I am a business owner, a wife, a coach, a traveler, and a lover of the outdoors. I have a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, a master's degree in Public Health, and am a Certified Health Education Specialist.
1. Tell us more about yourself and your profession.
I am an online nutrition coach and business owner with a background in public health, nutrition education, and research, and almost a decade of working in the fitness industry.
I started working in fitness as a CrossFit coach while in high school, and my love of fitness took me through years of graduate studies working in public health nutrition and research.
It took a while to convince myself that a 1:1 nutrition coach was a worthy career - I always thought I would be a doctor, professor, or something else "official" - but I have never loved anything as much as I love working with my clients.
I provide entirely individualized nutrition coaching for clients all over the world with performance and aesthetic goals. Many of them come from a background of chronic dieting and undereating, and we work together to fuel their bodies well, create long term habits, and reach their specific goals.
2. What are some of the biggest myths related to nutrition?
Nutrition misinformation is one of the biggest challenges to navigate when it comes to learning how to eat. I think the biggest myth out there is that there is a "best" or "perfect" diet when that is not the case.
As humans, we have completely individual needs, goals, lives, health histories, etc. and the "best" diet possible for us is one that is sustainable - one we can follow without feeling deprived and miserable.
Many diets are full of rules and restrictions dictating what and when you can eat, and that is not conducive to our busy lives and constantly changing schedules and scenarios.
Myths like "don't eat after 7pm," "5 small meals a day is better than 3 normal meals," "carbs make you fat" wrongly demonize foods when we should be focusing on the quantity we are eating rather than being fixated on good vs "bad" foods.
3. Where did you study nutrition science and why did you choose it as a career?
I have a BS in Exercise Science and a Masters in Public Health from Brigham Young University. After my MPH, I started a Ph.D. program in Social and Behavioral Science with an emphasis on Public Health Nutrition.
I am a Certified Health Education Specialist as well and chose nutrition education as a career because I see the need for more evidence-based nutrition education, and the support individuals need in overcoming chronic dieting and finding a way for their nutrition to fit their busy lifestyles.
4. How can one go about building their immunity?
The immune system is a network of many working parts, and "boosting" cellular function.s would probably (ironically) only result in sickness rather than increased immunity.
You do need certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to function optimally, but green teas and juice cleanse aren't necessarily the cure to immune health.
We can support our immune function by managing stress, prioritizing exercise and movement, getting adequate sleep, and eating a balanced diet with adequate micronutrients (through fruits and vegetables).
5. What are some of the mistakes people make while trying to lose weight?
The biggest and most common mistake is to think more is better. Following more diet rules and aiming for more restriction (restricting calories or cutting out entire food groups) is not sustainable, and usually results in individuals giving up because they feel like it is too hard to stick to their many rules.
6. What comprises a sustainable diet that is good for maintaining a healthy weight and BMI?
A sustainable diet for maintaining a healthy weight is dependent on adequate calorie and protein intake. Energy balance (or the idea of calories in, calories out) is what dictates our body weight.
Eating fewer calories than we burn on average leads to weight loss, while eating more calories than we are burning on average leads to weight gain.
Eating approximately the same amount of calories we are burning on average allows us to maintain our body weight, and adequate protein intake allows us to maintain and build muscle mass, which is an important part of healthy body composition.
7. Which is your favorite book & why?
My favorite nutrition-related book is Atomic Habits by James Clear because it simplifies the actions we can take to create solid habits into actionable steps.
I love to read for fun as well, and my favorite books are historical fiction. One of my top favorites is Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
I am a business owner, a wife, a coach, a traveler, and a lover of the outdoors. I have a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science, a master's degree in Public Health, and am a Certified Health Education Specialist.
I have worked in health and fitness since I was 17 - as a trainer first and as a nutrition coach since 2015. I love what I do more than anything and feel so incredibly grateful for the knowledge I have and the individuals I am able to work with.
I know that there is an overwhelming amount of nutrition and fitness information available to us at all times, with different programs promising dramatic changes if you just follow along for 30 days. As a result, we are often caught in a cycle of always trying the next new diet or workout plan.
My goal is to help you understand the basics of nutrition so that you can not only distinguish fact from fad but so that you are able to set goals you can actually achieve and create progress that you can actually maintain.
For me, working out and dialing in my nutrition is about being as healthy as I can in order to live a life full of as many adventures as possible, and coaching is about helping my clients do the same.
I believe in good workout buddies, kindness, pink sugar cookies, long hikes, a 9 pm bedtime, and sharing evidence-based truth and honesty with those who are also striving to be as healthy as they can be.
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