Staci LaRue
Staci LaRue is a certified personal trainer, Pilates instructor and holistic health counselor.  She is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York City and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Her love for movement, health and wellness has taken her from a career in dance to a passion in nutrition and fitness. Staci motivates her clients to live healthier, happier and ”green”er lives.

I received my training to practice Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school that integrates all of the different dietary theories – combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the Glycemic Index, the Zone, and raw foods.

I am a motivator. I want to help people to find their way to creating the life they desire and deserve. I want to help them relax, slow down and take care of themselves first. I want to become their picture of perfect health. I want them to find their beauty.

I am a dancer, former dancer/performer who moved to NYC in 1997 to be on Broadway. I was injured, overweight, and had poor nutrition habits. I was unsatisfied with the competitive nature and undeserving rejection of the show business industry. I got into weight training at age 14 and was teaching dance and aerobics from age 15 on. While subbing behind the desk of a gym on the upper west side of Manhattan I was constantly bombarded with requests to train people. I finally got certified in 1999 and started training private clients immediately. Within 2 years I quit my other day job and gradually stopped auditioning making dance more of a hobby than a career.

Through fitness training and PT, I rehabilitated my knees and back and started taking my nutrition much more seriously. In 2005 I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Between attending those classes and studying Nutrition and Food Science at Hunter College I uncovered my other passion. Growing up the daughter of a pseudo hippie/health nut, I always had a knack for this stuff. Holistic health, natural nutrition, ahhh home sweet home. I consciously connected what I ate to how I felt and discovered the meaning of “you are what you eat”.

I learned that a lot of people need a lot of help and that America is in trouble. I am passionate about helping to change the way this country eats and how it produces what we eat. I believe in bringing together the community and local farms and get excited about sustainable agriculture. Last year I entered my mid-thirties, became a mom, and have never felt better. It’s nice to think that in my 30’s I not only feel better than in my 20’s but I look better too. I am passionate about helping people to conquer their own obstacles whether they are injuries, extra weight, food issues, or just learning to find happiness in their daily life. As much as I loved singing and dancing, this career feels so much more rewarding to me. I am helping people to improve their health, reshape their bodies, and to learn to live more passionate, happy lives.

For more information about my educational background, please visit The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.