Black Swan

room over the garage black swan natalie portman In the thriller Black Swan, Natalie Portman plays a NYC ballerina. I have not yet seen the move, but have watched the trailer. There is no doubt that Natalie's long lines and lean muscles took hard work and dedication. How did she do it!? After some reading I found out that for a whole year Natalie trained under Mary Helen Bowers, the founder of the Beautiful Ballet method, and a former NYC ballerina herself. For 5-8 hours a day, and 6 days a week, Natalie would combine strengthening, stretching and traditional ballet movements. Most of the work was done using Natalies own body weight resistance, even with her arms. Can't wait to see the movie!

This type of workout gets me excited. This is what I LOVE to teach. I can not wait to bring some inspiration into class!

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Brandon Bettencourt and filed under fitness.

Zenergy

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in a training for a new class called Zenergy. Zenergy was created by Maryanne Blake and is now the signature class of Sports Club LA. Maryanne, whose home base is Boston, is traveling all over the country to train other employees of SCLA in this exclusive class format. Zenergy is "a dynamic fusion class that maximizes the benefits of traditional yoga poses with powerful athletic movements". Maryanne craftily combined what one would consider two totally different athletic workouts into one smooth flowing and thoughtful sequencing.

Not only did I meet amazing and talented instructors at the training, but for days after the training my glutes were the most sore they have every been! My body felt great, energized, and strong. For the first time in years I was striking yoga poses, and loving it. Zenergy creates a great balance between yoga and athletic training; it is for sure a class everyone can and will love.

Posted on December 1, 2010 by Brandon Bettencourt and filed under fitness.

Thanksgiving treats

When it comes to dessert, my family is intense. We LOVE our food... and dessert is always a must. There are so many options come Thanksgiving, and I never know which way to steer. So I decided to compare some popular pies... (serving size: 1/6 of an 8" of a pie) *Please note I am sure different brands offer different nutritional content, this is just based on ONE source. Thanks!

Apple Pumpkin Pecan

277 229 500 calories

12.9 g 10.4 g 22g total fat

18.3g 15,1 g 33g sugar

7.7g 29.8 g 62g carbs

Enjoy your family, enjoy your food, and keep dancing!

Posted on November 22, 2010 by Brandon Bettencourt and filed under food.

holiday gift idea!

The holiday season is right around the corner, and we often feel the stress of finding the perfect gift. STRESS no more! I encourage you to check out my art, where you will find great quality, affordable, vibrant, story-telling paintings! If you have a certain color scheme in mind, email me. All paintings are acrylic on treated canvas. just recently finished this one... "blue space" 28"X36"