Over view of Consulting Services

• Personalized Exercise Program (at your home or a gym)
  

  Why do I need a Personal Trainer?

  • I want to start exercising, but I have no idea on where to begin
  • I only do cardiovascular activities and I think I need to start cross-training
  • I feel embarrassed working out in front of other people and do not want to join a gym
  • I do not want to injure myself while working out
  • My doctor told me I need to start strength training because I am at risk of developing osteoporosis or I already have osteoporosis
  • I want to be able to have the energy to enjoy my favorite activities and family
  • I have been doing the same strength training regimen for years, I need a change!
  • I want to increase my metabolism and I have heard the strength training will help

  If you are like countless Americans, you have great ambitions to get in shape and be healthy, but have no idea where to start.  You join a gym; wander around aimlessly looking at people to see what they are doing, and try to replicate it hoping to get some results.  What happens next?  Either you keep running into the same people who are doing the same routine over and over again, you hurt yourself, or get bored with it all and quit. 
  What is a sustainable and affordable answer to these questions? 
  Work with a professional who has been in the trenches and KNOWS what it takes for you to reach your goals.  The act of exercising is not difficult.  Finding and embracing the value of exercise can be difficult.  Finding and keeping the motivation to exercise can be difficult.  Finding the time to exercise can be difficult.  Finding the right person to guide you down the path to a healthier you is not difficult because you have already.

• Fueling and Repairing for Sports Performance
  
  Wherever your athletic abilities fall along the spectrum, there is one resonating theme for us all: performance.  What fuels performance?  What helps repair our bodies’ workout after workout?  What can aide in recovery?  You may train right, but do you eat right? 
  
  Food CANNOT take a back seat when it comes to enhancing performance and preparing the body for its next workout.  When people link food to athletic performance, our minds usually think about how it fuels our bodies by providing it with the necessary nutrients to get us through our workouts and the conversation stops there.  Our thoughts immediately turn to carbohydrates, fats and proteins and what ratios we need of those macronutrients to prepare our bodies for the workout or event.  These nutrients are the fuel that makes the engine go and are extremely important for optimal performance. 
  
  However, can an engine run without oil?  What happens to that engine if the oil is not changed every so many miles?  The missing part of this equation is the nutrients that are not in the forefront of our brains: vitamins, minerals, water and phytonutrients (nutrients derived from plant based foods).  These nutrients act as the oil for the engine.  They enable the body to metabolize the macronutrients so they are available for energy and keep the body hydrated.  They also play a role in reducing the oxidative stress that is produced as a result of exercise (oxidative stress leads to free radical formation.  Circulating free radicals lead to accelerated aging and the development of chronic diseases.  Phytonutrients and antioxidants intercept these free radicals and neutralize them before they get a chance to cause undesirable effects).  Not only do these micronutrients aide in fueling for exercise, they enable the body to repair and recover to be ready for the next bout of exercise.
  
  Are you going to allow your performance equation to go unsolved?
  
  
• Pantry Makeovers
  
  You have to ask yourself: can some of the items in your cupboards outlive the next year?  This make over can be as drastic as you want it to be.  Whether these changes be small in nature or significant, you, your family and body will thank you for taking that step in not only making over your cupboards, but steps in a total body make over!
  
  
• Personal Grocery Shopping
  
  When asked, do you eat a healthy diet, most people respond with a yes.  However, if most of us are eating a healthy diet, why is over 65% of the population overweight?  What types of food are we feeding ourselves?  Is it food that has a shelf life of a week or longer than we care to admit?  Food politics aside, the abundance of cheap food is not only helping the food manufacturer’s bottom line, but increasing the size of America’s bottoms. 
  
  Unfortunately most the time, the consumer’s health is not number one when food manufacturers are making decisions.  With all the selections of food and the $30 billion spent to advertise and market it, deciphering truth vs. fiction is a challenge.  Fat-free!  100% Daily Value of Vitamin C!  Good source of Iron!  Sound familiar?  Are these the types of labels we should be looking for when selecting the best choices for that will bring health and vitality to the dinner plate?  Small changes in your mindset can make a lot of difference in how you begin to think about food and its connection to your health.
  Now, some choices will be easier than others. While determining what to buy in the produce aisle is not hard, figuring out where to even begin in the other aisles is a little more daunting.  All of the food labels and their list of ingredients can make a person’s eyes crossed:
  
  - What should I be paying attention to?
  - What are some oils listed as partially hydrogenated, and others fully hydrogenated and others just simply oils?
  - Why is there some form of corn on almost every label I see?
  
  By investing in the personal grocery shopping service, you can be assured that you will be armed with the necessary knowledge to make informed choices with every food you buy.  One or two trips to the grocery store of your choice is all you will need to provide you with a savvy shopping attitude! 
  
  
• Weight Management
  
  How many times have you lost weight only to regain it back again?  What was your strategy?  Perhaps you tried the newest exercise gadget on the market.  Or did you try the latest new fad diet that over promised and under delivered?  What I propose to you is a change in mind set.  What if you never had to go on a diet again? 
  
  The word diet has evolved over the years from its original meaning of eating according to your local environment to following a set plan that will result in weight loss.  From here on out, the word diet will not be used.  Start thinking lifestyle.  What does that word mean to you?  What you eat is a part of your lifestyle and how you eat will affect your lifestyle.  Answer this question: Use three words that best describe your lifestyle.  By answering that question, you have established your priorities in life.  From there, we can begin our conversation on what the journey will look like that will result in a healthier you.
  
  We have all started somewhere different on our journey to health.  For those who have sustained a healthy weight, they will tell you there are no short cuts in getting there and the changes were not made over night.  What has motivated you to begin your journey?
  
  Take one meal at a time.  Take one exercise session at a time.  Do not beat yourself up over slip-ups.  Learn to love yourself where you are, and surround yourself with those who will support you and not bring you down.  Embrace the small changes that lead to small victories.  These small victories are exactly what you need in order to achieve your goals.
  
  Health and vitality begin with proper execution.  Without execution, not even the best plan or ideas will make a healthier you. 
  
  
• Nutrition during Pregnancy
  
  Eating for two?  Now what?  Pregnancy is the most amazing thing that a woman will experience.  Nutrition during pregnancy plays a vital role in the development of your baby and for years to come.  What better gift could you give your child than setting them up to thrive and live as healthy of a life as possible?
  
  
• Nutritional Supplementation Recommendations
  
  Confused by all the barrage of information on supplements: do I need a multi-vitamin, should I be taking calcium supplements, what is all this talk on Vitamin D, will fish-oil supplements do me any good or how do I know any of these supplements are doing my body good?  There has got to be a better solution than just turning to the “hot” nutrient of the year.  P2P will help you discover that there is a better solution than swallowing a ton of pills and seeing them washed away in a royal flush.
  
  
• Menu Planning
  
  Making goals and a plan are essential components to success.  Counting calories becomes quite labor intensive and is not a requirement for weight loss.  A sound nutrition plan will not make you count calories, but make calories count!  Call P2P today for your roadmap that will take you on a journey to new and healthier you!
  
  
• Dissecting Food Labels
  
  One may think you have to be a food scientist in order to understand a food label.  While this is true to some extent, a person can make an educated decision on food by learning some key components of a food label.   Learn to identify vital nutrients and ingredients to be on the lookout for and you will be armed with the knowledge that will enable to make the healthy choice every time!
  
  
• Diabetic Education
  
  Diabetes can be controlled through solid nutrition and exercise.  Whether your goal is to lower your H1C levels and blood sugar or get off your medications, P2P can help you achieve this through individualized meal planning and exercise counseling.  You can control this disease; it does not have to control you.
  
  
• Medical Nutrition Therapy
  
  Different disease states require attention to different aspects of food and nutrition.  By embracing whole food nutrition and feeding your body food it recognizes will be more powerful than most any pharmaceutical.
  

Why do I need a Registered Dietitian?

There are many answers to this question. 

• Perhaps a doctor has told you that weight loss would be beneficial for your health, but did not give you any guidance. 
  
  
• Feeling like you never have enough energy to get through the day with productivity?
  
  
• Maybe you have recently been diagnosed with high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes.  Where can you begin to make changes that will enable to you live a life of quality and not 100% dependent on drugs? 
  
  
• Possibly you are looking to enhance your performance in athletics.  Do you need some guidance on how to effectively use food as fuel for your workouts and competitions?
  
  
• Confused by the daily messages of what you should eat and what you should not eat or the next fad diet?
  
  
• Why can I not pronounce half of the ingredients on the foods I eat?
  
  
• You want you and your family to eat healthy, but it is too expensive, right?
  
  
• Are you aware of the impact food plays in the following:
  
  
• GERD
• Constipation
• Celiac Disease
• Crohn’s Disease
• Allergies
• Cancer
• Anemia
• Kidney Disease
• HIV/AIDS
• Pre/Post-op surgery
• Major burns
• Gout
• Osteoporosis

Testimonials

Maria Gordon is a knowledgeable, competent, and caring nutritionist and personal trainer. She has helped me understand my need to change the way I eat and how my body works with the nutrients that I put into it. She is very goal oriented yet understanding of life’s issues. She has helped me tremendously and I highly recommend her very professional advice that is customized to each individual that she works with.
-Bonnie, Lakewood CO

Maria has a passion to work with people and it is quite obvious.  She understands the integral relationship between nutrition and exercise.  Maria taught me how I needed to embrace her suggestions as a lifestyle and not just the new fad diet/exercise plan.   I have full confidence that my goals will be reached and that I will be as healthy as I have ever been because I am working with Maria.
-Julia, Denver, CO

Maria understands the demands that athletes go through and without proper nutrition, they will never be able to get to peak performance.  She has taught he how to use food as not only fuel, but how important it is in the recovery process.  Maria is always willing to research any questions she does not know the answers to.  She wants her clients to have the best information available to them.  I would not be seeing the success in my training efforts without her advice and counseling. 
-Marcus, Littleton, CO