WHILE MOST people tend to look 10 lbs heavier in photographs, no thanks to the intrinsic distortion of the camera lens, foodie Crickette Tantoco is photogenic and fit as a result of tennis and Pilates. Lately, certified exercise coach and dietitian Aohra ?Wawa? Feliciano guides her to build the much-needed curves.

When she?s not doing civic work, she is a dedicated follower of fitness trends ranging from swimming, step aerobics and cycling to skateboarding and yoga. When there?s an interesting gadget on TV, she won?t hesitate to try it. Of the physical activities she?s engaged in though, tennis and Stott Pilates have helped her maintain her weight.

She enjoys savoring new dishes and checking out restaurants, and insists on eating rice in every meal. But before she found the right fitness activities, she?d have a ?yo-yo syndrome? with her weight. Today, regular tennis helps her burn calories. ?You?re always moving so the hour flies quickly. I don?t feel like I?m exercising,? she says.

For overall body conditioning, she works out with Marilen Concepcion, a Stott Pilates instructor and one of the owners of B+B Studio. Stott Pilates incorporates contemporary exercise tenets in core training and an updated approach in the use of the spine.

While the classical method teaches there is a connection between stomach muscles and a flat back, Stott Pilates espouses the need for exercises that maintain the natural curves of the spine. It also focuses on equalizing the muscles around the joints, deeper and expansive breathing and proper placement of the rib cage and shoulders.

?Marilen Concepcion made me more aware of my body?its strengths and weaknesses,? says Crickette. Stott Pilates helps her push her limits and discover muscular imbalances. She pays attention to maintaining a balanced distribution of weight throughout the body and to the correct placement of muscles and bones.

?I?ve been engaged in sports and exercise all my life. I never had the self-knowledge of the body in the way Pilates offered it. In other sports, the imbalances and weaknesses are hidden. In Pilates you can?t hide it,? she says.

Get the right curves

Crickette has been training under Feliciano for three years now. Feliciano, who is discreet about her A-list client, describes her program as ?sculpting with balanced fitness.? She points out that each program is individualized to suit the proportions and fitness level of her client.

?I don?t do away with moving, lifting and stretching which address the components of fitness?strength, endurance, balance and flexibility,? says Feliciano.

?Most programs keep you lithe and streamlined but sacrifice the curves in the end. I introduce sculpting moves which enable the clients to achieve their desired proportions and to firm up. The programs are customized. Any body is beautiful even if you are bigger. Proportion makes the body beautiful. The goal is that when you walk into the room, you stand out and look gorgeous,? says Feliciano.

She offers many exercises which target muscles that can?t be reached by weights, machines or other techniques.

?The exercises involve extensions, rotation, toning and fusing isolated and integrated movements. They all aim to get the client into the right size before they start toning,? says the trainer. The secret is in moving slowly and with control to empower the muscle instead of relying on momentum.

For Crickette, she designed a program that combines compound moves of cardiovascular activity and sculpting.

?At the start, Crickette had a good exercise history and was highly motivated, but she was a bit squarish. A change of musculature is possible with the right exercise. We made sure that the different parts of her body are in the correct ratio to each other so that she is more graceful-looking. Crickette is curvier now,? says Feliciano.

From a squarish body shape, Crickette now has an hour-glass figure. The main agenda was the posterior. ?Crickette had a tight butt, but now it?s perky and lifted. In the butt exercises, we also eliminate the banana fold by combining stretches and resistance exercises,? explains Feliciano.

Crickette recalls, ?Based on my measurements, I initially had lots of squats because my butt was getting saggy.? She makes a conscious effort to squeeze the cheeks or gluteal muscles with control to get a firm derriere.

For her weak back, Crickette does core strengthening exercises combined with light weights. Some exercises employ the BOSU (Both Sides Utilized) ball, which is half of an exercise ball. The body learns to develop balance because many core muscles are needed in order to stand up on the ball.

?The BOSU ball challenges your stability. You are forced to work on your abdomen while working the heart,? says Feliciano.

To give her body the illusion of a tiny waistline, Crickette was also given exercises to develop the shoulders and arms.

Cross-training

As a mover, Crickette also uses the gliding disk which recruits the thighs. She performs compound exercises or a combination of upper body exercises while sashaying on polymer discs.

Feliciano points out the importance of cross-training outside the individual?s main fitness activities. ?This contributes to her total look,? she says.

Crickette has been waxing enthusiastic over the rebound exercise in her Urban Outfitter mini-trampoline. Jumping and bouncing on the trampoline make the legs more powerful so that they act as a complementary pump for invigorating the heart. Bouncing compresses the toxins from the body as it is pulled by gravity. Then, its subsequent propulsion in the air decreases the pressure in the cells and stimulates the flow of nutrients and blood circulation. Feliciano adds that as a low-impact exercise, rebound exercises take the pressure off the weight-bearing joints.

With her workout with Feliciano, Tantoco is all smiles?and it?s not just because of her buns. ?The ideal is not about being thin. Everybody wants that. It?s about being proportioned and having curves.?