Everyday Pole Star: Ali Smith

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Ali Smith, another woman who is a serious inspiration on the pole!  I think her story speaks for itself.  Thank you, Ali, for being so open and honest and sharing your story with us!

Cara: Give me a little background on yourself. Where were you born, key childhood events, general info that would be helpful, age, etc.


Ali: My name is Alexandria Smith, but I got by Ali for short. I am 24 years old. Born in Anaheim, CA and lived in the southern California area for 13 years. Moved to Utah in 2001

Cara: You have really transformed your body and I'd like to focus on that for a minute. Can you give me some background on when you started gaining weight, if there was an inciting event, if you had tried other weight loss methods, your self-image at the time, any health problems, and what was the motivation to start the transformation? I'd love for you to be as specific as you feel comfortable being (weight loss amount, health improvements, etc.) but I won't include anything that you feel is too personal. 


Ali:I have always been a chubby kid growing up. Trying numerous diets and pills that never really worked for me. A life event that made me gain weight was from a more emotional side of things. My parents got divorced in 2002 and from then on, my weight piled on. During these years I struggled the most. People bullied me emotionally. Especially guys. I never had a date, nor dated. While I did have great friends and tried to enjoy life, I was really putting on a façade. The worst thing was having to last minute order an XXL graduation cape last minute because I thought the standard one size fits “most” would fit me. Talk about mortifying! A couple years went by after high school and I had had ENOUGH. While I tried to lose weight by eating better, nothing really worked. I completely quit drinking all carbonation and lost 15 pounds but of course, I plateaued. On November of 2009, I made a huge decision that would help me get my life on track. At 5’1.5 and having 310 pounds on my small frame, I knew I was killing myself so I decided to have the Lap Band surgery. It is basically a band that wraps around the top part of the stomach and can inflate to cause restriction, which helps me eat smaller portions. One thing to keep in mind that while I could have had Gastric Bypass, it was too extreme for me. The band can be removed while gastric bypass cannot. Even though this was a weight loss surgery, don’t get the idea that it was an “easy way out” to lose weight. The band is a tool that helps lose weight. In fact, I lost around 60 pounds and then plateaued again. While trying to do cardio at 245-250 pounds, it was tough. I hated it. Who is going to like working out and lose weight when you don’t like your workout? Then one day while on facebook I saw a picture of a girl doing this awesome flag trick on a pole. I was super intrigued but thought; there is NO way I’d ever do something like that. I finally got the guts and looked into it and then on January 3, 2011 my life was changed physically and mentally. I found pole fitness. I started at 245 pounds and I'll be honest I was extremely nervous. Everyone in the class was a lot smaller than me. I almost wanted to run away because I was embarrassed. But something told me that I was strong and capable of overcoming anything even though I couldn't lift my body weight off the ground to do a cool spin if my life depended on it! It was frustrating!!! So after that one-hour class, I was addicted. If it weren't for the amazing pole instructors I wouldn't be doing it still to this day. 



Cara: Why do you think pole fitness has been such a successful way for you to get in shape? 


Ali: Pole has been successful for me to get in shape because I am using every muscle in my body! It takes a lot of upper body strength and while it is challenging and there may be certain moves I can’t do very well, it’s working my body and the inches are melting away. That sore feeling became something I craved and while I was having fun in class, my pants started feeling looser!

Cara: What do you love the most about pole?

Ali: It’s the addiction that I love because every time I would go, there would be some improvement. Whether it be lifting my toes off the ground for a split second or two or being able to do 25 crunches instead of 15 the last time. Pole for me is so much more exciting than going to a public gym and have the super fit people stare at you or getting irritated because you are on “Their” machine. I can feel confident in myself where I never was before.


Cara: Favorite move? Nemesis move?

Ali: Five: Blind hand grab spin Nemesis: Shoulder mount


Cara: Would you like me to affiliate you with any particular pole studio? Any particular pole teachers or inspirational pole people that have helped with your journey? 


Ali: At Studio Soiree Mel Heins got me going with pole dancing for fitness. In late 2011, I started with Jennifer Wilkins and Melissa Kearns at Pole Expression with the JW Method, which is more core fitness.

Cara: Do you do other activities besides pole to stay in shape? What about eating regimen?


Ali: I love to do yoga, hiking, and basic cardio like walking on an incline just to get my blood pumping. I am trying to eat as clean as possible. I try to not worry too much about calories but if I am I try to at least stick with 1200 cals. I love making protein shakes

Cara: What do you do when you are not poling? (job, family, pets, hobbies, etc)


Ali: 
I currently work as a scheduler for the university of Utah at the south Jordan daybreak health center. So my schedule is basically, work, pole, sleep, and repeat! I love to spend time with my family, love to cook and I have a little fur baby ewok aka shih-tzu named Bella.


Cara: It sounds like the JW method has been a big part of your regimen.  Tell me what you like about it and why you find it helpful.


Ali: I absolutely LOVE and adore the JW Method. Don’t get me wrong, I love the pole dance part of fitness but the JW method is strictly fitness. You do 3 different sets of exercises on a specific area of the body and then repeat 3 times. In just 3 months I noticed a major loss of inches, muscle definition and taking my plateau of not being able to climb at all to climbing higher and higher. Jennifer Wilkins has been a personal motivator for me and is one of the greatest friends I have. For more info check out www.polefitnessut.com or www.facebook.com/PoleExpression

Cara: Future goals?
  What would you tell other women in the position you were in before you started your transformation?

Ali: My future goal is to become JW method certified to teach classes. I would also like to progress more with losing weight and inches but I want to focus on motivating other women that struggle with their weight that all it takes is to overcoming that fear and to take charge of the world. It is possible to do anything if you set your heart and mind to it. I created a facebook page that features my weight loss journey and recipes that I create to help me stay on track. www.facebook.com/xzandriasmith