Better Living's Nutrition Counselor, Becca Addison: 'Food is Not the Enemy'

One of the newest members of our staff, Better Living Fitness' Nutrition Counselor Becca Addison, learned the hard way that being a fanatic about food and weight loss is the wrong way to achieve your health and fitness goals.

Becca has been running competitively since the eighth grade. She's so good at running, in fact, that she was invited to the most recent Olympic trials.

“The problem was, I had a calf injury and got hung up on thinking that, after the injury, I had to eat perfectly so I wouldn't gain weight and mess up my times after my calf healed,” she remembers.

“I became so stressed about food that, even though I wasn't under-eating, I threw my body out of whack and my times fell off too much,” which meant that Becca had to miss trying out for the Olympics.

“That experience is why I find the weight loss thing tricky,” she says, “...and it's the reason I want to help people have a positive relationship with food. Being obsessed with food and eating 'right' really affected my life, and I'd like to help my clients avoid the same kinds of mistakes.”

Becca, who has a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, joined the staff here at Better Living Fitness after doing an internship at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. She says that she first became interested in nutrition as an undergraduate.

“I was a super-picky eater when I was younger, then when I was in college I was surrounded by all these new foods,” she says. “At the same time, I was a collegiate runner and realized that I needed to start eating well to improve my performance – learning how different foods affected my running performance is what got me into nutrition science.'

Becca, who joined Better Living Fitness in February, says one of the hardest parts of her job is working with clients who are overly concerned about weight loss.

“Too much focus on weight loss makes people fight food and think of food as the enemy,” she says. “I try to encourage people to focus on motivations like how they feel during and after eating and the energy they can get from different foods. That's a better, healthier approach, because it lets you be more adventurous about food and it's a way to liking and respecting your body more.”

“In my background in sports, I've seen obsessions with weight loss turn into eating disorders, especially in younger people. I don't want anyone to think of food as being 'bad,' but to enjoy all foods – just in moderation,” she says.

These days, Becca is working on becoming a certified personal trainer so she can address both exercise and nutrition. At the same time, she's still running regularly.

“I love the people that I train with!” she says, “and I love pushing myself and being competitive with other people. When I finish a race and know I gave it everything I had, that's a huge boost for my self-esteem!”

Becca is also enjoying providing nutrition counseling to Better Living Fitness clients. “I like how everyone who comes to Better Living has different health and fitness goals,” she says. “I like working with people one on one, and getting to know and talk with them as we figure out together how to improve their health.”

If you'd like to learn more about how you can enjoy food and achieve and maintain a healthy weight as part of your health and fitness goals, click here today to set up your appointment with Becca!

Thirty Pounds Gone in Just Six Months – Joey Mullick's Better Living Fitness Journey

Six months ago, Joey Mullick decided it was time to hire a personal trainer to help him lose weight. Today, he's roughly thirty pounds lighter and has lost two pants sizes – and he gives Better Living Fitness a lot of credit for helping him feel better about his body.

Joey Mullick workin' it with trainer Jesse Richards

Joey decided it was time to do something about his weight after moving to Ann Arbor from Chicago with his wife Vasvi.

“I was at a point where I'd kept gaining weight over the years, and I really wanted to focus on losing it,” Joey says. “I thought personal training was the only way for me to go. I didn't know what I was doing in a gym, and didn't feel I'd have the discipline to stick to a program on my own.”

Fortunately, Joey didn't have to spend a lot of time searching for a personal trainer here in Ann Arbor, because his parents have been working with Better Living Fitness trainers Mark Thiesmeyer and Joey Smith for several years now.

After Joey's initial consultation, Mark assigned Jesse Richards to help Joey achieve his weight loss goals.

“I was a little surprised because Jesse is younger than me, and I was a bit concerned that he might not be as knowledgeable as Mark, for example, or Joey Smith,” Joey says. “But it turned out that Jesse's technical background is solid, and he really knows what he's doing.”

Not only is he a fitness expert – but like all Better Living personal trainers, Jesse also supports Joey in achieving his specific goals.

"Strength isn't a big deal to me,” Joey says. “I'm kind of weird in that I don't think about the weights I can lift or how flexible I am – losing those pants sizes and the fact that my clothing fits more loosely are the things that matter to me.”

Joey adds that working out with Better Living Fitness has become a real family affair. In addition to Joey and his parents, Joey's wife Vasvi also works with a Better Living personal trainer – and the entire family has seen solid improvements in their health, fitness, and weight.

“Better Living personal trainers are definitely the right pick for anyone who is looking at getting into exercise for the first time, or if you want to get back into working out,” Joey says. 

Whether you want to lose weight like Joey -- or work on your strength, overall health, or get an early start preparing for the spring and summer sports you love -- we're ready to help! Start your personal training journey today with a free consultation.