As a member of a very informal social media group #TeamSexyPants, I met this young lady and quickly realized that she was a BOSS.  She had a streak of like 10 bazillion check-ins at her preferred fitness facility. Adding to the intrigue was her means of getting and staying fit. Now I don’t want to give away what she does she can tell you herself, the Empress of #teamjazzypants, my Soror, Kori Smith.

You are?

Kori Smith.

Tell us about your fitness routine.

I am “old school” when it comes to my exercise routine; I Jazzercise. I am fortunate to have a wonderful location less than 3 miles from my home. I attend at least four times a week, depending on how fat I am feeling at the time or if I have an upcoming major event for which I have to slim down.

Do you follow a particular nutrition plan?

I do not follow a particular nutrition plan. However, during the summer of 2012, I participated in a 10 day “Boot Camp” sponsored by my Jazzercise location. During this program, we were instructed to follow a very restricted food plan, mostly eliminating carbohydrates. Because I was true to the plan two “life-changing” things happened to me: 1. I lost 10 lbs. in 10 days and 2. I learned that a large portion of my day-to-day diet consisted of carbs, so if I adjust my nutritional intake to limit carbohydrates and replace them with other things (mostly proteins for me – I am a carnivore at heart) that I could shed excess pounds.

How long have you been engaged in your fitness program?

I actually began my tenure with Jazzercise “on a lark”. In the Spring of 2011, some of my associates from social media formed this informal fitness support group called #TeamSexyPants ( because it is not official on the internet unless it has a hashtag). The members of this group encourage each other with exercise and fitness goals by posting words of support when members shared their activities in relation to these efforts.

I thought this was a great idea ( and peer pressure is a “motha”…), therefore I decided that I wanted to be a member of #TeamSexyPants.

At that time in my life, I was kind of obsessed with daily deal sites ( LivingSocial, Tanga, Woot etc.) and I came across a deal through Groupon for two months of Jazzercise for 29 bucks. I purchased the deal, but did not use it for several months. I finally redeemed it that September after returning from a family cruise for which I struggled to find appropriate clothes to wear on the ship.

I have to confess however, that I really did not get into Jazzercise until the beginning of 2012. I began to significantly enjoy not only the overall experience but the instructors and other classmates I encountered at my location.

What would you say has been your success story in terms of your fitness/health?

In 2013 through making better nutritional choices and increasing my commitment to exercise several days a week, I was able to lose over 50 pounds in 7 months. It was not the quickest timeframe for results, but it was manageable for my lifestyle.

My main motivation was that I promised myself that since I would be a bridesmaid for the first time during my middle sister’s wedding that October, that I would not be the “biggest thang” walking down the aisle.

Because of my weight loss, I had to get my bridesmaid dress altered twice and I still lost enough weight within three weeks prior to the wedding that my gown was too big. My mother and my sister’s future mother-in-law had to liberally apply safety pins so that I could avoid a “wardrobe malfunction”. I battled with the strapless dress the entire evening to make sure it stayed up and continue to cover all the important parts.

What keeps you motivated to stay on course and healthy?

I seem to be the most responsive to sticking to my goals of weight loss/exercising when my goal is marked by a significant event, like a wedding, reunion etc.

I realize that to really benefit from efforts towards better fitness it is more advantageous to have a long term goal/lifestyle change. I hope to get to that level one day. But for now, I take on my fitness challenges one major event at a time. ( Next event is my line’s 20th Anniversary in October 2014).

Do you have a personal philosophy or motto you wish to share?

I think that the most important factor in being successful with your fitness goals is to “Know Thyself”. You can come across advice from millions of sources that will tell you what/what not to do. But I think when you allow yourself to experiment and discover what personally works for you, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.

Powered By Soul Thanks Kori for sharing her story AND wish her a FABULOUS reunion.

If you or someone you know would like to be featured in the spotlight, drop a line in the comments, on Google+, Twitter or email.
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Photos: MsThorns, Jazzercise tm