By Heather Kiddoo
My name is Heather Kiddoo and I originally got into the fitness industry to help people get strong and “be healthy.” In 2015, when I purchased what was formerly CrossFit bond, my offerings to members were CrossFit and personal training. Through education and experience, I have since learned that I wasn’t providing people with quite enough guidance to really move the needle in terms of actually making lifelong health changes. Especially concerning to me was the rate at which obesity, diabetes, and heart disease was increasing in our general population. Studies have shown—in not all cases, but enough of them—that lifestyle choices are attributing to the increase in the prevalence of these conditions. My heart was definitely in the right place when I bought this gym, but I soon realized fitness just wasn’t enough. People needed more and because of this realization, I found a Registered Dietitian and began offering nutrition and wellness services in addition to the fitness platform.
Fast forward several months and my “fitness only” gym has become Live Active 563 where myself and partner, Jake Ledvina, are able to provide our members and community a full scale wellness service that includes our Nutrition & Wellness Division and also our Fitness Division which offers CrossFit, SWEAT Bootcamp, Indoor Cycling, Personal Training, Youth Athletics and Yoga.
Live Active 563’s mission is to better the lives of our members through nutrition, fitness, and community.
- We want people to eat right.
- We want people to get active.
- We want people to develop relationships with other like-minded people to help keep them accountable.
Nutrition is at the base of the pyramid. If we don’t eat right, our output as humans is subpar—we don’t function cognitively or physically at optimal levels. In addition, over time medical conditions can develop from poor diet and lifestyle habits. Our Nutrition & Wellness program touches on all aspects of wellness. We teach people sustainable habits to last a lifetime that aren’t only centered around food intake, but also involve education regarding topics such as sleep and stress management. This is not a quick fix fad diet program. We are not labeled as keto, paleo, etc. We use a phased approach with our clients. Phase I lasts 12 weeks while Phase II can last many years. Meeting people where they are at in their wellness journey is very important to us. In person meetings on a weekly or biweekly basis are required for the initial 12 weeks of our program so that our coaches can work on helping individuals incorporate healthy habits slowly into their lives. If people come to us with certain medical conditions that require a specialized diet such as keto or low carb, our R.D. will be involved in working with this individual and their physician to make sure their nutritional needs are taken care of.
Typically, when people join our Nutrition & Wellness program, they come to us with goals of fat loss or muscle gain. Others come to us with specific health goals such as “I want to get off of my blood pressure medication” or “I am at risk for diabetes if I don’t change my eating habits.”
Nothing is more rewarding than receiving a message from a client that says, “I just left my doctor’s office and my blood work came back better than it ever has.”
How our nutrition & wellness program works
- Schedule a free intro with Heather Kiddoo.
- Discuss the program, discuss your goals, decide if the program is right for you.
- If it is, decide on the level of accountability with your coach for Phase I.
- Set up your initial consultation with your Wellness Coach.
- Start your wellness journey, set goals each visit, start seeing positive changes.
We are taking nutrition & wellness to the next level!
Because the occurrence of specific health goals is increasing, we have partnered with a doctor of pharmacy, Matt Arnold, PharmD, BCACP. We are so excited about this partnership—together with his service, we are bridging the gap between nutrition, fitness, and healthcare.
Dr. Matt Arnold is a Clinical Pharmacist and plays a primary role advising physicians on how best to individualize the medications and therapies they choose for each of their patients, both in the hospital and in the doctor’s office. In addition, he meets with patients one-on-one to help them manage their chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart related conditions, and much more. He specializes in primary care with Genesis Health Group in Davenport and is a faculty member at the Genesis Family Medicine Residency Program where he educates 18 family practice residents on medication management.
How our partnership works with Dr. Arnold, PharmD, BCACP
Dr. Arnold will be offering a “Personalized Medication Review and Plan” in conjunction with our Nutrition & Wellness program for clients who are interested in learning more about the medications they take, their risks and benefits, and evaluating the continued need for certain medications.
During this consult he will:
- Provide a detailed description of what each medication is for.
- Provide an explanation as to why certain medications may be particularly important.
- Assess the appropriateness of your medications as well as their safety and effectiveness.
- Answer any questions or concerns the client may have about their medications or health conditions.
- Evaluate the “whole person” including health conditions, therapies, medications, and lifestyle.
- Work with the client to develop a plan to assist them in achieving their individual health and medication based goals.
The primary goal with this review is to evaluate and develop a plan to reduce or eliminate any possible medications safely and correctly. Dr. Arnold works alongside the client and the client’s other healthcare providers to advise and adjust medications as agreed upon together. He often uses the client’s online patient portal to review lab work and visit notes from the client’s other health care providers.
We strongly believe—through proper nutrition and exercise—our clients can add years to their life. The foods we eat either feed disease or fuel longevity. Individuals come to us wanting a wide range of results from needing to lose weight in hopes to stave off disease to optimizing their nutrition to enhance their performance. Wanting to live a longer, healthier life is also a common reason people join our program.
Workplace wellness
In addition to helping individual clients, our services extend to the workplace! We can help any small or large company interested in providing their employees a way to optimize their nutrition and health. Services range from educational wellness & nutrition seminars to nutrition challenges and full program services.
If any individual or company reading this article is interested in getting started or learning more about our Nutrition & Wellness Division or fitness for that matter, visit www.liveactive563.com or email me, Heather Kiddoo-Partner, at Live Active 563 at heather@liveactive563.com and I will schedule a free intro. Live Active 563 is located at 983 40th Ave., Bettendorf IA, 52722.