Business woman, fitness specialist, activist, mom. For the past 25 years, Kathy Smith has dominated the fitness world with her innovative workouts and marketing savvy.

Smith has sold over 15 million workout videos worldwide and sits on the board of the USC school of Gerontology and the Woman's Sports Foundation. Recently, she has joined another crusade near and dear to her heart: the Think About Your Drink Campaign, a marketing campaign designed to inform the public of a new study suggesting that nearly a quarter (22 percent) of our total calories come from sugar-sweetened beverages.

iParenting recently caught up with Smith after a demanding week of business meetings as she juggles managing Kathy Smith Lifestyles, her work on the new campaign and being mom to two teenage girls. She had plenty to say about the campaign, motherhood and fitness in general.

KS: It's pretty shocking to hear that teenage girls and women get 25 percent of their calories from beverages – usually in the form of sugary sodas or calorie-laden lattes. I have people come up to me all the time asking how to lose weight, and they often tell me that they really don't eat that much. I think people forget about calories that come from beverages. They go down easily, and add up quickly. I thought it was a powerful slogan and a great message to remind people that being healthy involves sensible exercise and a balanced nutritional program, including what you drink. KS: There's a saying, "Health is not your greatest asset, but without it, nothing else matters." We live in a country where the obesity rate is rising, adult onset diabetes is starting in childhood and there were 3,000 to 4,000 deaths last year attributed to people's sedentary lifestyles. There's no one solution to all of these issues, but the collective effort of families making lifestyle changes that impact the entire household is a first step in creating change in this country. I lost my dad; he died of a heart attack when I was 17. It was devastating to me and my mom and sister, and it could have been prevented with some lifestyle education.

Kathy Smith has shared her master recipe for stir fry. After you have mastered the basic stir fry, you can vary the taste by enjoying one of the three different sauces. Check it out!

KS: Exercise for me is like a helium balloon. It lifts my spirits and my attitude and makes me feel so much younger than my age. I still love experimenting with all forms of exercise. As a matter of fact, in the last two weeks I have been taking a new class here in Santa Monica called indo-row. Like spinning, it's a group effort that has you both competing against and working with other rowers in the class. It's intense, but lots of fun. Exercise is also my morning cup of coffee. It gets me going and helps me focus. It takes the edge off if I'm feeling tense. KS: I meditate in the morning and at night. My morning meditation is shorter, in part because I have to get up early to get the kids off to school, so time can be a bit rushed. I find that taking moments throughout the day to breathe, but also to be very "present" in what I'm doing, keeps that great sense of well-being in my body. And mind. Whether it's taking a moment to smell the flowers in the front yard while I'm picking up the paper, or noticing the light coming through the trees into the kitchen. Being present really helps! KS: In my very first exercise video I used the image of a triangle, with these three categories as the basis for a well-rounded fitness program. It still works today. I'd say the only change or addition is that in the center of the triangle, I'd put the word "core." This is, of course, a necessary aspect in all three areas of training. For flexibility, I'm still into yoga, and include Pilates training, daily. Strength training, I still hit the weights, but with fewer machines and more free weights with compound movements and different planes of motion (matrix). For cardio, it's walking, hiking and now indo-rowing. KS: I love being in the kitchen. For breakfast, there's always a lot of fresh fruits, like oranges and papayas. I use bananas and fresh or frozen fruit (blueberries, raspberries) in my protein shakes. I eat fresh vegetables daily. And I'm a big salad lover (arugula), with peppers (red and yellow), cucumbers, carrots. And never without an avocado. Whether for guacamole or sliced on a salad or sandwich, I love avocados. Breakfast is either oatmeal (steel cut) or cooked Kashi. And now I'm loving all the Kashi cold cereals, including the 7grain flakes. Egg-white omelets. What else? The other thing you'll find in my kitchen is a good stock of tea. I love Tazo brand herbal infusion calm. And Numi brand Jasmin green. KS: My children have always seen me being active, whether putting them in a baby jogger and running to the park or attaching a bicycle seat onto my bike. As they got older, we would always find adventures on the weekends – family picnics after hiking, water sports after a bike ride. They were constantly being exposed to activities. And of course, their dad loves ball sports, getting them into soccer and baseball (not my favorite). Obviously this activity paid off. Kate just won the California State Championship in cross-country. KS: Having two daughters and seeing the differences in their personalities, skills and body types has made me less judgmental, more understanding and more patient. It has helped me grow in ways that are hard to even measure. In every stage of their lives, I have learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. To become an appropriate role model for my children, I've had to look at my own vanity, and my own sexuality reflected in how I dress. To raise competent girls I've had to listen more and speak less. I've learned to help them find the answers instead of giving them the answers, and to let their lives unfold instead of directing them.

For more information on the Think About Your Drink Campaign, visit www.thinkaboutyourdrink.com.

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