’t work on everyone. But it’s important that people learn that fats are not necessarily as evil as originally thought.
“Eating it, absorbing it and burning it for energy — is the key to building the muscle and providing the strength so important for ballerinas and all elite athletes to perform at such a high level for hours, day in and day out,” she writes. “When dietary fat meets dietary fiber, you’ve got a great duo for shaping your body and boosting weight loss.”
She added, “Eating more omega-6 fats than omega-3s may cause you to gain weight,”
As with any dietary advice, it’s important that you consult with your doctor to see if a high fat diet will work for you. The most important takeaway from this book, is that she promotes finding a healthy balance that works for each individual.
