For Amy Shapiro, MS, RD, CDN and Founder of Real Nutrition NYC, it’s all about practicing what she preaches: A realistic healthy lifestyle that she can maintain for a long time for long-term health.
Her day starts at 5am with 15 minutes of alone time and shots of Lypo-Spheric® Vitamin C and B Complex Plus for immune system and energy balance support for the early morning gym session. Since she was 12 years old, Amy has been working out 5–6 days a week, and has tried just about everything. At 42 years old, those workouts mostly include heavy weight training sessions, cardio classes, and pilates. And, on days when this mom of three and owner of Real Nutrition NYC can’t make the gym, Amy says “I just make sure to stay active during the day like standing during phone calls, standing on the subway instead of taking a cab, walking to and from my appointments.”
That realistic approach to wellness is the foundation of her nutrition business, and the reason for the name. She advises her clients on making healthy eating intuitive and reasonable to maintain for the long run. No fad diets, no impossible goals, no unsustainable lifestyles. That’s what she preaches and that’s what she practices.
Amy describes her diet as “plant-heavy with a dose of clean protein and heart-healthy fats.” She “tries” to remain vegan before 6PM. Tries. If she has to reach for a slice of turkey, she doesn’t punish herself.
“I don’t eat a ton of processed foods, but at times when I’m on the go (and as a busy New Yorker mom and professional) sometimes packaged foods have to happen. Then I check ingredients and make sure it’s as clean (and as tasty as possible),” she says.
If a not-so-healthy meal happens, it’s okay. Amy just plans ahead to minimize the opportunities for bad eating decisions.
“I always have a healthy snack in my bag or desk drawer — bars, nuts, fruit, veggies — so getting too hungry and making poor choices doesn’t ever have to happen.”
Getting those healthy snacks and daytime meals in order are part of the 5am routine. That way, she has her evenings free to spend time with her family or see friends. Those evenings are essential to Amy since she says, “As a mom of 3 who runs a business I don't think I get any days off.”
That’s why sustainable healthy living and smart decisions are so important to her: She needs to be at her best every single day. And that means feeling “great inside and out” even while dealing with the stress of running a business in the age of social media that never gets turned off and three young boys with a lot of activities. She says over scheduling herself is her biggest daily challenge as she finds that when something slips, “feeling my best goes out the window.”
She knew Lypo-Spheric® supplements were a perfect fit when she tried a sample at Moon Juice in Los Angeles. She describes Lypo-Spheric® Vitamin C as her “go-to travel and fall/winter supplement,” ideal for the times that feeling her best is the most difficult. And as both a nutritionist and a business-owning mom of three prone to attempting to cram too much into a single day, she uses Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus for “energy and balance and metabolism.”
For Amy, staying healthy and feeling her best is about more than just her; it’s what enables her to dispense the authentic advise to her clients that keeps them feeling their best as well.
“Many people don’t know how good it feels to actually feel good,” Amy says. “The nutrients you put into your body can define how you feel and I want to feel my best every day.”
