Dietitian, Nutritionist, Wholesome Mom, Author
Hey There!
I believe in leading by example, so, with 50 years under my belt, and two teenagers, I strive to “walk the talk,” sharing with you what I implement in my own lifestyle, letting you in on what worked and what didn’t, so you can skip the noise and go right to what’s most efficient and effective in achieving your own health goals.
I was an inflight refueler on the KC-135. That's me in the middle!
My Story
How did I get here? Let’s go back to around 30 years ago. I’m a Desert Storm veteran, having spent 4 ½ years in the US Air Force as an inflight refueler. During that time, I realized that I couldn’t get enough of everything that had to do with nutrition, science, and biochemistry, so I decided to study dietetics and nutrition, eventually obtaining my Masters of Science in Dietetics and Nutrition.
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When I became a registered dietitian, I floated around for a while, taking per diem jobs while I found my way, including working in hospitals, (which I quickly realized wasn’t for me), teaching nutrition courses at Johnson and Wales University, and working on a consultant basis in HIV/AIDS clinics and drug and alcohol rehab facilities. I finally found a perfect fit working in the nutrition division of a research company, doing nutraceutical and pharmaceutical research. I did all sorts of nutrition counseling, from weight loss to medical nutrition therapy, as well as coordinating numerous research studies, particularly related to weight loss, women’s health, and endocrinology. What I discovered along the way is that, while I enjoyed helping my clients achieve their immediate health and weight goals, what I really loved was witnessing their mindset shift, knowing that they’ve developed new lifestyle habits that will stick with them for the long haul.
Whole Food Philosophy
A while back, a co-worker called me a “foodie” when being a foodie wasn’t a thing. I said, “Well, if being a foodie means you love good, wholesome food, then that’s me!” No matter the diet trend or fad, I have always felt that if we eat as close to the earth as possible, watch our portion sizes, eat what we enjoy and allow ourselves to have a little splurge on occasion, we will reach our health goals. It’s about creating a lifestyle: nutrition, fitness, and mindset habits that we can maintain for a lifetime - that’s what I’m all about!
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Fitness & Mindset
While you may have heard that nutrition is 80% of a healthy lifestyle, fitness is a very important 20%. My philosophy with fitness is that you have to change it up. Doing one thing: only running, only walking or only weight lifting, only trains that one facet of your fitness. Cross-training is essential, as is strength (weight) training, especially for us women as we hit mid-age. Maintaining our muscle mass is of utmost importance and, contrary to what you may have heard, lifting weights will not make you bulky - just stronger and leaner!
Fitness includes not only the body but also the mind. I’m a big proponent of meditation, expressing gratitude, and mind-body connecting activities, such as yoga, to keep our mind healthy, keep ourselves sane in the chaos, and grounding ourselves in a mental state conducive to staying focused on the goals we want to achieve for ourselves.
Click on the button below to get to my top tips for keeping your mind and body, fit and healthy!