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.

What an honor….

There are some days you wish would never end…I experienced one of those last weekend when I was thrilled to receive a Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 30th Anniversary for the Samata Yoga Center.

It was wonderful to spend some time with my friend Larry Payne, internationally renowned yoga instructor (who wrote Yoga For Dummies, Yoga RX, and more). He’s done so much to bring the benefits of yoga to the masses, inspiring millions with his programs and teacher trainings. It’s a humbling experience to be honored by one of your heroes.

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.

Move

Check out my facebook page for a 30-second tutorial on one of my favorite full-body moves. –>

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.

Good

I had a blast on Good Morning America Health yesterday here in chilly NYC. Click here to check out our segment on “Boomer Fitness,” highlighting moves from my new Rejuvenation kits. As you’ll see if you follow along with our workout demo, these moves aren’t just for boomers! –>

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.

What

On Wednesday, I drove to Anaheim for the IDEA Convention with my good friend and associate, Jackie Mendes. Even though it’s been a while, Jackie and I fell right into our very comfortable, familiar groove - and we had a blast. It’s such a great feeling to see the faces of old friends like Douglas Brooks, Candice Copeland, Josie Gardiner, Jay Blahnik, and of course, the creators of the whole thing, Kathie & Peter Davis. I visited Tony Horton (Mr. P90-X himself) at his booth, and he challenged me to a push-up contest. Since I knew I wouldn’t beat him in that arena, I decided to change the rules and try out my handstand. (That’s Tony holding up my legs - thanks, Tony!)

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I had the honor of MC-ing the Opening Ceremonies after Milo Levell warmed up the crowd with some hip-hop moves and a solo dance (a beautiful tribute to Michael Jackson). I presented awards to Cynthia Norton (Personal Trainer Of The Year), June Kahn (Fitness Instructor Of The Year), Debi Pillarella (Program Director Of The Year). The most touching moment of the day was when Fitness Inspiration Award Winner, Scout, had her mother Susi Bassett accept on her behalf, because Scout was in London representing the USA in an effort to include the Paralympic Gampes in the 2012 Olympics.

I got to jump into Josh Crosby’s Indo-Row class with Jay Blahnik and Douglass Brooks, using a new rower that you’ll start seeing in clubs around the country. Wow! The energy in the room was through the roof and the workout was unbelievable.

Two other products that really caught my attention: M.E.L.T. - a revolutionary approach to pain-free living, developed by Sue Hitzmann to help erase joint compression and stiffness before strength training or cardio. You can find out more at meltmethod.com. Another great find: Something called “BeamFit” - David Mesirow gave me a great demonstration of how to do pilates, yoga, and strength training on one soft beam. –>

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

Kathy & Cheerleaders

I’ve been having such a blast with our Saturday group in the park, for NextFit’s “Get America Moving” Campaign. And I love this photo with the Riverton High School cheerleading squad - because the idea of a pyramid is pretty important when it comes to getting healthy. It’s about community - every single one of us supports each other in our goal to be active.

Check out this fun video on our latest adventures.

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

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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.

Prepare For Take-Off!

It’s been such a thrill to be part of the launch of NextFit’s new Keychain Trainer. And this summer, I’m joining forces with the NextFit team for a worldwide tour to Get America Moving! We’re kicking things off this Saturday in Salt Lake City with our first “test group” - a brave and lucky bunch of folks who have committed to a 12-week weight loss program in which I’ll help them every step of the way, with diet, exercise, motivation, and of course, using this cool and revolutionary gadget known as the Keychain Trainer.

For those of you who won’t be able to join us this weekend, here’s a little “nugget” of wisdom that I’ll share with the group on Saturday - and you heard it here first. It’s about consistency. It’s one of the oldest rules in the fitness book: To get results, consistency is key. But as we all know, “sticking with it” is easier said than done. So what’s the secret to staying consistent, so that you can stay on-track to success?

1) Do the things you enjoy doing, and
2) Do them with the people you enjoy.

It’s no coincidence that both of those points contain the word “enjoy.” Fun and fitness shouldn’t be mutually exclusive - they should mix and mingle, so that you can enjoy a consistent, healthy lifestyle for years to come!

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.

The

I went to dinner last night at Tanino’s in Westwood with the planning committee for the Womens Sports Foundation’s annual fundraiser, The Billies. This organization means a lot to me – their mission is to promote and encourage the development of physical fitness and sports for girls and women, and I’ve served on the Board of Trustees and Board of Stewards for over ten years. I’m so excited for this year’s event: I’m co-hosting alongside Maria Shriver, George & Ann Lopez, Casey Wasserman and Geena Davis. The event will be held on April 11th, once again at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel and feature another spectacular performance by Sir Elton John, with Sharon Stone returning as auctioneer.

What really impressed me at last night’s dinner with this group of women is the impact that sports and fitness has had on each of them in their businesses and their every day lives: how to work with a team, how to accept defeat, not to place blame on other people for mistakes. When you’re on a field, there’s no time to figure out who made the mistake - the focus is on getting the goal or the shot. It’s great training how to discipline your mind in life to focus on what you want instead of what you think you’re lacking.

Billie Jean King founded the organization and part of the money we raise goes toward a program called “Go Girl Go,” which has a goal of getting one million girls involved in sports and fitness. It’s being implemented in middle schools and high schools around the country, and we’re seeing terrific results. If you have a young girl who you want to inspire to be more active or get involved in a sport, click here.
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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,

The big joke at my office today is that “Kathy is on a green tea IV drip.” I’m not usually a huge fan of caffeine, but today it seems I have no choice. Last night was the Second Annual Billies Awards Ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel (home of the Golden Globes). And what a night it was! After all the usual hectic-day-of-the-event mishaps that I’ve come to expect over the years, I finally got my hair and makeup done, found a dress, and managed to arrive in one piece.

As I expected, it was another inspirational evening from the Women’s Sports Foundation. So many incredible athletes and celebrities donated their time - from Sharon Stone to WSF Founder Billie Jean King. Before the event, my daughters Kate and Perrie had a little stagefright: they had to join me and Marlee Matlin to present the Influential Personality award to HBO’s Ross Greenberg. But both girls came through with flying colors and held their own, looking poised behind the podium and showing a surprising command of the teleprompter. Needless to say, I was beaming with pride.

I was so honored to be included in this group of trailblazing women, especially Billie Jean. She’s never one to rest on her laurels (which are plenty), and continues to donate her time and efforts to fight prejudice and ensure that more and more girls’ lives are being improved through sports and physical activity each year - and in true Billie Jean fashion, she does it with grace, every step of the way.

Aside from meeting so many wonderful people and seeing all the familiar faces from the Foundation, I got to share a table with friends, family and co-workers for a great meal and an unforgettable performance by Elton John. It was a fabulous night…but today I’m dragging just a bit….so I think I might need one more cup of green tea. –>

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.

Next

My speaking coach Yolanda is coming to town this week to help me prepare for my upcoming tour. We’re working on a piece entitled ‘The Best Shape of Your Life.’ I’m debating on some different headings for the topics I’ll discuss, and how much emphasis I’m going to be placing on different parts of my speech. Through the years, I’ve found there are different aspects that need to be explored when trying to get into the ‘Best Shape of Your Life.’ Some of them are:

* What it really means to be in “The Best Shape of Your Life.”

* Your “Metabolism Makeover” - talking about the new edge in strength training (my Matrix technique) and the role of cardio in your exercise routine.

* Feed Muscle, Shrink Fat - this is the tentative title to my next book, and this is the point in my speech at which we address nutrition: the “magic formula” for weight loss; meal timing; my plate method; the superfoods, etc.

* The Sabotagers: the things that hold you back from weight loss success (stress, lack of sleep, energy vampires, excuses, etc).

My real dilemma is how much emphasis to place on the facts and education versus motivation - because I’ve found that there’s a 90/10 rule: 10% of the equation is knowing what to do, but most of it is actually finding the motivation and feeling the incentive to get out there and do it. So the old Nike mantra still rings true: Just Do It.
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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.

Yale

I just got back from moving my daughter Kate into her dorm room at Yale. It was a whirlwind weekend of many highs and lows: joy and sadness, chaos and celebration. Just trying to fit two girls into an 11 x 7 space was enough to test anybody’s patience. After repeated trips to Bed Bath & Beyond, IKEA and Target, we finally got the room together - including a giant rack to hold Kate’s shoe collection. At 11 pm on Sunday night, as we held each other by the car and said our goodbyes, trying to hold back the tears (even though they’d been flowing all weekend long), I thought about all the joy that Kate has brought me, and how much I’m going to miss this little girl.
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