How Lauren Fadeley Tranforms the Beach into a Gym

Miami City Ballet principal soloist Lauren Fadeley uses company class, her home gym and the beach to stay strong.

Amped-up class:
Since joining Miami City Ballet in 2016, Lauren Fadeley has found new challenges in company class. “It’s more intense and aerobic than I’m used to,” she says. Her approach: It’s not a casual warm-up but a daily opportunity to practice everything correctly, so it’s automatic onstage.

All-day fitness:
After barre, you may find Fadeley doing bridges—”I like to be able to feel the lift in my butt”—and ab work to stabilize her body for adagio. During lunch, she does a few minutes of free weights or the elliptical, and on longer breaks, she’ll get a Pilates lesson from corps member Christie Sciturro.

Ocean escape:
MCB’s studios are two blocks from the beach, so Fadeley keeps a bathing suit in her locker. “After a long day, it’s nice to jump in the water and tread for a little bit, kick out my legs and relax,” she says. Strolling on the sand has also helped her metatarsals, which tend to drop or shift. She focuses on rolling through her feet and finding correct alignment.

At the theater:
Before going onstage, Fadeley always does a downward dog and takes a deep breath to calm her mind and body. Since her calves cramp up quickly, she’ll spend the short offstage breaks between entrances standing on a calf board, a slanted platform for stretching.

Hanging out:
Fadeley’s garage doubles as a home gym, stocked with a spin bike and weight bench. But her favorite item is her inversion table. She’ll hang upside down for 5 to 10 minutes, often when she’s killing time while doing laundry. “The lengthening aspects of it are wonderful because I have a short torso.” It also releases her ankles, hips and neck.

On her day off:
Fadeley goes to her longest physical therapy session of the week on Mondays. Afterward, she does 30 minutes on the elliptical, usually on its “performance” program, which gradually builds resistance and incline. “I think: If I can get through this, I can rock that ballet.”