by Deb Silverthorn
Dallas resident Suzy Harmon is taking a big bite out of life – a healthy bite – combining her talents and expertise as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and author of Hungry for Health, Starved for Time, with advice on how to live a harmonious life.
“I want to know the ‘whys’ of my clients; why do they want to lose weight, why do they want to be healthy, and why do they want to live,” said Harmon, a New York native who made Dallas home in 1996. A former accountant, who traded in financial spreadsheets for cookie sheets with healthy treats, now making a healthy lifestyle one to enjoy. “People want to be healthy. They just think it’s much more difficult, expensive, or time-consuming than it really is.”
The wife of Andy and mother of Bradley, Zach, and Lindsay, Harmon spent more than two decades as a CPA and looking back notes that she and those around her were more worried about their financial health, than their personal health. When her father passed away in 2008, she herself gained weight, couldn’t sleep, had hair and skin issues, and needed medicine to focus and sleep. An online search brought her to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and, with a “click,” she signed on for a class, and up for a life change, that would enhance her world that of those around her, and for many she’d never met.
Harmon decided to make a difference – believing the dream of a career involving health, nutrition, and overall wellness was within her grasp. Becoming a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, Harmon created a curriculum, providing her clients guidance in the areas of positive nutrition, lifestyle, relationships, career goals, financial concern and reaching their fullest potential.
Believing and living the mantra “your greatest wealth is your health,” Harmonious Health support comes through in her book, blog, recipes, classes, grocery store tours, lunch and learns events, food demonstrations, and corporate training programs.
“I wrote the book to expand my audience and the response has been incredible,” said the first time author. “I love the one-to-one working relationship I have with my clients but I also wanted to reach further.”
In Hungry for Health, Starved for Time, an easy read of 143 pages – chapters that are easy to pick up independently, Harmon breaks down the habits of healthy living into five categories related to home environment, eating, body care, cooking, and the mind. It isn’t about honing in on one area that brings success, but respect for caring for one’s total self.
Her website, SuzyHarmoniousHealth.com, teases taste buds with delicious recipes on her blog, guaranteed to ignite the healthy spirit. From Spaghetti Squash Pasta with Meat Sauce to Homemade All Natural Snack Bars, and Green Chile Chicken to Dessert Date Bars, Harmon provides the possibilities that make getting healthy easy, delicious, and a “want to,” rather than a “have to.”
The planning, shopping, and creating is part of the process – memory making she shared first in the kitchens of her mother and grandmother. “There’s nothing wrong with reaching for food for comfort, but there’s everything right in finding it through the act of creating the food, cooking it, and knowing what’s in it,” said Harmon. “Truly, we are fed by aroma, by a beautiful display of a meal, by the prayers that come from us in appreciation for what we have. You won’t find true comfort in a bag of chips – or in a second. My goal is to get more people to enjoy being in the kitchen, cooking real food, and showing them how simple it is with a little planning.”
Her approach isn’t focused on just diet or exercise but on an overall education of wellness. “Many of us take the time to read the ingredients of the foods we buy, but how many take a look at what goes in to our soaps and lotions, shampoos and other body products,” she said – noting that our skin is one of our largest organs, absorbing all that it’s exposed to. “We need to know not just we’re ingesting, but what we’re absorbing, through our skin into our blood stream.”
In addition to her individual coaching sessions, Harmon addressed high school students and seniors with the keys from her book and experience, talking to students about how to make healthy tasty choices in the dining hall and the dorm room, reduce stress , while leaving the “freshman 15” on the table.
“I never expected to discuss many of the issues that come up during my health coaching sessions with clients, but in examining health and nutrition, many deep and personal issues surface that answer many of the questions about happy and fulfilling lives,” said Harmon. “I’ve become passionate about how healthy living can add vibrancy to our lives. What feeds us, feeds our souls and it’s important to learn how to make the connection for success in our careers, relationships, and our purpose in life.”
For more information about Harmon’s programs or register for classes, for recipes, or to order Hungry for Health, Starved for Time visitSuzyHarmoniousHealth.com, email harmonioushealth@sbcglobal.net, or call 214.293.7768