Anytime, anywhere aerobics - Kathy Smith - Special Section: Family Fitness

American Fitness, Nov-Dec, 1990 by Bonnie Siegler

Anytime, Anywhere Aerobics

From mainstream to mandatory, fitness has become a way of life, and working wife/mother Kathy Smith takes it all in stride.

As more and more of us are squeezing exercise into our busy schedules, we're looking for ways to make our routines more efficient, more fulfilling. As the turn-of-the-decade approaches, many are rethinking their training techniques. In fact, most leading fitness professionals are "lifestyling" their shape-up strategies.

"I go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday and do some sort of aerobic activity and weight workout," says Kathy Smith, working wife and mother, co-owner of Los Angeles' trendy Mezzaplex Gym and star of the recently released video "Kathy Smith's Weight Loss Workout." "On alternate days, maybe two days a week, I'll walk for an hour around my neighborhood or in the Santa Monica Mountains. But on all days, I'm working on flexibility and stretching."

These days, health has not only become mainstream--but mandatory, according to Smith. But dedication can sometimes be a drawback. "I tend to overtrain," says the 38-year-old Smith. "I'm one of those people, obviously, who likes to be working out--doing something all the time. And that's not efficient. People ask me how I always fit everything in, but I have my downfalls too. I tend to overdo in a sense. When training wears you down, overuse injuries often prevail. After recently recovering from a broken leg, I've rethought my workout routine which is now just three times a week rather than everyday.

"I need more recovery time now if I do real heavy workouts," says Smith, mother of a 23-month-old daughter, Kate. "Five or ten years ago, I could bounce back more readily. If I do a moderate run or anything on a moderate level, I don't see any difference, but I do notice a difference in my recovery time if I'm doing high intensity exercises like lifting weights or working on my legs for strength."

Smith is now mass marketing her fitness philosophy in her recently released video--the sequel to her 1988 No. 1 "Kathy Smith Fatburning" video. She spotlights sustenance as well as shape-up. "We have a 10-minute discussion on food, food groups, how to cut fats out of your diet, eating sensibly, weight control, weight loss and weight management," says Smith, who was once dubbed the "Beverly Hills Fitness Guru" by Time magazine. "I think this is one of the first times an exercise video has been so comprehensive. The video builds on both concepts of the low, slow moderate durations and longer intensity while building more muscle mass.

"I make it a point whenever I begin a video to really research it,--it's just the way I approach all my projects," she adds. "I put things in development many times years before I actually come out with them. I spend time formulating ideas because I feel a real responsibility and commitment to my audience."

Smith also continues her commitment to the concept of anywhere/anytime aerobics--even for those who have 20 minutes to spare. "Walk out of your house and go around the block a few times for a warm-up," says Smith. "Then begin your walk again, but intermittently. Find a ledge or park bend and do some tricep dips. Continue walking--like a parcourse. Do a series of lunges--forward lunges, alternating sides. Then round it out at the end with upper/lower abdominals right on the ground. In between, you can add side knee lifts, forward knee lifts and always end with three to four minutes of stretching."

Born in Tuscon, Arizona, Smith grew up in cities throughout the United States as the daughter of an Air Force colonel. In her late teens, exercise and jogging provided a way to reduce the emotional impact of the death of her parents within a short period of each other. Her first pioneering fitness effort was to develop a new system that focused on safe aerobics to strengthen the cardiovascular system.

Today, maximum human potential is Smith's mass market mission. "Energy and health will be the buzzwords during the next decade," says Smith. "We will see energization classes, which will involve exercises to help people balance strength and flexibility in muscles, as well as focus on mastering breath control for maintaining optimum energy throughout the day.

"Unless there's some sense of body awareness, it won't sink in no matter how often a trainer tells you," she adds.

A regular contributor to American Fitness, Bonnie Siegler is a personality writer who lives in Playa del Rey, California.