For many, New Year’s resolutions will involve health and fitness.
Whether that goal be to eat better, lost 10 pounds or to fit (back) in the skinny jeans, the beginning of the year is the prime season for gyms and diet groups.
And typically by March, those promises will have faded away.
However, Amber Thiel, who lives just outside the city limits of Federal Way in King County, has a solution.
Rather than just a diet or a workout plan, Thiel and her husband, Brian, have made a business out of a lifestyle change.
For Thiel, her journey began after her mother’s death from cancer when she was in her 20s.
The former physiology and anatomy teacher became a trainer and eventually, in 2008, she and her husband started a seminar, called The Healthy Edge, out of their home. Before the class was over, they had enough interest for another.
After doing several in their home, they realized they needed more space and needed to think bigger. So they brought in Amber’s sister and brother-in-law, went online and are now international with independent consultants — more than 100 — in Canada, Australia and the U.S.
In this area, there are about 25 consultants, including several in Federal Way.
“Our philosophy is progress, not perfection,” Thiel said. “We’re realistic about health being a journey.”
The seminars focus on the mental and emotional issues just as much as the physical, Thiel said.
The first seminars deal with what to eat, what causes the weight around the middle and what causes “crashes.”
Next comes exercise and consistency, followed by reading food labels for additives and coloring, then finishes with maximizing fat loss, how to continue the journey and staying on track.
This year, Thiel and her partners also launched a cookbook, which features healthy food that tastes good, but also is quick to make.
For whatever steps you take to get healthy, Thiel said the first step is to create a “why.”
“It has to be a strong reason why you want to be healthy, not just fitting into those jeans,” Thiel said, noting her reason for staying healthy. “My story is, I lost my mom at 23. I don’t want my family to go through what we went through.”
Learn more
Free informational meetings for The Healthy Edge in Federal Way
• 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, at 1021 S. 296th St. Contact: Rachel at (253) 797-7307. Classes will begin Friday, Jan. 15.
• 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at Core Conditioning Studio, 34704 11th Place S. Contact: Crystal at (253) 838-0833. Classes will begin Monday, Jan. 25.
• Core Conditioning Studio will have the Healthy Edge Cookbooks available. They are also available at www.thehealthyedgecookbook.com and www.getthehealthyedge.com. People can complete the entire program online without attending a group program. There are also classes available in Puyallup, Tacoma, Renton and Maple Valley. For more information, contact Amber Thiel at (253) 859-1311.
