ABOUT NICKI

By Nicki On February 19, 2010 No Comments

Losing weight is never just about a few skipped meals, dress sizes, or a few pounds up or down on a scale …

If it were that simple, you probably wouldn’t be on this blog – and if there were one answer, then everyone could use it and life would be simple.

The REALITY is that the reasons for weight gain and the solutions for weight loss can be complicated: among them are genetics, hormones, work, lifestyle, self-esteem, environmental factors, pre-existing conditions, and of course, the foods you eat (and that’s just a very short list).

Although it’s complicated, it’s a battle that many women fight every day to varying degrees of success.  It would be easy enough to give up, but that’s not an option. When your health, energy, well-being, appearance, self confidence, relationships, and longevity (and that’s just a very short list too!) all ride on something , it’s a battle you can’t give up on.

This site and my mission is to help you fight the battle, put the odds in your favor, and eventually help you become a winner at it!

I have been the owner of the award winning Reality Fitness gym and training studio for almost 20 years. In that time I have helped hundreds of Illinois residents, everyone from celebrities and politicians to hard working businesswomen and soccer moms, to achieve their weight loss goals permanently.

(The key word here is permanently.  Anyone can lose a couple of pounds on a fad diet or by skipping a couple of meals.  To find a permanent lifelong solution that only gets improved results over time, it will take a completely different approach and mindset – that’s what you’ll learn about here.)

I’m happy to say that my work has gotten a very positive reaction from the community I serve, from the media, and the fitness industry as a whole.

I was recently named IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year for 2009 (IDEA is the world’s largest fitness industry organization and certifying body, and their award is considered the highest honor in Personal Training in the country).

I was also recently named one of Chicago’s top Personal Trainers once again (and the only woman on the list I must add!).

I have also been featured in numerous national media, including print and television, and have become friends with many of Chicago’s most influential residents and figures. I have appeared on television and radio and contributed to hundreds of magazines both as an expert and/or author. Some include Shape, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness and Real Simple.

If you don’t know my story, I was very overweight as a young woman.  I was never an athlete, I despised exercise and I loved to eat. Until the age of 17, I spent most of my time in drive-thrus picking up fast food and watching bad T.V. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school when I was involved in a musical, that something “clicked” …

I saw a picture of myself, and I didn’t recognize the girl in the photo. She was twice my size and looked much older. It was at that moment I knew my life had to change.

I had tried everything from diet pills to fasting. When that didn’t work, I decided to try a little activity. I began with walking daily (started off simply going up and down the steps in my house for 2 minutes) and mentally and physically, things started to change. I reacquainted myself with my bike and found myself riding a couple of times per week. I stopped eating fried foods, (I lived in Texas at the time and LOVED chicken fried steak). I broke-up with fast food restaurants and said “Au revoir”, to my nightly ice cream liaisons.  It took me over a year, but I lost 50 pounds and never looked back. At barely 5′2, it made a profound difference.

Since that time, I have dedicated myself to helping others get past weight loss struggles and connect with their body in such a way that weight loss is imminent and permanent. Anyone can lose weight – it’s keeping it off that it is key. I have spent the last 25 years educating myself  and working with others in an effort to change the “diet head” and introduce healthy habits that clear up myths about exercise and nutrition.

(My story was also featured in Family Circle magazine, that profiled my weight loss and eventual successful career in fitness.)

In the last 25 years, amongst the birth of my 4 children, going back to school, starting a business, writing 5 books, lecturing all over the world, I’ve kept the weight off. I never had a nanny or a cook. I have been the nanny, cook, housekeeper and amongst everything else,  managed to keep the weight off. The secret? Change your habits and you WILL change your body and your life. But you need support and that’s why I’m here.

So what separates me from the thousands of other weight loss experts out there? Not only have I been there and done it, I don’t focus solely on weight loss, I focus on long-term change. Weight loss is a by-product of healthy changes. Millions of people lose weight every day, but only a handful are able to maintain weight loss. You can’t do it alone, so I’m here to help you every step of  the way!

My approach is practical, as it comes from years of experience working with thousands of women. I’ve created a motivational component to my program that no one else has done! Why? Because it’s missing from every weight loss program out there! How many diets have you been on where you’ve lost the weight and there was no ongoing support to help keep you there? Or books that you bought and once you finished, there was no more information to help keep you on track as your body and lifestyle continued to change?  I know how important the motivational piece is to your long-term success.  I am in it with you for the long haul, not just until you lose your weight, but through all the challenges, successes, peaks and valleys. Weight loss is an ongoing journey and my friends, I plan on being with you every step of the way.

I can personally attest to the benefits of weight loss that pervade every part of your life, and hope to be able to bring the same gift to you.  Be sure to comment on this blog frequently and the other social media I am actively a part of such as facebook and twitter, and I’m looking forward to interacting with you and changing lives together.

Nicki Anderson

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New to the blog?  Here’s what to do first:

To make healthy changes to how you are eating starting today, I have a free welcome gift for you – it’s my book Reality Fitness Body.  You can download a copy right now for free here:

Check out my complete food and fitness resource for women – it’s called Real Women’s Weight Loss, and you can find out about it here:

If you would like One-On-One Coaching from me to guide you to your weight loss goal just as if you were here in Illinois, but from your computer wherever in the world you may be, I have several options for you to chose from.  You can find out more here: