With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Salt Lake

I just got back from a fun-filled and very quick trip to Salt Lake. I flew there for 2 reasons: one was to visit my friends at NextFitness, formerly known as Podfitness, Jeff Hays and Alan Winters. (After a multi-year battle over trademark issues with Apple, and given their foray into areas far beyond iPods, they opted for the name change.) We kicked off my visit with a 2-hour hike through the mountains that was absolutely breathtaking - both visually and physically! I also had to do some voiceover recording for our latest project - a very exciting new product that I can’t wait to tell you more about. Stay tuned!

I also went to take a class with Doug Terry’s BodyGym Core System. The BodyGym is a deceptively simple unit - a bar with an attached elastic band - but it delivers an incredible workout. Fellow fitness fanatic Gaia Mannion taught the class and had me begging for mercy . . . almost. Check out this recent video of Gaia demonstrating a BodyGym workout.

My trip was a great reminder that fitness comes in many forms, and that you can take your workouts virtually everywhere - from the one-piece portable BodyGym unit to the latest development in exercise technology from NextFitness (again . . . stay tuned for more on this!) to the beauty of a good old-fashioned hike. Needless to say, by the time I hopped on my plane home Friday afternoon, not only was my mind buzzing with new ideas, but my legs, butt, and arms were burning, too.

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Step Out!

Want to do your part to help find a cure for Diabetes? Take a walk with me . . .

For more information on how you can join the fight and sign up to Step Out against Diabetes, click here!

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Fun with the “Fat Guy”

I’ve done my fair share of radio shows, but my recent interview with Dr. Fitness & The Fat Guy was a real kick!

These two are truly a dynamic duo - one is a former gym owner, and the other is a fitness trainer. Together, they’re a classic comedy combo with an entire online weight loss community, and a very entertaining web/radio show. Our conversation ran the gamut - we covered my career, from how I got my start in the industry to my latest DVD . . . and everything in between. They’re also not afraid to ask the tough questions - like whether it’s possible to work out wearing stiletto heels. (The answer? Not if you’re carrying weights.)

To hear the interview in its entirely, click here. It’s a hoot!

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Type 2 Diabetes: The Healthy Approach

The Healthy Approach to Fight Type 2 Diabetes
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, you may help manage or prevent it with this revolutionary new lifestyle program. I’m so proud to announce the release of Kathy Smith’s Project:YOU! Type 2™.

Research has shown that losing weight and having a healthy lifestyle may help prevent type 2 diabetes and its associated complications, such as cardiovascular disease.

Now for the first time, the American Diabetes Association has joined with Beachbody® and me to help fight this devastating disease.

By combining a delicious, easy-to-follow meal plan with a fun workout program for all fitness levels, Project:YOU! Type 2 is the first all-in-one, simple solution to help manage diabetes, reduce your risk for diabetes complications, and get you back in control of your life! Click here for more info on this groundbreaking new program.

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

AETNA

What better way to start a day of serious brainstorming and policy planning than with a workout?

Aetna Insurance company, at 150 years in business the oldest and one of the most respected insurance companies in the U.S., has asked me to help kick-off its annual senior corporate meeting of medical directors.

On September 29th and 30th, I’ll lead a group of senior executives in a series of exercises guaranteed to get their blood pumping and their bodies loose and limber for the work they want to accomplish.

Aetna has been a leader in educating people about healthcare and promoting preventative approaches to staying healthy. Their slogan, “We want you to know,®” expresses their corporate philosophy of making people aware of how to get take charge of their healthcare options.

I heard through the grapevine that the Vice President of Aetna, Tracey Veale, made a request for someone to teach a “Kathy Smith workout” at the conference. So I asked if she’d mind if I just showed up and did it myself.

Can’t wait!

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Farhan

I just got an email from my friend Kate Tinnerman at Morningstar Entertainment with this fun picture:

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That’s me with Farhan Dhalla, Reebok Master Trainer, at the Can-Fit-Pro conference. Thanks Farhan! Hope our paths cross again soon.

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Pump Up Your Protein

I’ve been meeting a group of girlfriends in the mornings to take a killer class at Burn 60 in Brentwood, which is so much fun: it mixes strength training with cardio, focusing on different body parts on different days (Chest & Abs on Monday, Full Body Circuit on Tuesday, Legs on Wednesday, Back & Arms on Thursday, etc.), and the instructor Jake Nugent keeps us motivated with a fun and infectious soundtrack. Lately we’ve been going about twice a week - so combining that with the rest of my routine (yoga, pilates, running, etc.) I’m really keeping my body guessing!

With all this activity, I’m making a concerted effort to up my protein intake. If you strength train regularly, many nutritionists recommend this little rule of thumb for measuring your daily protein: you should take in as many grams as your body weight. So if you weigh 125 pounds (and you’re doing frequent resistance training), you should consume about 125 grams of protein a day. So I thought I’d share with you some creative ways to bump up your dosage . . .

One quick, easy, and tasty trick is to mix cereal with protein powder. I like to start by putting a bowl with some frozen berries in the microwave until they’re warm and a little gooey, and then add a high-fiber, low-sugar cereal, like Special K’s Protein Plus or Uncle Sam’s. Add some protein powder (I love Rainbow Light and Syntha-6 brands), pour on some soy milk (Trader Joe’s makes a great organic, no-sugar-added variety), and voila! You’ve got a mouth-watering treat that’s packed with roughly 40 grams of protein!

I’ll keep you posted throughout the week on my quest . . . and I’d love to hear from you, too. Any suggestions on how to pack in some more protein? Click “Comments” below and let us know!

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Perfect!

I just shot another round of my “Fit In A Minute” segments for the Lifetime show HealthCorner with Leeza Gibbons on Friday. I have such a good time with the crew - our producer Allysa Adams, with Jeremy behind the camera, Bo on sound, and Michelle on teleprompter - we’ve worked together a few times now, so it’s a pretty efficient operation.

One of the segments focused on snacks, and during a break we were all naming our favorite snack items. I always love to share my new healthy treat discoveries . . . and hot off the press, here’s my latest infatuation:

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Lately, every time I take a trip to Whole Foods, I can’t resist picking up a few of these Perfect Foods Bars (and no, I’m not making any money endorsing them!) - especially the Carob Chip and Peanut Butter flavors!

It’s a mouth-watering, guilt-free, protein-and-nutrient-packed little indulgence - made with whole food concentrates. I just can’t get enough!

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

25 Years in 90 Seconds!

Thought you might get a kick out of this montage of my videos - legwarmers and all! It’s a fun little trip down memory lane . . .

With over 16 million workout videos sold since 1980, Kathy Smith has become a household name in fitness. A mother of two, Kathy also serves on the board of the USC School of Gerontology, the Women's Sports Foundation and is a recipient of the IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award from IDEA Health & Fitness, the world's largest professional fitness organization.

Oh, Canada

Just got back from my whirlwind trip to Toronto, where I gave the keynote at the Can-Fit-Pro conference (the largest fitness conference in North America). I’ve always loved visiting Canada, and of course any kind of health-related event is like Disneyland for me. But this trip, this particular event, definitely ranks as one of the all-time best.

I kicked off my adventure doing some press for my book and DVDs - I appeared on some popular morning shows like Canada AM and Breakfast TV, as well as Star TV, some radio shows and newspaper interviews. A couple friends/associates in the area, Kate Tinnerman and Jenny Mulkins, helped orchestrate this press tour, and by the second day, even though I was having a blast, I was ready for a break. But the trip hadn’t even begun.

My evenings were pretty packed, too: I did a book and DVD signing at Indigo/Chapters (which is comparable to a Barnes & Noble or Borders) and participated in Can-Fit-Pro’s World’s Largest Cycling Class (we broke the world record thanks to Mo Hagan’s tenacity!). Can-Fit also put together a contest for instructors to appear in my next video, and I got to join in the selection process. It was so much fun sharing the stage with all that talent - they were all so strong and vibrant that it made choosing just one of them a rather difficult task. More later on our lucky winner!

Things got really interesting on Friday morning when I helped kick off the conference with a keynote presentation. I spoke to a group of 5,000 people - personal trainers, club owners, instructors, product inventors, and general enthusiasts. Talk about preaching to the choir! Instead of focusing on diet or exercise, my speech focused on some success principles - what I call my “Six Gamechangers” - defining ideas or moments in my life that really shaped me as a person and as a professional. The feedback was overwhelming - I was stunned to receive a standing ovation, and got so many beautiful compliments and congratulatory words from the crowd afterward. It was such an incredible feeling of satisfaction. My mission has always been to inspire the best in others, but in this case, I was able to inspire the inspirers, and motivate the motivators.

The rest of the weekend was also nonstop fun. From the powerful awards ceremony to the vast array of classes available, I have so many cherished memories from the experience. But the thing that will have the most lasting impact for me are the wonderful, dedicated, real, and authentic professionals I met along the way - those who give 110% to this industry. People like David “Patch” Patchell-Evans, Founder of Goodlife Fitness (Canada’s largest club chain); My good friend Douglas Brooks receiving an award for International Presenter; the inspirational Lindsay and Moira Merrithew, founders of Stott Pilates; and, I finally got to meet Beto Perez, creator of Zumba - we even got to dance together on stage! His energy is explosive, and, as I’m sure you can imagine, his moves aren’t too shabby either.

I’ve never felt prouder to be part of this community.