There’s nothing more physically challenging and rewarding than Marie’s Strong Mind, Strong Body workouts. Whether on the beach, at the park or in the gym, she creates a mix of cardio activities and muscle toning moves that build both strength and endurance. It’s fun (most of the time), and hard (some of the time) because she makes it that way, but there’s always a great feeling of achievement when the workout comes to a close. She’ll help you reach your potential – if you give it all you have – and you’ll be happy you did!

– Frank Hone, 52 Yrs. old

• I have never hurt myself.
• I can see definition that I have not seen before.
• I wake up at 5:30 am, happy to have my rear end kicked!
• Marie not only helps my body, but raises my spirits every day.

I am going to be 42, and might actually like my body for the first time in my life. I am on my way to where I want to be, and I can actually see a realistic me that isn’t so bad. I wish everyone could have a chance to find and be motivated by such a skilled, competent, positive and caring 5’2” whirlwind like Marie. I am so grateful that I have had the chance to be part of her world!

– Cathy Wynne, 42 Yrs. old

I am 62 years old, and I hate to sweat! I have back pain and suffer from sciatica. I’ve joined gyms and tried to get motivated on my own, but I was bored and found every excuse in the book not to do it. Then Marie entered my life, and within two weeks my back pain was significantly reduced. After only a few months my pain is gone! I am stronger and more flexible, and I’m not bored. With Marie, you never know what you’re going to get….our workouts are fun and challenging. NO EXCUSES – I actually look forward to her visits! I recommend SMSB by Marie to everyone I know.

– Lynn Rinehart, 62 Yrs. old

I began working out in January 2009 to get in shape for my upcoming wedding in May. I lost 18 lbs. and 5 inches in just eight weeks! I feel healthy, I am eating right, and I quit smoking. Marie is there to guide me twice a week. With Marie you get a highly trained and knowledgeable trainer. SMSB by Marie will get you in the shape you always dreamed of. One work out, and you will be hooked!

– Ashley Mill, 30 Yrs. old

I have trained with a number of trainers, participated in a variety of exercise classes, and found Marie to be the best trainer I have ever had. Her knowledge and experiences helped me not only to lose weight, but to transform my body by making me feel stronger and more confident in myself. I realized after training with her that I do not want to be the skinniest person, but I want to be stronger and more flexible so as not to hurt myself as I age.

Marie explained what body parts she was targeting, and always focused on correct form so I would not hurt myself. The equipment she uses is easily adapted to home use and affordable to purchase. I found myself training harder and harder every time we worked together. Marie’s encouragement, enthusiasm and knowledge are what set her apart from other trainers. As a result of her training, I have experienced weight loss, body fat reduction, flexibility, strength and confidence.

– Shelley Conner, 57 Yrs. old

I really enjoyed you being at the Warrior Fit Camp. All of you pushed me along the way to my limits and even a bit beyond. Each day I felt like I was breaking barriers and gaining new ground.You are professional and passionate about your job. I thought it was great that you pushed us and pushed us, but if we fell you were there to pick us back up physically and emotionally. To me that’s a great sign!

I really hope to see you again next month and be able to show you the progress I’m making. Every time that I feel like I just don’t have the energy to do something I hear your voice in my head (sometimes in Spanish), and I just go for it.

– Jeremy Bishop, 24 Yrs. old

Marie Gilestra is a gifted personal trainer and motivator with an amazing passion for her work. Her enthusiasm, intuition, knowledge and care make me look forward to my workouts.Prior to Marie, my workouts were never very effective or with regular frequency. I had never considered myself an athletic or physically strong person; I was unable to trust in my abilities or strength, and as a result I would lose my motivation and was often frustrated by not seeing noticeable results.

Marie’s focus on balance – mind, body and spirit – along with her dedication to discovering what my specific needs are and how to challenge them, has greatly improved my physical and emotional strength. She has enabled me to do so many things I was not able to do before, and as a result I am thrilled with the physical results, I am more energetic, and most importantly I am motivated to be a more athletic person…something that I have never considered an option.I hold Marie in the greatest regard as a trainer, motivator, and health and fitness expert. She is totally committed to helping people live an emotionally and physically healthier lifestyle, and takes pride in making a significant difference in our lives.

– Kym Nelson, 42 Yrs. old

The past 3 months have been amazing! When I first started working out with you I really wanted to do the boxing to add in a fun different workout to my boring spin/ elliptical/ run routine. I really did not expect for the pounds to come flying off. After each month when I would get on one scale I was shocked that the numbers had fallen. My old clothes that I had not been able to wear since college (4 years) were fitting again too.

What I really enjoy about working out with you is that every time I come to work out with you we do something completely different and challenging that can be done anywhere without gym equipment. The boxing is super fun and now has me where I cannot stand going to my regular gym because I would rather go to your “old school” boxing garage. My body has completely transformed in a mere 3 months!

On the dieting side of things I have not altered what I eat too much. I am eating a lot more beans which are very filling and I would have not even thought to cook them if you had not recommended them. I do find that when I record what I eat I am much more conscious to make better choices, but I hate taking the time to remember to write it down.

At first the pictures and the measurements kinda made me feel like a blob, but now I am so glad that we did them so I can see how much my body has changed. Thank you so much for getting me a kick ass body! I am going to be looking smoking hot on Oct 23rd… I thought I would need a year of working out to look like what I do now… I guess I just needed you!

– Anna K Grace

I met Marie Gilestra in Naples while on vacation. When I heard she did a Bootcamp on the beach, I figured I would check it out. As a Certified Personal Trainer and an exercise buff, I was feeling more than ready for the challenge. Then I met Marie and realized maybe she could teach me a few things. My personal weakness is cardio and I am recovering from a serious horseback riding injury. I was extremely impressed that Marie was able to completely motivate me and take excellent care to make sure I did not compromise my injured leg. She easily put the class through their paces while adapting exercises for me “on the fly.”

After the class was over I decided to hire her for private sessions every day for the remainder of my time in Naples. Marie was kind, positive, motivating, encouraging, and very dedicated to making sure that I gave it my personal best each and every time we got together. She has a way of giving you the most beautiful smile while demanding you reach down inside a little deeper. The most important thing that Marie taught me was how to tap into my own personal reserves and pull out one or two more reps, a few more seconds on a plank, a few more pull ups and a more perfect push up.

This brings me to the most important part of any work out – FORM. Marie is a huge stickler on form and it showed when at the end of the vacation, after only about 8 sessions, I could actually see the difference. By focusing so carefully on form, without exception, Marie can ensure that one, there will be no injuries on her watch and, two, you will get the results you are looking for.

If I lived in Naples, I would make sure to work out with her every opportunity I could. I will definitely be keeping her number for the next time I am in town and will continue to do her work outs on my own.

– Elizabeth Visconti

I just wanted to say thank you for all you have done…you and Sgt ken have helped me tremendously…I’m absolutely ready for basic…and when i go in there I am def. be tough and strong….and of course on the side girlie…lol everything you and Sgt ken have told me…I’m going to keep it with me for the rest of my life….I really wish I didn’t have to go because I want to see you guys again next month…fit to fight was like a 2nd family to me…that’s why I was being really emotional with you because I saw how you truly care and I wasn’t ready to leave…but anyways…thank you so much…I will def keep in touch and hopefully in the future we will run into each other again real soon…much love to you.

– Samantha Vannouvong

8 months ago, I herniated a disk in my lower back. It prevented me from living life the way I wanted, tennis and golf were no longer possible, even sitting hurt. After months and months of seeing every doctor and taking medications, a friend recommended I go see Marie. It was hands down the best decision i have ever made. She understood where the pain was and how we could strengthen the area. Every work out was unique and I could actually feel the pain dissipating. I am now pain free and back to playing tennis!!

Marie truly cares about her clients and wants them to achieve their goals. She helped me more than I think she will ever know. Marie, I just wanted to thank you so much for giving me my life back. I know I can be a pain sometimes and probably drive you nuts about my weight and how I look but you never got frustrated or give up. I am forever grateful!!!

Before I met you, I was extremely frustrated that I couldn’t do what I wanted. I know you’re thinking, no, not Nicole….but you fixed my butt!! I went to an orthopedic surgeon, Neurosurgeon, chiropractor, pain management doctor and a physical therapist and you were the one who fixed it!!!

Did I tell you how happy I am to be playing tennis again! I played last Sunday, I hit singles with my really, really talented friend and I was all good. Thank you again so much!!

– Nicole Fox

…Exercising outside is surprisingly difficult but FUN! It challenges you in ways you need to experience; and the variety of total body conditioning exercises is geared towards your own fitness needs and level. You will not be bored. You will be challenged and you will Love the whole atmosphere of exercising on the beach while watching the sunset or in the mornings sometimes you even get dolphins!

P.S. you will also learn to count in Spanish!

– CJ O’Connor

I started training two afternoon boot camp classes with Marie about a year ago and I have grown so dependent on her and her training regimen that I added another two boot camps per week at the beach. Not only do we have a fun time together getting stronger and performing more difficult routines, we are also forming friendships and gaining more confidence in our bodies and in our minds. Marie has taught me that I am so much stronger than I give myself credit for, therefore she will push me to my full potential which I didn’t do on my own without her positive reinforcement and encouragement. Each time we go to class Marie creates different workout programs to keep us all interested and it continues to make us strive for more and work harder. We have truly become a family and we are all exerting ourselves daily to become healthier and stronger for life! I would be truly lost without her!!!

– Karen Kelly, 45 Yrs. old

Thanks for bringing your A game to our sessions. I loved the sessions. You are an amazing trainer who is so educating, wanting to learn more, passionate, creative. You are on your A game. My A game is with my kids right now. Go for your dreams with your career and make it your A game now. You have so much amazing potential…

– Karen Hurley, 39 Yrs. old

I’m a preschool teacher here in Naples. I also have a very active 7 year old daughter. Over the past couple of years I started to put on some weight. It didn’t bother me too much until I had to start buying clothes in larger sizes. This was a wake-up call for me. I’ve always been able to diet and lose weight, but this time it didn’t work. I don’t know if it was due to the fact that I turned 38 or that my lack of any exercise at all had something to do with it, but somehow I had become the type of person who after dinner sat on the couch watching my favorite shows and subconsciously ate my way through the evening till bedtime.

I decided that I needed to do something about my overall lack of health. I met with Marie in November of ’08 to discuss what might be a better lifestyle for me. I started training with her right away. We discussed what times would work for me to meet with her and settled on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:45 a.m. This would allow me to meet with her before I had to get my daughter and me ready for school. We also discussed that I would work out on my own twice a week and would follow a simple but very effective routine that she outlined and demonstrated for me.

I’ve been working out for almost 4 months now and have noticed some very big differences inside and out. I’ve started to lose the “baby belly” that I developed after having my daughter all those years ago, I’ve noticed that I actually have muscles and my arms don’t “wibble” any more, that my body overall is starting to shape up, that I have quite a bit of stamina, and the most important thing to come of all this is that I feel mentally stronger, empowered in some new way.

Marie continues to challenge me but never overwhelms me. That’s very important to me because I’m the type of person who needs to be able to finish my workout and not have to quit because the workout was too advanced for me. That the workouts continue to change every time that we meet so I don’t get bored and continue to work different muscles. That my workout routine can be difficult but that I look forward to the challenge and when I feel I’m getting tired and my body starts shaking, I just say to myself “Strong mind, strong body” that’s my mantra to working through it!

I like the progress that I’ve made, but am excited to see what I can accomplish in the future. I’ve discovered that at the end of the preschool day, I still have energy. I’m also spending more time with my daughter cycling or swimming in the pool because now I have the stamina to keep up with her, and I hope that she’s learning that exercise can be fun and good for you.

– Michelle Junkroski

Marie is truly a miracle in my life. Never did I imagine as I neared my 50’s weighing more than I did when I had my daughter, would I be able to change my body to the degree to which I have. Marie’s methods work and her attention to form and teaching are second to none. All you have to do is trust in her, put in the time and you will see results.

– Julie Kwasnik

When I look back at old pictures I see the old me overweight and sluggish. I could never find the right combination of dieting and exercise with a trainer that could motivate me to make the changes I needed to feel and look better. That all changed when I began to train with you.

I would recommend S.M.S.B. to anyone who is interested in a serious trainer and motivator who uses boxing, sprinting, running, core workouts and more to help build a strong body and mind. I now feel like a healthier person and with your help I look forward to continuing my healthy lifestyle.

– Sherry Alvarez-Perez, 39 Yrs. Old

Marie has been training me for the past few months and her program has truly changed my life! As a trainer, Marie is always there to motivate me and encourage me to keep going on my journey of weight loss. She always responds honestly and openly about the foods I’m eating and the challenges that I have. Her strong mind strong body workout routine has challenged me to push myself. Each time I do it I feel myself getting stronger. I work muscles that I have never worked before!

Marie has helped me believe in myself to achieve my goals. She has also been there for me every step of the way and I live many miles away in Ohio. It doesn’t feel like she is that far away though because she talks to me on a daily basis! It just proves that even though she’s not here in person she is still training me every day and I’m getting results. I recommend Marie’s program to anybody because it will truly change your life. I am living proof!

– Kristi Chmielewski, 26 years old

I know that I appreciate and am thankful to have you as a personal trainer and friend. In the two months, since I began training with you, I have become much more flexible and pain free. Your workouts are like a progressive physical therapy guiding me to a stronger fitness level and strength. Your Strong Mind Strong Body title fits your training style perfectly. I also believe that our well being is created from healthy mind, body and spirit. Thanks for all of your encouragement. It truly has motivated me.

– Lorraine Buckley