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You could call her the accidental fitness expert. Twenty-seven years ago, Leslie Sansone was a sedentary, self-professed "foodie" three dress sizes larger than she is now at age 46. "I grew up in an Italian home, so I've been cooking since I was 11," she explains. "And I've never missed a meal."
Looking for work to help finance college, Leslie reluctantly joined her cousin on a weekend workshop for group exercise instructors. "I didn't want to go, but by Sunday night, I was on fire with enthusiasm. My cousin wasn't into the class, but I was crazy-wild, loving the music and movement," she says. Immediately after the workshop, Leslie bought a boom box and some up-tempo music, and started teaching exercise classes at local churches.
"This little hobby that helped me pay for college became my life passion," says Leslie, who still owns and operates Walk Fitness Studio, the Pennsylvania gym she opened 25 years ago. "I had no idea this hobby would set the course for my whole career."
Today, Leslie holds six fitness certifications, has produced more than 100 exercise DVDs, and has written four fitness books. She's consulted for the President's Council on Physical Fitness, worked with national weight-loss groups including Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, been featured on CNN, and currently serves as contributing fitness editor for Woman's Day magazine.
What Leslie started with a few classes in church basements has grown into a $200 million brand. And all this success comes from a simple concept: walking. "Staying fit shouldn't be intimidating or expensive," Leslie explains. In fact, Leslie's best known for her line of in-home walking DVDs, including Walk Away the Pounds, which has sold almost 10 million copies.
Leslie's most recent release—her fourth book, Walking the Walk: Getting Fit with Faith (FaithWords) —blends her Christian beliefs with her passion for low-cost, no-intimidation fitness. "The single best way to get fit is with faith," she writes in the introduction of this book that comes with a companion walk routine DVD.
Leslie, a busy mom of three, recently took a minute to chat with TCW about why she's passionate about walking, how she makes exercise enticing even to women who fear the gym, and what she sees as the link between fitness and faith.
What happened at that fitness workshop years ago to convert you to exercise?
The community aspect of group exercise was fun and motivating. And as I continued with aerobics, weight started melting off me; I couldn't believe how good I felt. I thought, I want everyone to feel this good! From that time on, I've maintained a healthy weight even through three pregnancies. If I hadn't become excited about exercise back then, I know I'd struggle with my weight today, because I love food—and I'm not giving that up!
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