Cynthia Salas
Piloxing Instructor, Stockton
Cynthia Salas became a fitness instructor ten years ago after the birth of her fifth child. Today, she is one of only two certified Piloxing instructors in the area. We caught up with Cynthia to find out more about this new fitness craze.
What is Piloxing?
Piloxing is a fusion between the
elements of pilates and boxing. What's
nice is that pilates is traditionally a mat
work. This is done standing. We do a
block of boxing and a block of pilates,
with dancing in between.
What areas are targeted
in Piloxing?
With pilates, we're learning about the
core and balance. It also sculpts the
arm muscles. The boxing aspect adds
speed and agility. We use weighted
gloves so those add resistance.
Piloxing also incorporates cardio for fat
burning.
What has the response been from
your Piloxing participants?
They say, "You're hardcore, you're
brutal. But you're going to push me
where I know I won't push myself."
I don't push to intimidate, I push to
bring people to that next level out of
their comfort zone. I always tell them,
"You've gotta push from within."
Someone asked me if I was in the
Marines because I make them count
down with me and I say, "Give me eight
more!" I also say, "Hoo-ah!" They ask
me, "Are you sure you weren't in the
Marines?" No, that's just the way I roll.
They call me CC, for Crazy Cynthia.
How do your participants
affect you?
They inspire me. I get women who
are 70-something years old and
they're in class, giving their all. So they
inspire me to give my all. There's an
interesting thing that happens in group
exercise; there's a community that is
formed.
What do you want people to take
away from your class?
I like to empower women because
we're the nurturers, and give of
ourselves 110 percent. It's okay for
you to take time and work out. Life is
going to always be there, whether it's
divorce, death in the family, or loss of
a job or home. You still need to take
care of yourself, and exercise does
that and gives you a balance in life.
With working out, there's an interesting
thing that happens. It's not only a
physical transformation; it's a spiritual
transformation.
What made you want to become a
fitness instructor?
I had a really bad pregnancy with my
fifth child. After he was born, my blood
pressure didn't go down. The doctor
said, 'You need to do something for
yourself.' When you're in the everyday
hustle and bustle of being a mom,
everyone else becomes important,
not yourself. I had a newborn and four
other kids who were 2, 4, 6, and 8.
Where am I going to have the energy
to go the gym and exercise? But I
said, "OK, I'm 32 and I have high blood
pressure. That's not good." So it was
my health concerns that got me into
the gym. I got hooked. After three
months, I was recruited to become a
group exercise instructor.
For more information: piloxing.com
