Here I am competing in the DC Half-Marathon in March of 2011.

Nicole Risdall
Health & Fitness Coach
Founder of HELSE

For me it all started with running.

I was 36, living in New York City, and had just been diagnosed with insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), infertility, depression and chronic fatigue. Not really sure what to do, I knew I had to get healthy so I started running. But I had to have a goal to motivate me. So I signed up for the DC Marathon. I joined Team in Training and decided to dedicate my run to my deceased father who passed away from lung cancer.

While training for the DC Marathon, I completed my first half-marathon in NYC and it changed my life forever. I felt so accomplished after finishing that race. It was the best feeling ever! The following weekend was my 15-mile run to continue my DC Marathon training. Well, unfortunately my 15-mile run ended me up in the emergency room with a complicated stress fracture to the femoral neck of my right hip socket. Bummer.

Turns out my plan to get healthy was only half complete. After months of physical therapy (and crutches in NYC in winter!) I got back to running and have completed numerous half-marathons since then. However, the next phase of my journey to becoming healthy involved really understanding nutrition. 

I enrolled in a health coaching program at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in New York City to study more than 100 dietary theories and healthy lifestyle management techniques led by the world’s leading authorities on health and wellness including Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Deepak Chopra, Geneen Roth, Dr. David Katz, Dr. John Douillard, Dr. Mark Hyman, and David Wolfe among many others.

HELSE

After a year certification course to become a health coach, I started HELSE to help others achieve their weight loss and health goals. I also became a running coach to share with my clients proper training techniques to help prevent injuries. And I'm the healthiest and happiest I have ever been. I have incorporated many of the traditional foods of my ancestry (Norwegian) into my diet – lots of fatty fish, vegetables, berries and stews made from clean meat (not factory farmed animals). I limit my intake of sugar, gluten and grains. And upon my graduation at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), I started using my certification to share my experiences and knowledge with clients, as well as teach them how to incorporate simple health and wellness strategies into their crazy-busy lives to reduce weight and risk for chronic disease, but most importantly how to feel their absolute best!

My education has equipped me with a deep knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and the importance of preventive care. Drawing on this knowledge, I will help you create a completely personalized “roadmap to health” that suits your unique body, lifestyle, preferences, and goals.

Because my nutrition theories incorporate ancestral knowledge about food, I've gone back to my Norwegian roots to find a name for my company. Helse is Norwegian for health. To me, HELSE means a new era of health...real health that comes from the food choices we make.

Are you curious about how health coaching can help you? Let’s talk. Schedule an initial consultation with me today. Or to learn more about what HELSE can do for you, click here.