Fitness Files: SALT by Sheyla

Sheyla Cintron is a native of Puerto Rico classically trained in ballet. She started her career at an early age dancing with the San Juan Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and Hartford Ballet. Upon coming to the states, Sheyla expanded her dancing career to Broadway with roles in Cats, West Side Story, as well as many National tours. Although she focused on dance, her real passion has always been fitness. After many years of research Sheyla has developed a revolutionary format (SALT) which stands for sculpting aerobic lengthening technique, featuring her own “SALT bar”. Sheyla has combined her background in Pilates, strength training, martial arts and dance to create a truly unique format that is plateau proof. Continue reading to learn more about Sheyla and her SALT technique. 

NMF: Has fitness always been a major part of your life or was there a catalyst/point in your life when you made it more of a focus and priority?

SC: Fitness has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up on a farm in Puerto Rico with limited access to anything except the satellite dish my dad purchased in order to keep us from watching over sexed Puerto Rican TV. I was obsessed with Mousercize (Disney Channel workout morning show for kids), I also hacked into my moms Jane Fonda Challenge VHS when I was 7. So, I was born and it is in my bones to love fitness

There have been several catalysts that have reignited my love for fitness. One of the happened 15 years ago when I was mugged on the subway in NYC. I was prescribed physical therapy which consisted of ice and NOTHING! One of my dancer counterparts was getting certified in Pilates at the time, she suggested I try it in lieu of therapy. I was back on my feet dancing faster that expected. I decided to get certified and this is one of the times I felt Ignited that love of fitness. I'm a huge fan of Joseph Pilates, but I always wanted more and felt something was missing. 

NMF: What are a few of your go-to healthy snacks/drinks that help keep you on the straight and narrow?

SC: Avocado is my #1 go to snack. I can throw it in my bag and don't even need utensils to eat it. Literally bite a little piece off and i can squeeze all the goodness out, although I prefer it with some kind of organic specialty spicy sea salt. As far as drinks are concerned I love running into whole foods or some kind of organic store and getting the best organic juice blend (kale, pineapple, spinach, beets, ...) they have. It might cost me $7 to $12 but, hey thats a whole meal and if you look at it that way, its a pretty good deal. One of my favorite healthy treats is moms in the raw truffle balls (almond butter and matcha powder are my fave)

NMF: At Nadia Murdock Fit our motto is “Train Your Mind, Change Your Body” so we must ask: How do you train your mind and stay motivated?

SC: By forgiving myself when I fall off the wagon. It is not about not falling off the wagon but, how fast you get back on. 

NMF: How do you change your body?  What are your fitness favorites?

SC: First I must say, in my opinion, its not about changing your body. You can change your body all you want however if you have low self-esteem it won't matter. To me, its about going from the inside out. Make good food choices (not dieting!), read self help books, find something that empowers you and move your body. Everyone has different needs. There is no one right recipe.

For me? I eat super healthy with the occasional garlic fries indulgence, I do SALT by Sheyla and I try to find activities that are active and fun. I limit my time in front of the TV, I don't eat candy and I open my heart and let those I love know I love them. This is how I "change" my body. Again, everybody is different.

For more information visit: http://www.saltbysheyla.com/ 

Nadia 

Training minds, changing bodies!

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