Interview With Fitness Pro Jessica Smith!

Recently, I had the pleasure to interview renowned trainer Jessica Smith on my other blog Two Belles Fitness and wanted to share her insights here as well. Jessica is a certified wellcoach, personal trainer and fitness instructor, a favorite trainer on ExerciseTV, has been featured in many Women's Health workouts, as well as the popular 10 Minute Solution series, and now is the creator of her newest workout series 10 Pounds Down.

Jessica has also been kind enough to sponsor a giveaway for her complete meal plan over on Huff & Buff. Head on over and enter. This is JUST what I need to jump start my healthy eating. The plan is fantastic, easy to follow, and perfectly proportioned to fit all our dietary needs!!!!

Inquiring minds want to know - what can you share with us about your new 10 Pounds Down Workouts?

I can tell you that a lot of hard work, love and sweat went into them! I wanted to make this series of workouts very similar to classes that you might experience with me here in Miami in person, but that you could easily do at home in the comfort (and size) of your living room. Music is also very important to me during my own workouts, but it can be very hard to find great music for exercise videos due to licensing and financial restrictions. This was the first time I worked with Deekron the "Fitness DJ" of MotionTraxx.com to make custom mixes that would keep us motivated and inspired during the workouts - and I just loved them (and I hope you guys will too!) This is also the first time I am including a meal plan option with the series, to help maximize your results, since weight loss has a LOT to do with nutrition. I worked with LA based Registered Dietitian Lauren O'Connor to create it and I really love the recipes and meal options we included.

What motivated you to create this new series?

I was trying to think of the concept I wanted to create, and since weight loss is something I am often contacted by fitness friends about, and have also struggled with on my own as well, I focused on that. I thought to myself, most women at one point or another want to lose 10 pounds, so why not create something with that focus? And even if your goal is to lose more than 10 pounds (I originally lost 40 myself), it can be so helpful to break down your larger goal into 10 pound increments, so you can celebrate your successes along the way, without getting overwhelmed before you reach the finish line. Not to mention, we see so much in the media about celebs being so super skinny and how they workout for hours and eat baby food to do it, I wanted to create a program that is realistic, not torturous, but WILL get results.

This is your first solo project. What can you tell us about the trials and tribulations associated with producing a workout series?

It was quite an eye opening experience! In the past, I have been lucky enough to work for several companies who hire me to create the workouts and then shoot them, but then I go home and they take care of all the rest. I had to wear all the hats in this role - from wardrobe stylist to editing assistant, there was a LOT more work involved here. Not to mention I personally financed them, which makes it an even bigger risk since there is no guarantee I will even be able to pay off production costs in the end.

Do you have plans for future health & fitness endeavors for the future?

Absolutely! I have a few additional projects brewing (none that I can mention yet though!) right now, and am just really enjoying what I am doing. It was a long road to get here, and I've been though various jobs, weight gains/losses, but now I feel like I'm so fortunate to have reached this place in my life. And I owe a big thank you to all of you for buying my DVDs and allowing me to keep doing what I am doing!

What motivated you to pursue fitness as a career? When did you get into the fitness industry?

I think I've always sort of wanted to do this - when I was little, I used to set my parents' camcorder up on a tripod and record myself "exercising" to music and "teaching" my audience (and no, you can't see the tapes LOL!) so I laugh when people ask me what I do - it's actually exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up! I tried several different 'careers' out from advertising to journalism, before settling into a career in fitness.

As a fitness professional, what common myths do you still come across that you would like to dispel?

Women, please don't be afraid of weights, and stop zoning out on treadmills! I think most of the myths I see in action are that women don't like to lift weights for fear of 'bulking up' and they do only cardio to lose weight. My Total Body Tune Up Workout is exactly the type of routine I use with my female clients - cardio paced weight training w/intervals built it - and they all get great results from it. I know my body changed when I started working out like that myself.

What is on your fitness "bucket list"? What are some of your future health & fitness plans?

Oh gosh, that is a great question! I'm not too sure. Creating this series was certainly at the top of my list, so I guess its time to make a new one! Instead of a 'bucket list' I create a vision board for myself every year, and its posted right in front of me at my desk so I look at it every day. I'm looking at it right now, and am so grateful that almost every single item on it has come true :-)

Special thanks again to Jessica Smith for taking the time to answer our questions. To learn more about Jessica Smith, the 10 Pounds Down program or join the group? Visit the 10 Pounds Down website. You can also find 10 Pounds Down on Facebook.