Bubbly and bursting with energy, Adele Smit is a breath of fresh air, quick to laugh and with an infectious sense of humour.
The slim Kimberley-born mum laughs as she says that her birthstone is, rather appropriately, a diamond. Adele, a biokineticist by trade in Mbombela, says that helping people is in her DNA. “Gandhi aptly said that the best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others,” she says. “I wanted to study a profession that enabled me to help people, rather than wrestling with numbers or stats. I have a passion
for people’s emotional and physical well-being.”
Biokinetics, which means “to live through movement”, is concerned with health promotion, the maintenance of physical abilities and final phase rehabilitation of orthopaedic surgeries, sports injuries and special populations by means of scientifically based physical activity programme prescription. “Biokineticists help individuals or groups to get physically stronger and more flexible, from rehabilitation to sport-specific training,” Adele explains. “What workout do apples love?” she asks with a mischievous twinkle. “Core workout!” She laughs. “So yes, we focus on core stability as well as posture, and focus on those muscle imbalances. I also teach a boot camp Pilates class,” she adds. “Their motto is ‘first gym, then gin …’ The truth is that every single person can benefit from endorphins that are released when they exercise.”
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Adele has been using her biokinetics and thermography background to help detect cancer early on. She explains that studies done by the American Cancer Society have consistently shown that an increase in physical activity is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer. “By monitoring physical activity levels, biokineticists can prescribe the best exercise programme suited to an individual’s needs,” she says.
Thermography is a physiologic test that demonstrates thermal patterns in skin temperature that may be normal or may indicate pain, injury, disease or suspicious activity. “If abnormal heat patterns are identified relating to a specific region of interest or function, clinical correlation and further investigation may be necessary to assist your healthcare provider in diagnosis and treatment,” she continues, adding that thermal imaging is an adjunctive test that contributes to the process of differential diagnosis, and is not independently diagnostic of the disease.
While she is kept busy with her work, Adele somehow manages to successfully juggle being a wife, mum and practitioner with her many hobbies and passions, which include orchids, skiing and pottery. Adele refers to husband, Anton, and daughter, Juliet (9), as her hidden strength. “We laugh a lot!” she says, “They both have such a fantastic sense of humour. Juliet has her dad’s head for figures; both of them are excellent at mathematics. Anton is a certified financial planner and helps me when my admin brain gets disorganised,” she laughs. “Keeping a healthy balance means being flexible, grateful and asking for help, while praying and jogging reduces anxiety. I also maintain my sanity by surrounding myself with positive friends, good wine, strong coffee and chocolate.”
On the topic of jogging, Adele explains that she loves to run marathons, including the Comrades. “My personal goal is to run 10 Comrades to receive my green number,” she says, adding that running marathons relaxes her. “Most people sleep late on Saturdays, but I have to laugh, perspire and share jokes with my running buddies at 5am!” Another of her passions is her pottery classes, which she loves. “I adore my teacher … Out of mud, we create masterpieces!” Artworks of a different nature, Adele adds that she is absolutely in awe of orchids, which she says feed her soul. “They remind us of a God who creates beautiful things, with amazing detail. You can never have too many orchids.”
The Smit family love the nature, wildlife and overall vibe of the Slowveld, and enjoy hiking, travelling and exploring on foot. “Mountains and the coast energise us,” Adele says. “But our great passion is skiing. On top of white powdered mountains is where everything makes sense! It is definitely our family’s sporting activity. Juliet and Anton can do jumps like pros. We have been very blessed to have skied in America, France, Austria, and more locally, the dramatic mountains of Lesotho.”
While you might think there isn’t much time for this leggy beauty to fit anything else into her schedule, her work plans for the future include focusing on cardiac rehab, obesity and chronic pain management programmes. We can definitely see her achieving these milestones, along with the more personal goals of running the Comrades, skiing, creating wonders out of mud, and of course, collecting masses of orchids.
Contact: 013 752 2299 or 082 497 3256
