BodySmart Thrives in Monroe for Over a Decade

Elizabeth Reed looked slender in a black dress one recent Thursday evening, during a celebration of the longevity of her business, BodySmart, which has been in Monroe for over a decade. By contrast, when she met her future husband, Mark, on a flight back from Hawaii years ago, her body carried bulkier muscle weight.

"I was a corporate paralegal in New York City and competing in body building," Reed said.

Mark Reed, who many know in town as the former Board of Finance chairman, is a professor at Yale, so the couple moved to Monroe — and Elizabeth pursued a career change.

"I went back to school to be a nutritionist," she said. "I put my part-time love of training to full-time. I sought full-time employment as a clinical nutritionist."

Dr. Thomas C. Roballey, a chiropractor in Monroe, hired Reed as a clinical nutritionist before she started her own business.

"He gave me my start here," she said. "He was a great help in my first steps as a nutritionist. We do referrals to each other."

Over 10 years later, BodySmart is located at 115 Main Street, Suite 11.

"I'm very grateful to be here for the past 10 years," Reed said. "It's because of the loyalty of my clients."

She said most of her new business comes through word-of-mouth, rather than from paid advertising.

Of her space on Main Street, Reed said, "It's tiny, very private. Clients almost have a studio all to themselves. It's a boutique fitness with a private feel. It's almost like being at their home."

BodySmart hosts pole sculpting, Pilates and movement classes, as well as setting up nutrition plans.

"I focus on the whole body," Reed said. "We believe in balance through healthy living and that is my slogan."

BodySmart's members join sign up by appointment only. For information, visit its website or Facebook page.

Teaching a Lifestyle

Guests celebrating BodySmart's anniversary enjoyed a spread of roast beef and turkey wraps, grapes and other foods to nibble on. First Selectman Steve Vavrek asked Reed questions about eating and she said the timing of when people eat certain foods is important to striking a glycemic balance.

"I've been teaching weight loss for years," she said. "You can't out train your diet. Doing fad diets, you'll never get the body you want. We don't teach diet. We teach a lifestyle."

Low calorie diets actually set people's bodies up for weight gain, according to Reed. She said, "We teach people the rules. Putting foods in the right order to make them low glycemic."

Taking The Challenge

That night, BodySmart gave out awards to the top three finishers in the BodySmart local TLS Find Your Fit Challenge. Marge Pulzig of Trumbull lost 23 pounds, Caren Kangas of Shelton lost 57 and Karen Boccadoro of Darien lost 10.5 pounds.

BodySmart donated hundreds of dollars worth of prizes to increase its clients' chances of winning.