Interview with Super Fit Mom, Tina Smiley

Interview with Super Fit Mom, Tina Smiley

Tina Smiley,

Super Fit Mom

Hi my name is Tina. I just turned 48 in March 2017 and I’m a Mom, my boys are 24, 21, & 14.

My fitness journey began about nine years ago when I started working out in my community gym. Even though I’ve never struggled with being “overweight,” I was still self conscious about my body and wanted to lose a few pounds after three children as well as develop some muscle tone after 40+ years of neglect.

So after several years of basically doing the same routine day in and day out w/o much visible physical change, I decided to start running. Within about two months I had lost those stubborn 15 pounds and I felt great! I began a different routine at the gym and continued running and finally started to see those muscles forming! By the mid Fall I completed my very first 5k run, and even participated in a mud run!

But I soon became bored with my routine plus I really wanted to get my husband involved in regular exercise, so….we both decided to try out a Crossfit class.

We were surely intimidated at first with all the muscle-bound bodies (both male AND female) working out along side us in the gym, but we became hooked. After only three free Saturday classes, we joined the “box.” (Crossfit lingo for gym)
Crossfit certainly introduced me to things I never imagined myself doing…like box jumps, pull-ups, kettle-bells and of course weight-lifting.

 

Click on the video to listen to Tina talk about her fitness journey

Each day we would do a different WOD (workout of the day) and while they were challenging, they were also fun.
I liked the classes and the Crossfit community but again I became bored.

So after about two and half years I started going to a regular gym. And this is where I am today. My husband remains at the Crossfit box because he likes the classroom setting, (as do I) but typically I enjoy doing my own routine within my own time-frame.

An average gym day for me is between 2 1/2-3 hrs a day 5-6 days/week. I just love it.

 

“Life is too short. And you are NEVER too old to look and feel your very best.”

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Without boring you to tears, let me just say I basically work on my “physique” …focusing on specific muscle tone-ness, ab/core, as well as cardio.

I still enjoy met-cons as I love utilizing all the fun things I learned with doing Crossfit, like kettle-bells and wall-balls, and even some weight-lifting. But I just don’t focus too much on a lot of weight. Instead I continually try to improve my technique in whatever movement I do.

 

Contact Tina

 

On FB @ TinaSmiley

 

On Instagram @tsmiley_gal

 

Over the past few years, I’ve participated in several local Crossfit competitions, as well as a few 5k runs. This September I will be taking part in my first Spartan Sprint Race with my husband and three boys.

I recently earned my Personal Training Certification and my goal is to influence, inspire and help others achieve their fitness goals. I currently help a few friends at my gym, and am working on getting a neighborhood bootcamp class together.

Life is too short. And you are NEVER too old to look and feel your very best.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there! Be “stronger than yesterday.”

-Tina

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Interview with Bonnie Sprinkle

Interview with Bonnie Sprinkle

Bonnie’s Story

Tell us briefly who you are, how “young” you are and how you got started in your fitness journey.
I’m 65. Started doing a weekly stretch & tone aerobics class when I was about 30. Did these little classes for about 3 years until a gym opened in my area and I started mostly taking aerobics classes. and fumbled incorrectly on the equipment…thought I was spending enough on the membership without spending money on a trainer.  Finally friend & I started working with a trainer, 6 days a week for 3 years ….we got strong…but it was almost all legs, over exercising without understanding nutrition  My friend & I split a Le Menu frozen dinner 2 times a day & had protein shakes. She lost 100 lbs & I gained 20. At the end of this time she quit exercising & I continued on. Now as a trainer I understand that for both of us it was WAY TOO much exercise, too time consuming our diet was still so lacking that we were undermining our health still.

Have you always been athletic? 
Not at all. Always horribly underweight, sickly child, couldn’t do sports in school, hid during gym. I was force fed as a child to TRY & make me gain weight, as a young adult I started skipping meals, eating a lot of junk, lived on soda & ice cream, & lying about not eating. The gym and better eating (even though it was still horrible) helped me gain weight & become interested in fitness. 

Did you have weight to lose as well as muscle to build? 
In the beginning I only weighed 80 lbs, sometimes even less at 5’3”. Now I weigh around 110 or 115. I was down to the bone skinny but probably had a 35% body fat, very dangerous. It has taken me a long time to build muscle. I exercised for 10 years before I grasped how to develop muscle rather than just going through the motions. 

You owned a Gym for 25 years & started competing in bodybuilding competitions at age 48, tell us bit about those journeys.  
After a falling out with my trainer over how he’d treated by workout partner, fat shaming and cruel remarks, I decided to open my own gym in the next town away. At first it was a ladies only studio but soon the husbands wanted to join. During the first year I took an ICS course then during my second year I became AFAA certified, Due to needing continuing credits & wanting to gain knowledge I became WEIGHT ROOM certified through FRA & AFAA.  In 1998 I added NABF  North American Bodybuilding Federation Personal Trainer, Nutritional consultant & Contest Judge. Al Thurston, the founder of NABF has trained many top notch competitors & trainers & is well known especially through the east coast, Maine to Florida. I took up competing at 48 after training a 50 year old friend & said to myself that I SHOULD PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH TO MY CLIENTS, so I competed almost every year until 2013.
What is your biggest motivation in being fit? 
Being able to enjoy life  & do sports activities

What is your biggest obstacle to staying fit? 
I don’t see obstacles. Maybe too much travel, too much alcohol, too many desserts … but these things don’t affect me much

Women in our group always want to know this, What do you eat?  
MY food  …. sweet potato, chicken, fish, eggs, oatmeal, rice,  …. veg smoothie,  some days yogurt, papaya gut health…  little to no dairy, sugar, processed wheat, no soda or processed drink for 30 years, except once a year sparkling asti & rare red wine, nothing canned or packaged. I can give you a exact run down if your like….. its quick

How do you stay motivated and inspired?
I think the variety in my activities keeps me motivated..kayaking, SUP, bike, running, ropes course as well as weights

Have you ever gotten derailed from your path? 
Just this September, I decided to skip the gym for a month to devote more time to SUP, kayak, snorkeling, running, BOSU & stretching at home …so it turned into 8 weeks…..and I know my low back can not take 8 weeks off, I was just scrunching back on the couch & pulled muscles…. real pain …. got a appointment with a physical therapist and it was much better & he gave me instructions for avoiding in the future, one was to do overhead style swimming & work the elliptical. So for the next 6 weeks, I worked on light Physical therapy weight lifting, elliptical & swimming. In addition to this gyms, Sauna, Steam, power jet therapy pools. So 4 months recovering from not going to the gym! Now I’ve been back to a hearty workout for a month now & feel like I’d never stopped.

Do you have a big health & fitness goal for this year? 
I’d like to compete if I could find a convenient contest

What is your ONE fitness secret you’d like to share with our audience? 
for new exercisers … 5 years or less… 3 days a week might be more effective than 5. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 
Eat real food. Experiment with complex carbs such as sweet potato, rice, oatmeal, white potato, for breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon; in combination with fibrous carbs & protein.    Only about 20% of the population thrive on high protein diets.  Most people need MUCH more whole food complex carbs than they are getting. Eating too much protein in combination with complex carbs can cause metabolic & hormonal issues, diabetes & cancer.

Interview closing remarks:
Suppressing the appetite or starving can produce weight loss but NEVER produces health. There are no miracle weight loss products.

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