“New Year! New You!” It’s the official January slogan, Instagram hashtag, marketing means for gyms across the country. January is gone with the blink of an eye….
Who am I kidding, that was the longest January on record between snow days and more snow days and cold days, I mean freezing days. Oh, and the flu hit our house too as a bonus. 
It was a long January period.
Any chance I had at a “new” me was totally lost by the cancelation of school for the second day in a row. February will be my month; my month to refresh and reboot myself. If I have learned one thing about myself and health over the years is that a quick fix ain’t gonna do it, depriving myself of pasta ain’t gonna do it, chucking all booze to the curb ain’t gonna do it either. I need balance that is live-able for me. What works for one won’t necessarily work for another and what may have worked for me 5 years ago may need some adjustments. And, the other thing that I know is I need a little bit of help and guidance from someone that is a professional in this field.
So today I want to introduce you to one of my dearest and best friends, Annsley Ulrich. I first met Annsley in 1990 when we were pledging a sorority together at ECU. What a fun year full of friendship and love. That friendship and love has continued all these years through moves to different continents, marriage, toddlers to teenagers, sickness, destruction and many many laughs and smiles to share. I hope that each and everyone of you is as fortunate as I am to have at least one friendship similar to ours. We may not see each other often nor talk on the phone all the time, but in a skinny minute we will drop anything for one another and no time has lapsed, especially if a beach is involved! 😉
Smarty Mom: Annsley Kennerly Ulrich, RD, LDN
Married to: Geoff
Children: Helen, 19; Rudd, 16
Currently Resides: Mooresville, NC
Originally from: Concord, NC
Job: Registered Dietitian for Integrative Wellness Solutions
How did you get to where you are in your career?
I am a registered and licensed Dietitian who graduated from East Carolina University with a BS degree. After becoming a Registered Dietitian, I worked for Marriott Health Services in North Carolina and after a few years was transferred to New York City. While at Marriott I was contracted into hospitals to work with their clinical and management staff to better the health of patients. I continued with Marriott but also consulted with Equinox and Crunch Gym doing their nutritional counseling.
After leaving Marriott, I became co-owner of HealthPoint/RX, where I worked closely with a Nurse Practitioner in providing medically supervised weight loss. There were four HealthPoint/RX offices within North Carolina. Currently, I own my own company, PureHealth/RD and work to provide health and fitness in and around the area of Mooresville, NC.
Typical day?
In a typical day, I see a variety of clients. I would say my specialty has been weight loss for many years; however, my true love is working with eating disorders. I also enjoy the challenge of working with clients to improve cardiac, diabetic, cancer, gastro-intestinal, hormonal, food allergies or auto-immune health.
Best thing about your job?
The best part of my job is that every day is different; every client has a different personality, different past and different lifestyle. I love that I feel that I can make a difference in my client’s lives.
I enjoy working for an amazing team consisting of counselors and a Nurse Practitioner. We all have one common goal; to help make our clients a healthier version of themselves, mentally and physically.
Downside, if any?
The most frustrating aspect of my job is that many insurance companies still do not cover Medical Nutrition Therapy and this does prohibit many individuals from being able to meet with me. Another issue is many companies will only cover a few visits which is not enough to give the necessary support that some individuals truly need.
But you do accept insurance, right?
Yes, I am covered by BCBS 100% and unlimited visits. Medicare covers anyone with a primary diagnoses for diabetes or kidney disease.
How do you keep fit?
I am very active with two children who are always on the go. I exercise at least 4 days per week. I actually enjoy healthy foods including a lot of fruits and vegetables, so that helps.
Find time for your health?
Plan! I have to make it part of my schedule or it won’t get done. Everyone and everything will come before my needs, like most moms. I have to plan meals and workouts for the week and do my best to stick to it.
Diets vs health?
I really try not to use the word “diet” anymore. I like to use “meal plan” and “healthy lifestyle”. I don’t want my clients to think this is a “6 week, lose a lot of weight” process. That never works in the long run. It needs to be thought of as a new lifestyle with new habits. The plan needs to be realistic, something you can do forever.
What all do you offer for clients?
I offer nutritional assessment and benchmarking of the following:
– height \ weight
– ideal body weight
– BMI
– body fat percentage
– muscle mass
– bone mass
– Basal metabolic rate
– body water percentage
– body measurements of chest, waist, hips, thigh and arm
– diet recall with calculation of calories, protein, carbs and fat
I also include a review of medical, diet and medication history.
Ι create a personal meal plan based on the lifestyle, nutritional and medical needs of the client. Clients receive basic guidelines to follow, foods to include/remove form their intake and a 5-7 day custom meal plan.
Weekly follow up appointments are scheduled to review the clients food journal, weigh and set new goals.
Where can we follow you?
Facebook: Purehealth/RD by Annsley Ulrich R.D.
Insta: annsley.purehealthrd
Twitter: annsley.purehealth@annsleyu
Website: http://www.purehealthrd.com/ or http://iwscounseling.com
Family time
Our family time usually consists of being at a sporting event. Our daughter is on the equestrian team at Auburn University. Our son plays soccer and baseball for his school and travel teams. If we are not watching one of them play, we are usually watching one of their friends.
Girl time
I love to sit and have a glass of wine with my girlfriends. To have time to chat and catch up on life is wonderful. The location doesn’t really matter to me.
Fave vacation spot
The beach! Any beach with sun, water and sand!
