Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Ziesmer.
Kristen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a Registered sports dietitian, certified personal trainer and owner of Elite Nutrition & Performance! I created ENP several years ago while working at the University of South Carolina as a campus dietitian. During my stent there, many people outside of USC asked me if I could help them with their diet and training. Anything from training for a competition to helping them overcome an eating disorder. Back when I was studying for my undergraduate degree at the University of Maryland, I knew that I wanted to start my own business helping people live healthier active lives. However, it wasn’t until I got to Columbia that I realized there was a great need for someone to teach athletes and active individuals how to use food properly to fuel their bodies. That’s when ENP was born!
I’ve been an athlete most of my life…most. I was a dancer for over a decade (mostly acrobatics), played basketball and soccer, ultimately ending up a competitive swimmer for local team. Yes, I was one of those people who could eat anything and everything and not gain an ounce…up until I graduated high school that is. This is where the story goes downhill. I started my college career by going to Johnson & Wales University to study culinary arts. I was cooking and eating gourmet food five days a week and no longer exercising 2 hours a day. As you can imagine, the weight came flooding on.
I was completely lost on what to do. I knew that I wanted to lose weight but I had no idea how. I didn’t know what the difference was between a calorie and a gram of fat. I didn’t know what the role of carbs or protein played in my diet. I knew nothing about nutrient timing. Instead, I did what was easiest and started taking diet pills. After suffering through extreme shakiness and feeling anxious, I lost 30 lbs only to realize these things were killing people! I quickly threw them out and almost instantly regained the 30 lbs. Now what? I did what was the next easiest thing…starve! That summer I returned from school and barely ate, losing 30 lbs in the matter of 2 ½ months. What started as a benign attempt to lose weight quickly spiraled out of control into an eating disorder that lasted over 3 years.
I left culinary school to focus on my passion, nutrition. I pursued a degree in dietetics from the University of Maryland all while struggling with my own nutrition issues. I’ll spare you all the gory details but these “issues” ranged from anorexia, over-exercising, binge eating and unsuccessfully attempting to purge. I had a horrible relationship with food and my body and struggled with body dysmorphia. After joining a group on campus called S.E.E.D.S (Students Educating on Eating Disorders), I realized I wasn’t the only one with this problem and wanted to get better.
I started reading every self-help book I could and nutrition book (written by registered dietitians, of course) I could. Between school and these books, I learned the basics of nutrition and started to put them into practice for myself. I learned how to eat mindfully and actually listen to my body. I ate when I was hungry, what I was hungry for and stopped when I was full. I tried to follow a workout routine rather than exercising in response to eating. I even got rid of as many “triggers” to my disorder that I could, including fitness magazines. I did everything I could to set myself up for success.
After graduating from the University of Maryland with my B.S. in dietetics, I got certified through the American Council on Exercise as a personal trainer. That’s the time when I started to get interested in triathlons. I had the swimming background and cycled a lot with my dad so I figured adding in a run wouldn’t be too hard. I was always interested in sports nutrition due to my athletic background. However, training for and competing triathlons made me realize just how important proper nutrition and hydration is in sports performance. I started reading, interning with sports dietitians and attended as many sports nutrition conferences as I could. That’s when I learned how to put together sports nutrition plans for endurance athletes that is as specific as how many grams of carbs to eat per minute!
After moving to SC, I started to shift my focus from endurance training to more weight training. I’ve always loved to lift weights and new that I put on muscle easily. After loosely joking about competing in a bodybuilding competition for years, I was encouraged by my husband and my co-worker, Sam, to finally sign up. After 8 physically and mentally demanding months, I finally competed in the figure division and was awarded 3rd place.
While training I learned a lot about myself, how the body responds to training adaptations and nutrition first hand…far more than any textbook could have taught me! I also accomplished something that I always wanted to do but never thought I would. This was way more than just stepping out on stage; I was finally able to prove to myself that I had totally separated myself from my eating disorder over the years. I was able to follow through with an intensive nutrition and training plan. I was able to balance eating to fuel my working body yet eat foods I enjoyed that still fit into my plan.
To say that my life surrounding my relationship with food, exercise and my body has been a rocky road is an understatement. It took several years, setbacks and trying again to get where I am today. It’s funny to hear my clients say, “you must only eat healthy food “or think that I’ve been this way my entire life. I tell them that all of this has been a process and it’s totally possible for everyone to live a happy, healthy, and properly fueled active life!
Has it been a smooth road?
I started my first business when I lived in Maryland, between undergrad and grad school. Ever since undergrad, I knew I wanted to own a private practice and I did it! My first business was named Smart Weighs. I’d say I did pretty well for not knowing what I was doing but once grad school started I couldn’t keep up with both. So, I let the business go.
After grad school, I needed a job so I moved to South Carolina to work at USC as a dietitian. After about a year of being there, I got the itch again. I started reading books, talking to successful dietitians in business and making my business plan. I had a lot of grand dreams for my business but not much of a clue on how to get it there. However, I had a preliminary plan and went with it.
The first year I realized I knew nothing about business finances and taxes. My goal was to save as much money as I could and I wound up paying a lot of money in taxes. The second year, I did the complete opposite and wound up overspending. I was frustrated to say the least. I also didn’t have a clue on how to market my business besides word of mouth marketing. I didn’t like the idea of having my personal life on display through social media in order to market my business. I wound up enlisting the help of a business coach who helped me with all these things.
I love having my own business but there are drawbacks, such as a lot of hours and long days. When a problem arises, I’m there to put out the fire. When an employee can’t work, I’m there to cover for them. I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices over the years but they have been worth it!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Elite Nutrition and Performance is a comprehensive nutrition and fitness consulting practice specializing in sports nutrition, weight management, eating disorder management and chronic disease management. We work with a variety of clients ranging from out of shape adults looking to get healthy, to high school athletes, to amateur and professional athletes. We are a little different (okay, a lot different) than your average gym or nutritionist. We take a personal approach to our client’s health and performance by getting to know them and their body. We do this because we care about their health and wellbeing. When we take on new clients, we are investing in them as they invest in themselves.
Our mission is to equip our clients with the tools you need to perform your best both on the field and off. We believe in providing only evidence-based recommendations that are grounded in science…that means no fad diets here! We know that opinion-based recommendations that you may receive from “nutritionists” and big-box gyms can sometimes cause more harm than good. For that reason, we may not always give you the answer you want to hear but rather the answer that is best for your health and your goals.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I operate out of Columbia, SC but I have clients from all over the state of SC and surrounding states including GA, NC, MD. I can’t speak to Atlanta specifically but I do think that the south, in general, is lacking in health and wellness professionals and there is a definite need.
There are lots of sports teams in the south- as we know, sports are a big deal in the south! Athletes need to know how to fuel their bodies in order to perform well. Just as the wrong type of gas or no gas in a car will cause it to not go anywhere, incorrect fueling practices will affect performance. We also know that obesity in the south is at epidemic rates and is only getting worse. I think the need combined with the lower cost of living (compared to the north and west coast), makes setting up this type of business in the south a win-win. However, increasing awareness of the need for this type of service, as well as insurance coverage would help.
Pricing:
- Individual nutrition consultations range from $75-$200
- Individual fitness plans start at $150/month
- Speaking engagements start at $400
Contact Info:
- Address: 3020 Devine Street, 2nd Floor
Columbia, SC 29205 - Website: https://www.EliteNutritionAndPerformance.com
- Phone: 803-200-2506
- Email: kristen@elitenutritionandperformance.com
- Instagram: EliteNutritionAndPerformance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EliteNutritionandPerformance/
- Twitter: SportsRDExpert
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/elite-nutrition-and-performance-columbia
- Other: https://www.EliteNutritionAndPerformance.com/blog
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