Mila Kunis is a celebrity actress who, like many, has had to lose weight for a movie role. The already slim actress dropped an amazing 20 pounds for her role in the movie Black Swan. One might imagine someone already so thin, without extra weight to lose, would have to resort to dangerous crash dieting, but not so, she says. She just believed in herself. Kunis sat down with British women’s magazine Glamour to discuss the dramatic weight loss.
Kunis was skeptical that she would be able to drop the 20 pounds from her already slim frame to portray a ballerina alongside Natalie Portman in the mind-bending movie, but was amazed by what her own body was able to do.
“I’m a huge foodie. I love food. But when people say, ‘I can’t lose weight,’ no no no, you can. Your body can do everything and anything, you just have to want to do it,” Kunis stated. “I believed I could do anything. I never for one moment thought that I couldn’t do it. I believe in hard work. In self-drive and self-worth.”
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Ballet dancers are well known for their long, lean muscles, and actress Natalie Portman really gave it her all when she was chosen to play the lead in the new movie Black Swan. In addition to a rigorous diet, she followed a strict 5-8 hour exercise schedule, working with former professional dancer Mary Helen Bowers. Bowers, the founder of Ballet Beautiful, a program that combines traditional ballet with stretching and strengthening exercises, worked with Portman 6 days a week.
“With Natalie, I was focused on making sure her body was that specific shape of a ballerina by strengthening the backs and insides of her legs,” says Bowers. “With ballet you’re really focused on the inner thigh and butt, and just lifting and lengthening everything, including your arms. You’re not using weights but holding up the weight of your own arms is a challenge.”
Try one of Ballet Beautiful’s signature moves, the Ballet Beautiful Bridge. This move targets your inner thighs, the backs of the legs and your glutes — tightening and toning the area from your knees to your waist and giving you a lifted and sculpted bottom.
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As a ballerina who overcame anorexia, the last thing Jennifer Ringer probably wanted was to be criticized for her weight by a New York Times critic. In a recent review of “The Nutcracker,” said that she, as the sugar plum fairy, “looked as if she’d eaten one sugar plum too many.” The comment hurt initially but is just part of being a professional in a field that demands perfection from those who work in it.
“As a dancer, I do put myself out there to be criticized, and my body is part of my art form,” Jenifer Ringer, 37, told TODAY’s Ann Curry during an interview Monday. “At the same time, I am not overweight.”
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Actress Natalie Portman portrays a prima ballerina in the upcoming film Black Swan, and she was determined to look the part. “[Natalie] took [the role] very seriously,” said director Darren Aronofsky. “These dancers get really, really skinny.”
Natalie took her diet and workouts to such an extreme that Darren began to worry about her. “At a certain point I looked at her back and she was so skinny and so cut — I was like, ‘Natalie, start eating,’” Darren told Access Hollywood. “I made sure she had a bunch of food in her trailer.”
The 29-year-old actress said she’s glad to be done with the filming, so that she can go back to her normal eating habits. Portman is a vocal supporter of vegetarianism, and indulged in pasta when shooting ended. “It was pretty immediate. I was ready to leave the ballet life,” she said. “I was like, ‘Please don’t let there be re-shoots for this [film] because I don’t think I could get back into the costumes!’”
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Guest blogger Carrie Rezabek is the CEO and creator of Pure Barre. Carrie grew up dancing, performing and choreographing events all over the U.S. After earning a business degree from Michigan State University and a law degree from Wayne State University, Carrie opened her first studio in 2001. Pure Barre now has 18 franchised locations throughout the U.S., as well as a DVD series for home-users. To find a studio near you or purchase a Pure Barre DVD, please visit Pure Barre.
It’s universally agreed that dancers have beautiful bodies – long, lean, athletic and feminine. The most effective way to achieve a dancer’s body is by doing a ballet-barre-based workout. Pure Barre is just that. The technique utilizes the ballet barre to perform small isometric movements working each muscle to fatigue and then stretching that muscle right back out. There is no impact so the workout is extremely safe and the technique is highly effective. We have seen women lose 12-13 inches in just one month.
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