Welcome to Your Healthy New Year!
A Q&A with Charity Cummiskey and Devin Kent of DFI Amplified Wellness
Perhaps you’re one of the millions of Americans who set a New Year’s resolution related to healthier living. Or maybe you’re among those who already think they’ve failed to keep that resolution. Either way, Coach Charity Cummiskey and Coach Devin Kent, co-founders and co-owners of DFI Amplified Wellness in Carmel, say that now is the time to take stock of your health. Although they’re not in the practice of setting New Year’s resolutions themselves (instead they practice what they call a “continual improvement program”), their attitude towards healthy and adventurous living is heartily inspirational. With 55 marathons under Devin’s belt, and Ironman competitions, obstacle races, and more under Charity’s, these two powerhouses of healthy living are kicking obesity in the gut as they work with their clients to help them regain their health and reach individualized long-term sustainable wellness goals. “We are the accountability partner for the many failed dieter that never had that partner,” says Coach Devin. Coach Charity adds that their business strives “to help people feel the
best they can feel every day of their lives.”
In the spirit of better living in 2024, here are Coach Charity and Coach Devin’s suggestions for a year–and ultimately a lifetime–of healthier living.
best they can feel every day of their lives.”
In the spirit of better living in 2024, here are Coach Charity and Coach Devin’s suggestions for a year–and ultimately a lifetime–of healthier living.
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1.What are your “top 3” suggestions for cultivating healthier living in the New Year?
Start now! Do something now that’s going to impact your long-term health. And eat real food–lean meat and lots of veggies. Essentially, if you can’t pronounce the ingredient, you should minimize eating it. And third, use your food as fuel. What we mean by this is that people eat for lots of reasons–stress, boredom, habit–but not many people pay attention to what their body needs from a caloric standpoint. 
2. What are some tips for starting from scratch?
Get started by tracking what you eat. Concentrate on higher protein intake, avoiding processed foods and sugar, and drinking enough water. A rule of thumb is to drink ½ your body weight (lbs.) in ounces of water each day. 
3. What advice do you have for people who see exercise as just another task for the to-do list?
Find something that you enjoy, and find an accountability partner. Often, it’s a matter of shifting priorities. One recommendation we have for getting more exercise is to incorporate it into your routine. For example, do air squats while watching TV. It’s ten more minutes of exercise than you would have had. Plus it creates a habit, and it’s something you can do with your kids or significant other! Another thing you can do is start a walking group with your neighbors. Go for a 30-minute brisk walk three days a week. Chit-chat, get caught up - and get your body moving. 4. What recommendations do you have for healthier and budget-friendly nutrition? We find that food preparation is a two-birds with one stone kind of thing. It saves you money–especially if you tend to eat out or order in a lot–and you can make it much healthier. The more you pay attention to what your body really needs, the healthier and more budget-friendly your nutrition can be. Once you start counting calories, you hold yourself accountable to how many snacks you have or coffee drinks you spend money on in a week. |
5. What are some healthy alternatives to “cheat days”?
Basically, don’t let yourself cheat big. Find things you really enjoy that you can eat a little more of when you’re hungering for it. Instead of a sugary cake, try Greek yogurt with fresh fruit. Whatever you do, you don’t want to allow yourself to slide back so that your cheat day is every day, and one year later you’re back to another resolution to eat clean. 6. What health trends are emerging in 2024? This is big–all the weight loss shots and functional medicine clinics that are opening. The FDA has approved injections that help with insulin resistance, which we think is a really good thing, but not as a lone tool for weight loss. It’s a good augmentation to a healthy diet and exercise plan, but just having an injection won’t help you. Once you go off of it, you’ll fail again if you don’t have the tools you need to stay on track. 
7. February is Heart Month. What effect does our weight have on our cardiovascular health?
(Charity) I’ve been an ER nurse for 30 years, and I see how obesity directly impacts people’s health. It may not impact it today, but it has serious consequences down the road in terms of general health and cardiovascular health. Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, and maintaining a healthy weight reduces the risk of developing it.
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