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Workout Mama

An Interview with Fitness Guru Kathy Smith

By Teri Brown

Exercise for me is like a helium balloon. It lifts my spirits and my attitude and makes me feel so much younger than my age. I still love experimenting with all forms of exercise. As a matter of fact, in the last two weeks I have been taking a new class here in Santa Monica called indo-row. Like spinning, it's a group effort that has you both competing against and working with other rowers in the class. It's intense, but lots of fun. Exercise is also my morning cup of coffee. It gets me going and helps me focus. It takes the edge off if I'm feeling tense.

KS: I meditate in the morning and at night. My morning meditation is shorter, in part because I have to get up early to get the kids off to school, so time can be a bit rushed. I find that taking moments throughout the day to breathe, but also to be very "present" in what I'm doing, keeps that great sense of well-being in my body. And mind. Whether it's taking a moment to smell the flowers in the front yard while I'm picking up the paper, or noticing the light coming through the trees into the kitchen. Being present really helps! KS: In my very first exercise video I used the image of a triangle, with these three categories as the basis for a well-rounded fitness program. It still works today. I'd say the only change or addition is that in the center of the triangle, I'd put the word "core." This is, of course, a necessary aspect in all three areas of training. For flexibility, I'm still into yoga, and include Pilates training, daily. Strength training, I still hit the weights, but with fewer machines and more free weights with compound movements and different planes of motion (matrix). For cardio, it's walking, hiking and now indo-rowing.

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