Background on Principal Partners
Mary Smart
I was certified as a group fitness instructor through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) in February 1991. I taught group fitness classes, a.k.a. "aerobic" classes, in the Schaumburg area at several health clubs and facilities as well as for a few corporate and community education programs. When we moved to Elmhurst in early 1996, I obtained jobs teaching group fitness at a couple local fitness facilities, including Fitness Strategies. In all of these facilities, I taught classes such as High/Low and Step Aerobics, Kickboxing, Cycling, Pregnancy and Postpartum fitness, Circuit Training, children's and family fitness classes, Yoga, Pilates, and many more. In 1997, I was certified as a personal trainer through ACE and began taking on individual and groups as clients. Some clients that started with me then are still my clients today. In March of 1998, I was promoted to the Land Fitness Coordinator (in charge of all fitness instructors and programs not taking place in water).
The program grew to a point where the Fitness Coordinator position went from a part-time job to a fulltime Health and Wellness Specialist assignment in 2001. With a comprehensive group of personal training clients at the time and the mother of four children, I didn't feel the position suited me. The new Health and Wellness Specialist for the Summit contracted me to teach a course in Women's Weight Training, a two-night course discussing and demonstrating many weight-training techniques for women. The class was so successful, it has been repeated several times. It has attracted many women that are intimidated to go into a fitness center and who aren't knowledgeable about weight lifting and weight lifting machines.
In July of 2003, I was contracted by the American Heart Association to be a coach/trainer for the "Train to End Stroke" program. I am currently training the largest of the four central Rockford teams going to either Walt Disney World, Florida, or Phoenix, Arizona, for a half or full marathon in January 2004. I also have been re-contracted for the next marathon season. I train participants to either walk or run a half or full marathon and oversee their progress for five months. As a coach I have run clinics for the participants on proper form, shoe wear, clothing, nutrition, breathing techniques, hydration, and cross training.
In July 2003, I was certified as a Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant through ACE, which requires a previous certification of either group fitness instructor or personal trainer. With this certification, I am able to offer nutrition counseling for my clientele. Fitness Strategies has contracted me to teach a Lifestyle and Weight Management class where participants learn proper nutrition techniques, including recipes, as well as exercise instruction and guidance. As part of the recertification process, instructors (trainers and consultants) are required to attend 15 hours of continuing education classes every 2 years. Since my first certification in 1991, I have consistently attended 12-15 hours of continuing education classes/workshops every single year in an effort to strive for excellence in my chosen field of health and fitness. I am a current member of the non-profit health and fitness organization, PULSE, and have been since 1998. I receive several different publications that offer articles on scientific breakthroughs, programming, and implementation as well as consumer information on fitness equipment.
Since 1996, I have been accumulating fitness equipment for use with clients including a treadmill, stair machine, stationary bikes, weight benches, hex weights, exercise therapy balls, medicine balls, and a balance trainer, among other things. I plan to use this equipment as well as a couple additional things for clients at Health-E-essentials. I also have believed in our duty to use our talents to give back to the community. I was on the committee of the Winnebago County "Fulfill a Dream"—a workout to raise funds for AIDS and related cancers research for the years 1993, 1994, and1995. I helped facilitate FIT (Fitness in Time), a workout to benefit a local charitable endowment fund in Winnebago County that started after "Fulfill a Dream" was discontinued. I have been a "Friend of the Cure" fundraiser for several years raising money for the Barbara Karmanos Cancer Institute as well as taking clients to the Race for the Cure in Rockford. I have hosted "Cooking for the Cure," "Training for the Cure," and (aerobic) "Workout for the Cure" as health and fitness fundraisers. My job at the American Heart Association does not require me to fundraise. However, I fundraised for my team as they are required to raise $3,500 /person as part of their program participation. Since the health of the community is very important to me, I plan to continue health-related fundraising through Holistic Choices for worthy causes.
Joanne Fuller
I have been in the skin-care profession for six years. In this time I have learned a great deal about the personal needs of my clients. My extensive knowledge of the service industry I attribute to the experience I gained at the places I have worked. I started my career at a busy full-service salon called Beautiful You, in old town Rockford. I worked as a receptionist, while I was in school to become an esthetician. Scheduling clients, taking inventory, ordering products, and answering the phones were my daily tasks. When I finished school I had already become familiar with the clients in the salon and many of them became my skin-care clients. After working there for three years, I had outgrown my small facial room. I was recommended to the owner of a skin-care studio called Skin Care Professionals. She approached me with a job offer, which I readily accepted. I worked directly with the owner who had been an esthetician for about fourteen years. It was an excellent learning experience. With the use of quality products and state-of-the-art equipment, I was able to triple my clientele. With Skin Care Professionals being a smaller scale operation, I was able to learn a lot about the business and the operating procedures. I scheduled my own clients, developed marketing techniques, placed product orders, and researched new equipment. I also am an advocate of continuing education and attend seminars and conventions often. My mission is to educate my clients on how to live a healthier lifestyle.
