Body Myths uncovered................

1. I'm slim so I don't need to exercise

FALSE! You might think you don't need to do regular exercise if you're slim but you still need to tone your muscles.  Slim people often have high body fat ratios ('skinny fat') and if this goes unchecked, they will continue to eat the same but gradually put on weight - unlike a regular exerciser who strengthens their muscles and is aware of any changes which occur to her body.

Also, women lose on average, ½ a pound of muscle per year after the age of 30.  This is BAD news as it means you burn less calories, leading to an increase in body fat percentage. Even if you weigh the same, your clothes may begin to get tighter and your body shape will change and become less toned and firm. BUT regular Lotte sessions prevent this by allowing you to retain and further strengthen your muscles ………forever!

2. Lotte Berk classes won't help me lose weight

FALSE! Each Lotte class burns approximately 350 calories an hour (and more if you have a lot of weight to lose).

3. I still need to do my aerobics class............

TRUE AND FALSE! The body needs aerobic exercise but never fear! Lotte is here!

Lotte is aerobic - aerobic exercise’ simply means exercise which keeps us moving for continuous amounts of time.  We don’t ‘jump around’ aimlessly like most ‘aerobics’ classes, however Lotte classes keep your cardiovascular fitness in check as well as being the best and most effective method for sculpting your body.

 4. All women can get a flat stomach

TRUE!  A common problem area for women.  Lotte students know that a typical class involves a lot of stomach work and that the stomach muscles are working even during exercises that look like they are targeting other muscle groups (such as ‘Escape’ and ‘No escape’).

 5. It will take me months to get a good body

FALSE! The Lotte Berk Technique shapes the muscles which even gives existing fat more defined contours and a better silhouette. So, even if you are not the size you want to be yet, by starting Lotte classes now, you will gain a shapelier body, increase your confidence and this, in turn, will encourage you to keep coming to class and watching what you eat!

Squeeze!

The pelvic floor muscle

Why work it?

As Lotte is a very ‘female’ class and so it is imperative that we do not ignore this muscle.  Childbirth, delaying going to the toilet, being overweight and aging all weaken this muscle but help is at hand as always in the form of Lotte Berk!

How to work it?   

Imagine that you  have just drunk a lot of water and that you  need to pass water (or even actually do this). Then imagine that there is no toilet at hand and that you will have to 'hold' the muscle that stops you going to the toilet. This is the 'pelvic floor' muscle that we 'squeeze' in class. 

How do we use the muscle in class?

In class we think of this muscle as having different 'levels' eg. 'the highest level' is the part of the muscle deepest inside your body.  

We identify each 'level' up the muscle.
For example, you'll hear the teacher say "Go to the lowest level and ‘squeeze’" or "go up to halfway and HOLD!" (which means identify and hold the muscle as if you are trying to stop yourself from passing water without actually squeezing it).

Many students find it difficult to locate it at first but with practice, your awareness of this muscle will improve and you will reap the benefits of this essential exercise.

Madonna

Calling all Lotte girls!! Check out Madonna's new fitness regime -  it's called Barre 3 and is yet ANOTHER workout which originates from the Lotte Berk Technique.

 

"With her perpetually buff arms and ripped abs, Madonna has always been a fitness trendsetter. Her newest strength-training obsession is Barre3, an hour-long workout routine  that combines ballet, Pilates exercises, and yoga poses". 

Luckily for you, Bend Stretch Fitness provides you with the ORIGINAL and BEST - 'The Lotte Berk Technique' - Exclusive to the UAE.......................

Lotte girls tips!

Lotte Girls Tips!

1. Avoid sugar! Sugar is stored more readily as excess weight around the stomach area! Try to drink milk with your tea instead

2. DO NOT use ‘Sweet & Low’ or ‘Candarel’ or drink Diet drinks –these will mess with your blood sugar levels and make you think you are hungry when you’re not!

3. Eat more protein- it will help you strengthen your muscles and keep them lean. The more lean muscle you have in your body, the more calories you burn even when you're sleeping and the better your body looks!! (think chicken breasts, lean meat, hummous, eggs, fish, nuts, milk and protein shakes,)

4. Push yourself in class – only you know if you’re working as hard as you possibly can! Give 150% every time and watch your body turn into a 'Lotte Body!'

5. Reduce your portion sizes – you CAN eat Mendi, Majboos and  3ish…..just eat LESS of it!

6. If you’re hungry – Eat! If you have to snack just try to make it something nutritious like fruit or unsalted nuts. DO NOT starve yourself!

7. Always eat before coming to class – Even if it’s a banana or a few dates. If your blood sugar is low you won’t train as hard as you should.

8. Get your 5 a day- It sounds simple but most people don’t (!) so TRY your best to eat at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day (more vegetables than fruit as fruit contains sugar called fructose). For example: spinach, mange tout, green beans, cannellini beans, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, peas, sweetcorn, sweet potato, peppers, tomatoes, baby corn,………

9. Come to class!– to see real results in your body, you need to train at least 3 times a week. You wouldn’t skip a trip to the salon so don’t skip Lotte! 

10.Remember Lotte’s words: “It is true that everything worthwhile in life is worth working hard for, and surely it is worth a little hard work to achieve a super shapely body that works well, a body full of vitality that makes you feel happy to be alive”

Lotte Berk in the Press

Victoria Beckham has embraced a new fitness fad taking Hollywood by storm.  

The mother of three, who is said to be trying for a baby girl, has been doing four classes a week of the punishing Core Fusion workout.

"Beckham was introduced to it by her Desperate Housewives pal Eva Longoria and they are now obsessed with it," says a source. "It combines core conditioning with Pilates, the Lotte Berk method designed by a German ballet dancer, interval training and yoga. It's amazing!"

"Teachers prodded every muscle into the exact position to work those spots my other workouts had left behind... students held on to their barrres, groaning through their moves as the teacher enthused, 'bend, stretch, wiggle, thrust!' This Jane Fonda meets Margot Fontaine workout was not only fun, it was sexy. I truly loved it. In fact after my first class I thought where has this exercise been all my life?... having lost an inch off my bottom and half an inch off my waist, I can face my bikini again. You can 'spot reduce'; it's called Lotte Berk."

Anna Magee (Red Magazine, Health Editor)

"Good posture can eliminate back pain, flatten a pot-belly, add a couple of inches to your height, provide stress relief, reduce headaches and sharpen up a saggy jaw-line. No wonder when it's done right it has the opposite sex captivated....Lotte Berk the formidable doyenne of deportment opened her doors to hundreds of women seeking improvement. Britt Ekland, Yasmin Le Bon, Joan Collins and Edna O'Brien are alumni who worked through the punishing pelvic tilts and back realignment techniques of the Lotte Berk Method. But the results are worth it: the late Ms Berk moved as though she were on rollers. She believed that to be ladylike was a way of life, but that, like a swan it should appear effortless, despite the hard work going on behind the scenes."

Kelly Gilbert (Vogue, Nov 2008)

"Hers is the most intense, effective form of exercise you can do - a cross between yoga and ballet that's designed to strengthen and stretch the body. Once you start, it almost becomes a drug - you just can't stop. In the Harper's office there are eight or ten women who go to Lotte Berk classes regularly and you can just see the results - long lean legs and a high bottom."

(Liz Tilberis, Editor of Harper's Bazaar) 

 

"Lotte is the hardest thing I have ever done, save for the London Marathon... the exercises which quite often seem like tiny postural corrections are killers once you get going.... closely allied to Pilates it is faster and more fun. Lotte is tough but it can really get you into shape.... everything bulked me up apart from the Lotte Berk Method which slimmed and elongated me."

Tina Caudoin (The Times)

"Lotte Berk is practically a cult among it's ladies.... they show up to sculpt, and the results are visible... Lotte traits are a defined back, thigh muscles as long and steely as knives, the 'deux petit pains-ish' buttocks."

(Rory Evans, Conde Nast Sports) 

 

 

"Lotte Berk is the woman who kickstarted the modern fitness industry... celebrities from the Sixties onwards - including Zoe Wanamaker, Maureen Lipman, Prue Leith, Shirley Conran, Joan Collins and Britt Ekland flocked to Berk's classes to improve their attractiveness in mini skirts. Lotte told them in a thick German accent, how to adapt suggestive poses. "Think of your lover as a string bean," recalls Leith being instructed as she squeezed her pelvis. In between bursts of helpless laughter, those strong enough to keep up became almost (though never quite) as svelte as Berk herself."

Cassandra Jardine (The Daily Telegraph, July 2010)

 

"On my first day of Core Fusion and after 20 squats at the barre (but who's counting?) my legs were shaking, and I was gasping for breath. The others around me seemed to move with strength and ease - obviously they were die-hards who had jumped on this craze long ago.

Fusion classes, which mix body sculpting with flexibility, strength training and balance work, have become the latest trend in fitness, and boutique gyms offering them are popping up from New York to Los Angeles.

The low-impact workout first became popular more than 30 years ago, with a fitness regime called the Lotte Berk Method that combines pilates, yoga, barre work and core conditioning. After working each muscle group, a corresponding stretch ensures that the muscles formed are long and lean, not short and bulky.

Although it's been three decades since its origination, the famed Lotte Berk Method has recently enjoyed a rebirth in popularity and spawned numerous other fusion-type classes."

(By Jessica Seid, CNNMoney.com staff writer

August 16 2006: 6:34 PM EDT)

 

 

Having just turned 36, and determined to remain stick-thin, Victoria Beckham has embraced a new fitness fad taking Hollywood by storm.

The mother of three, who is said to be trying for a baby girl, has been doing four classes a week of the punishing Core Fusion workout. ‘Victoria was introduced to it by her Desperate Housewives pal Eva Longoria and they are now obsessed with it,’ says a mole.

“It combines core conditioning with Pilates, the Lotte Berk method designed by a German ballet dancer, interval training and yoga. It’s amazing!”

Will you be the first girl to join Club 50?

 

 

Are you a regular Lotte Girl? Do you come to class '3 times a week' in the same way that you hit the salon?

Enter the competition to become the 1st Lotte Girl to complete 50 Lotte Lessons, join 'Club 50' and get the chance to win a prize!

Lotte Links!

Barre Based workouts are all the rage in the US and there are a huge number of Lotte Berk 'spin-offs' (copycat) workouts currently popular stateside. A few of these include:

·         Core Fusion (practiced by Julia Roberts, Victoria Beckham and Kelly Osbourne)

·         Physique 57 (practiced by Sofia Vergara and Kelly Ripa)

·         Barre 3 (Practiced by Madonna)

·         The Bar Method

·         Karve

·         Barre fitness

·         Callanetics

·         Pure Barre

·         The Dailey Method

·         Fluidity

·         BarrePhysique

·         PopPhysique

·         Go Figure

·         Body Fit

·         The Debbie Frank Studio

·         The Nalini method

·         Bodd...........

What do they all have in common? They all originate from the Lotte Berk Technique...... 

Here are links to some of the best Lotte Berk sites: 

http://www.lotte-berk.com/ 

http://www.barreworks.co.uk/Home.html 

 

Joelle loves Lotte Berk!

“The Lotte Berk Technique is my secret to getting the body of a dancer……..” Joelle Mardinian 

What to wear to class

Students should wear tight fitting clothes so the teacher can observe correct posture and technique during the exercises.


على المتدربات أرتداء ملابس الرياضة لكي تتمكن المدربة من مراقبة القوام وطريقة ممارسة
 التمارين من أجل تصحيحها.


We do not wear shoes in Lotte Berk classes.

For ideas on what kind of clothes to wear visit:

http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/

Esther Fairfax - Lotte Berk's daughter

“Mimi was a real pleasure to train. A brilliant student and quick to understand the philosophy and ethics of the Lotte Berk Technique. I am completely confident in the knowledge that she will keep the Lotte Berk Technique in its authentic and original form.”

Esther Fairfax, daughter of Lotte Berk

The studio

The relaxation room

The Ballet Barre

WHERE can I practise The Lotte Berk Technique?

I am the only certified teacher of the Lotte Berk Technique in the UAE. 

أنا المدربة الوحيدة المعتمدة في دولة الإمارات

I was trained by Esther Fairfax (daughter of Lotte Berk).

تدربت على يد السيدة/ إستر فارفكس ( أبنة السيدة/ لوتي بيرك )

My studio’s location:

Opposite Al Ain Mall

Same building as Dubai Islamic Bank and Tips & Toes

2^nd Floor

Apartment 203

 

Contact me on:

  

056 723 0692

info@lotte-berk.net

How to get the body of a dancer.......................

Tried the Gym, Yoga, Pilates, Yogalates, Power Plate, Aerobics, Aqua Aerobics, Step, Double Step, Bootcamp, Tums and Bums, Kettlebells, Ab Blaster, Body Conditioning, Body Pump, Boxercise, Fat Burner, Spinning, Body Attack…………………………………………??

Still not seeing the results you want in your body? That’s because you haven’t tried: 

                        The Lotte Berk Technique

What is The Lotte Berk Technique? 

Created by a Russian/German ballerina in London, The Lotte Berk Technique is an exercise method as essential to any woman’s beauty regime as red lipstick and weekly manicures. The technique is based on an hour of ballet training - the exercises ballet dancers use to tone, sculpt, lose inches and strengthen their bodies - ensuring any woman the body of a dancer whatever her age, fitness level or shape without dance. 

Why is it better than other forms of exercise?

 

You may burn calories jumping around in an aerobics class or running on the treadmill but you won’t lose inches or shape your body as effectively as you would during a Lotte class.  

o    The Lotte Berk Technique creates a toned, lean, long and strong body without even breaking a sweat!
o When practiced regularly, the exercises quickly increase muscle fibers and strength and lead to a permanent raise in your metabolism - meaning you burn more calories, even after class........

o   The ballet barre exercises are generally small and have a greater effect on muscle growth and increased stamina than moves typical to an aerobics class or gym session

o   The moves are both weight bearing and low impact– perfect for minimizing injury and preventing diseases such as osteoporosis and suitable for women of all ages and sizes to achieve their Lotte Body

o   This class is designed by a woman, for women only- producing an entirely feminine silhouette without any of the bulking up seen in regular gym goers.

o    LOTTE BERK CLASSES ARE FUN!!!!!

What will The Lotte Berk Technique do for you?

o   Give you the body of a dancer

o   Tone and firm your thighs and bottom

o   Flatten your stomach

o   Strengthen the deep core abdominal muscles

o   Stretch and lengthen your body

o   Improve your flexibility and posture

What happens in my classes?

o   You are led through a series of ballet warm ups and stretches with the use of a ballet barre for support

o   Leg and stomach exercises are undertaken standing, sitting or lying down

o   The class is set to upbeat music to motivate and uplift

o   You’ll have fun!