When health and wellness coach Nikki Walter unexpectedly lost her 34-year-old husband to cancer in 2011, she changed her approach to life. “It started this whole mission,” the mom of Addison, 12, tells Us Weekly.
On a crusade to keep her daughter (and herself!) healthy, Walter — who boasts a degree in Health and Wellness from South Dakota’s Northern State University — began whipping up nutritious, home-cooked foods (think: organic soups and whole wheat tortilla pizzas) — and leading by example.
“You have to teach them,” says the Twinlab-sponsored athlete, who often takes Addison along to the gym. “She went into the weight room with me the other day and started asking questions. I feel like that’s the best way to approach it.” It’s clearly made an impact. Together, Walter and Addison travel the country and educate others on the importance of taking care of your body through workshops, speaking engagements and their company, Clean Eating Parties, LLC. That’s not all. With the help of her mom, Addison launched her own YouTube series, Kids Kitchen With Addie, which aims to help fight childhood obesity.
“I feel like the huge part of child obesity is that it’s not really the kids’ fault,” says Walter. “I think the parents need to step up and educate ourselves on these issues so that we can do the best we can for our families. That’s why we do what we do.”
Now a spokesperson for REAAL — a patented essential amino acids supplement that claims to be perfect for women looking to get in shape or lose weight — Walter feels she’s come full circle.
“It brought me back to my husband being in the hospital and thinking about how incredible it is to have a product to help people maintain muscle mass” even if they’re not consistent with workouts. She says that REAAL — which the manufacturer asserts is three times more effective than whey protein — works on everyone.
“The beauty is that anybody who’s sedentary can take this product.” But the best part, adds Walter, is that “I like the taste!”
To learn more about Nikki, visit her website NikkiWalter.com. REAAL is available on Amazon.
