This is the opinion of Ada Sue Jamison, M.D., Board Certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology:

“Sidney Smith, owner of SuperSet Fitness Center is my fifth personal trainer, and he is by far the number-one, best personal trainer I have ever had. Mr. Smith and his enterprise is the subject of this article, and I am one of his students. I am a 60-year-old woman with hypertension, and I am modestly obese. I am educated as a medical doctor, with a specialty in general adult psychiatric medicine and a sub-specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry medicine. In addition to prescribing medication in my practice, I also view each of my patients holistically and treat with psychotherapy, as well as complementary and alternative medicine and treatment approaches. I view the body and mind as being interconnected and inseparable.

If I had my druthers, I would prescribe Sidney’s program for most of my patients and all of my colleagues. I have been a fortunate person in that, until in my 40’s, I had a high metabolism and had fun exercising regularly. Then there is a direct correlation between how strong and fit one’s body is and one’s psycho-emotional health. Fortunately I learned this early, as my mother always taught us that ‘the body is the temple of the soul.’ She was a third grade school teacher for most of her life.

When our bodies are strong and fit, our bodies’ metabolism is high. When our energy levels are in high, our natural opioid levels or endorphins and serotonin levels are high. When we exercise, serotonin is released into our bloodstream. I called serotonin the “feel good” neuro hormone, a natural substance which the body produces. Psychotropic medications like Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro work to keep it hanging around in our bloodstream longer by preventing re-uptake into the nerve cells. We feel good when there is a lot hanging around in the blood stream for an extended period of time. I could go on and on about the science of this, and there are many of you who are probably saying I would rather take a pill or drink a Starbucks®. But wouldn’t you want more “bang for your buck” or be like the Energizer® bunny, and just keep going on and on and feel young and smile and laugh while you’re doing it?

At SUPER SET FITNESS, with the help of Sidney Smith, who developed this fantastic physical fitness program, once you commit yourself to this gift, it just keeps giving. That is the big difference between just a pill and changing your whole lifestyle.

A lot of you may say, ‘Well this lady is just a doctor. She can write herself a prescription, she can walk or run an hour a day, she knows to eat lean meats, fish, lots of red, yellow, and dark leafy green vegetables, beans, nuts, and fruits. She knows to avoid starchy foods like white potatoes, white rice, white flour, etc.’ I remind my patients: it took many years to learn how to eat sugar, flour, cheese, and other foods that are not so good for you, and most of us have had a lowered metabolism since age 35 or 40. What Sidney does for me and other clients that I see attend Super Set Fitness is to inspire and praise me. He coaches, teaches, and supports me while I am making this lifestyle change, while continuously emphasizing that it takes six months to a year to make that lifestyle change and to build muscle mass that supports that new increase metabolism that keeps burning fat. He emphasizes every day how important cardio fitness is to increasing metabolism and producing higher serotonin levels in most, unlike other personal trainers I have had. He acts like you and me and not like he is superior because his body is in great shape. He really understands where we are and where we have to go, having lost 70 pounds himself, and having been successful in the corporate world, he understands the daily stresses of our bodies and psyches.

He is also great with adolescents, and there are several he has been working with for a year. Truly I have only been training with Sidney for two months, but already there has been more pep in my step, a sparkle in my eye, a grin on my face, and I am recovering some of my confidence I had when my body was ‘all that’.”