Keri Glassman works to improve her life every single day, and she wants to help you do the same.

The elite nutritionist and registered dietitian was interested from a young age in how diet affects the body. Then, as a college athlete, she was distressed by her dichotomous choice between maintaining her ideal appearance and fueling herself properly to perform on the field.

Ultimately, these early experiences led her to found Nutritious Life, her nutritional practice and school. There, she and her team are dedicated to educating the public and encouraging clients to prioritize their own health and manage their lives with an eye towards wellbeing.

Here, Glassman encourages us to stop using busy schedules as an excuse for ignoring our own needs

Live The Process: You have been a nutritionist for twelve years. What first attracted you to the science behind diet?

Keri Glassman: I always say that I believe I was born to be a nutritionist. When I was in seventh grade science class, I said to my friend, Amy, “I’m craving almonds; my body must need vitamin E.” I know: I was such a dork. I probably had no idea what vitamin E even was and I didn't know what I was really talking about, but I clearly had an innate interest in nutrition and the body.

Fast forward to when I was a college athlete: I was a girl stuck between wanting to fit into a pair of skinny jeans and needing to fuel myself to wear a pair of cleats. I felt constantly frustrated that I had to choose between the two. This is when my real true desire to be healthy, thin and also strong came together. Even though I didn't start my private practice until a decade later, after getting my masters degree in clinical nutrition and working in a variety of settings, this to me was the real birth of my practice, Nutritious Life.

LTP: Why and how did you decide to create a twelve-week online nutrition course?

KG: This has been a vision of mine since the very start of my nutrition practice. It has always been my career dream to do this. The goal of the program is pretty straightforward: I want to help as many people out there learn how to help as many others live their most nutritious life. The course covers basic nutrition education, how to present this information to clients and how to build your health and wellness business.

LTP: In your experience, what is the most common obstacle to people living healthy lifestyles?

KG: It is truly difficult to pinpoint just one obstacle. I would say time—or, rather, what people perceive as lack of time—and emotional eating, much of which is stress-related.

We are all busy and only seem to be getting busier and busier. We all add more and more to our plates. People often make themselves their last priority. We often view taking time to prepare food, getting a massage or sitting down to read a book as selfish. I find myself saying to clients often, “Would you send your kids to school without breakfast?” The answer is an obvious, “No.” So, why then do we not treat ourselves this way? We use lack of time as an excuse, but the fact is we must take time to nourish ourselves.

We all know that, when we feel good, we are better able to take care of everyone else around us too. And it doesn't take as much time as we think. I help people work through this resistance and figure out where they can make time, save time and how to incorporate health into their lives in manageable ways. Making simple behavioral changes to one’s life can set a person up for a whole lot of success in health and wellness.

Emotional eating is a biggie, too. Most of us have confronted this at some point or another. I help people identify their triggers and come up with methods to control them.

LTP: How do you manage your own stress and ensure that you are taking care of your “whole self,” as is your philosophy?

KG: I am naturally a quick-paced, high-energy type of person who, like everyone else, has to confront stress, and I own it. I always say, out of all the pillars of a Nutritious Life, stress is the one that I’ve had to work on the hardest. I’m not a naturally calm person; I’m naturally a revved-up person, so learning to take it down a notch was not innate for me. I’m a runner and I like spinning—exercise has always been my therapy. But now I also meditate. I usually do my own little quick mini-meditations, sometimes just an 8-count breath.

LTP: What does happiness look like to you?

KG: I love love and passion. Being in love with and passionate about my kids, partner, career, friends and, of course, feeling good about myself—that is happiness to me.

LTP: What does it mean to you to "Live The Process" and how do you do that every day?

KG: I always say, "Every meal is a Monday morning, a unique opportunity to eat well." I try to apply this mantra to all areas of my life, and I do my best to be a little bit better each day.