In the effort to provide the best health care to its patients, Bianco Primary care has recently brought on board Kathryn Terry, a Certified Nutrition Specialist and Personal Trainer, to be the Bianco Primary Care Nutrition and Fitness Director. Proper nutrition and fitness are key components of treating the whole person so patients can get healthy and maintain optimal health.
Recently, Bianco Primary Care Office Manager Eileen Smith interviewed our Nutrition and Fitness Director Kathryn Terry about her nutrition philosophies, reasons why she’s so excited to be a part of the practice and what patients can expect.
Eileen: Kathryn, we have so enjoyed having you as part of our practice for over a month now. What has you most excited about being part of the Bianco family?
Kathryn: Honestly Eileen, it is the ability to work with our patients by treating the whole person. By having their blood work prior to seeing them, and for some patients even years of bloodwork history- which is so valuable. I also have records of current medications/ past medications and diseases already notated, which helps save me time and gives me an idea of some factors affecting the patients’ metabolism before I even speak with them.
Eileen: How do patients benefit from seeing you in this primary care setting specifically?
Kathryn: Beyond having health history detailed, I now get to work hand in hand with their primary care doctor and work towards getting them off medications. We all get to take part in and see the lifestyle transformation that Dr. Shelley, Dr. Mike, and I all want them to have.
Eileen: Absolutely. Now, you said lifestyle transformation. What do you mean by that?
Kathryn: It means helping our patients achieve changes that will last. The framework we discuss and habit changes we build on are meant to be adaptable for the rest of the lifetime. Gone is the mentality of a 30 day fix when you’re feeling low, just to gain it all back after the holidays. Gone is the mentality of comparing yourself to “so and so’s” diet because you heard it worked for them last year. This is a lifestyle transformation that we work on together, and it is personal.
Eileen: Well that sounds different. So is there isn’t just one specific diet, that you have all your clients follow?
Kathryn: No, we step away from all the different “diets” that you see in the media and talk about a way of eating that is sustainable and works best for each client, in the present. Diets are not sustainable. Now I have seen plenty of people shed 10’s to even 100 lbs following a specific diet, but I have also seen them gain it back when life changed or when a roadblock was thrown in their way because they didn’t know how to eat when NOT following that diet. The lifestyle change that I will embark on with each client is designed to help them think and plan around these roadblocks.
Eileen: I really love how you just explained that. Can you share a little bit about the types of clients that you specialize in working with? Is it all weight loss?
Kathryn:Thank you, and sure! I actually work with a variety of clients. I have clients who are looking for weight loss yes, but I also have clients who are looking for weight/ muscle gain, and people in between. I’ve worked with many athletes in the past looking to fuel themselves appropriately for competition, and also helped the everyday mom planning for a family of 5 on little time and a limited budget. I truly have a wide range of experience in this field, and if anyone even has a question on if I could help them or not, please reach out!
Eileen: That sounds great, Kathryn. Now to my understanding you are also a personal trainer too right? Tell me about that part of your background.
Kathryn:Yes, I am a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, inspired by my enjoyment of being physically active and sharing that passion with others. I decided to dive deeper into corrective exercise when I discovered through my experience that the injuries that so many people tolerate long-term and write-off for old age, simply are a result of moving incorrectly. This is where my “Type-A/ fix it” mindset plays as a strength, and allows me to see to the true root of someone’s problem. I then fix the pain or weakness through specific exercises, rather than non-immediate unnecessary surgery or medication.
Eileen: That sounds like a neat niche that some of our clients could really benefit from. Can you do any of that here at Bianco Primary Care without a gym?
Kathryn: This has been a tricky thing to figure out, if we are being honest. We have decided to offer three options for helping our members with their fitness. First is a simple workout routine. If someone would like guidance on what to do to help lose weight, gain muscle, train for a specific sport and/or gain endurance, or rehab a specific injury I can create a detailed plan month by month, to help take the guesswork out of their programming.
Eileen: So does that involve meeting with you in person at all?
Kathryn:Technically twice. It could be virtually nowadays, but I will meet with the member once to discuss their goals, talk about injury history, learn about what exercises equipment they have available, etc… Then we will meet once more to go over their plan I have created to make sure everything makes sense that I have included and the goals appear doable.
Eileen: Got it. So what do you offer beyond the workout design? Anything in person?
Kathryn: We do, we also offer virtual training for ½ hours and full hours, and in person training for full hours where I go to the client and train them in their home or at an outdoor space. This would be for those who need the extra guidance and accountability through the process of achieving their fitness goals.
Eileen: That sounds great Kathryn. The last thing I want to wrap up with is a question. There is so much conflicting information out on the internet from bloggers, influencers and coaches alike. If you had to tell our members one piece of advice to help them stay healthy, what would it be?
Kathryn: Wow, ah, honestly, it would be to not model your health journey after someone else’s. We all have so many different factors affecting our metabolism- things we can and can’t control- so why would you try to control your pieces to look like someone with a different genetic make-up, height, age, or even different gender than you? What research and time has told us is that a healthy diet, and physical activity leads to better overall mental and physical health. Here at Bianco Primary Care I hope to break down more walls of confusion and help each client personalize their long term, lifestyle plan.
