In this podcast, we hear from Pilates expert, Sylvia Favela. 
Sylvia is my long time Cali BFF. She’s been teaching Pilates for over ten years. Currently she helps Pilates business owners reach more people with the gift of Pilates. She says that Pilates keeps her pain free after having suffered debilitating pain from a car crash. She also says that as a child she needed to wear corrective shoes to help her gait. She no longer feels pain (or the pain of wearing corrective shoes!) due to the benefits of developing a strong core from Pilates. Let’s jump into the interview:
Q: Where do most people go wrong when trying to flatten their belly?
A: Sadly, many women are doing the wrong type of exercise and won’t see belly flattening results. Another issue is that women don’t eat in an effort to look bikini ready. This only serves to dampen the metabolism.
Q: What about cardio?
A: If cardio takes you to your happy place, by all means, go for it, but don’t expect transformative results or a flat belly from traditional cardio alone.
Q: You mentioned nutrition, how does a healthy diet play into achieving a flat belly?
A: A common issue is that women constantly are on restrictive diets or refuse to eat. This simply slows down the metabolism. A woman can’t feel energized and empowered with no fuel so it’s very important to EAT – whole healthy foods regularly.
Q: What other factors play into a flat belly and how can a woman benefit from Pilates?
A: Any woman who’s had any abdominal trauma may not know how to engage their abdominals so it’s important to get the muscles turned on again. Pilates exercises help a women engage the core so that she can contract the abdominal muscles and lift the pelvic floor. The abdomen becomes like a corset which helps greatly reduce or completely eliminate back pain.
As we age, many women suffer from a pro-lapsed bladder and/or uterus (almost like ‘things are falling out!’). Corrective surgery can often be prevented when a women practices Pilates.
Q: Surprise question: what is your guilty pleasure? Is it okay to have a guilty pleasure and still be able to have a flat tummy?
A: I love doughnuts! And yes, I enjoy them as a treat from time to time. No food is completely off limits. When you practice healthy habits the majority of the time, you can enjoy treats within reason.
Q: Tell us more about how to incorporate Pilates into your plan.
A: You can do Pilates a few times a week for short workouts to help strengthen the core, ease back pain and flatten your belly. There’s no need to do hours of exercise and Pilates is no different. You can even add some Pilates moves after your regular workout.
As well, there’s NO need for fancy equipment so you don’t need to buy or go to a studio with cumbersome reformers to fully benefit from Pilates.
If you’d like to discover more about Pilates with Sylvia, check out her bodyweight Pilates program here.
Make sure to tune into my Heathy Secrets Facebook group here:
You’ll find an amazingly supportive group of women there as well as a ton of great content to help you through your fitness and fat loss journey.
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