Greg Rankich doesn’t buy into fad diets and smoke-and-mirrors trends. The WSU alum and longtime Kirkland business owner is a firm believer that when it comes to weight loss, there’s no magic pill; the best success stories come from a foundation of education, customization and accountability. It boils down to changing the way one thinks about food and transforming a life from the inside out. This is his “why” for bringing Better U Today to Kirkland.
Better U Today introduces an integrative, hands-on approach to diet, lifestyle and exercise. Based on understanding the whole body composition that’s unique to each of us, Better U Today’s health coaches and wellness leaders are helping clients plan, achieve and maintain their weight and lifestyle goals for the long run. Keeping clients’ busy lifestyles, varying fitness levels and unique needs in mind, the program is created to be simple, efficient and highly adaptable.
Scales and numbers go hand in hand, but when it comes to weight, it’s all about distribution—not just a number, but where those numbers are located throughout the body. Love handles, potbelly, muffin top; call it what you may, but the visceral fat that haunts your midsection is also the stuff that hugs your organs. It’s the fat that kills, in the form of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and more.
Better U Today implements a program that targets the bad fat; the numbers in the wrong places. Dropping five or 10 pounds can be a thrill, but where did those pounds drop from? Fat or muscle? Depending on where weight is gained, lost or redistributed, a few pounds can make a big difference.
How to determine body composition? Better U Today utilizes state-of-the-art technology in the form of the full-body Composition Analyzer, a type of scale that uses low-impact, bio-electrical currents, passed through the hands and feet, to measure everything from water weight and lean body mass to body fat percentage. The results provide exact and unique-to-the-client information needed to create a personalized and efficient weight loss program.
A Strong Foundation
It’s not just the process that must be strong. It’s the people behind that process. Better U Today is built on a foundation of health and wellness leaders and nutritional experts who share a passion for helping people achieve a healthier and more fulfilling lifestyle.
Co-owner Melissa Newstrand has been helping people throughout her entire career, first in nursing and then in the recruiting business. She loves making a difference in someone’s life by helping them set a goal and achieve it. Melissa emphasizes the importance of the “why” behind any lifestyle change—a reasoning behind a decision—and for many of us, that “why” means more than losing an inch or two.
How It Works
Intrigued? Set up a complimentary consultation, where you’ll work with a health coach to formulate a game plan. This includes an initial reading from the full-body Composition Analyzer, plus a conversation about goals, habits, triggers and challenges. A wellness coach will work with you to create a program unique to your goals, whether that be dropping fat, building muscle, raising metabolic rate or all of the above.
Develop a Plan
When it comes to meal planning, it’s not a one-stop shop. Every meal is carefully curated and designed based upon your unique body composition. Using the science behind a fat-burning combination of high-quality protein, carbs and portion control, coaches like Braden Sowle, who has a degree in dietetics and a master's in food science, will help you create a meal plan that draws from an impressive variety of delicious, ready-to-eat snacks and meals that require only hot or cold water to prepare. You’ll also be led through planning a daily “U Meal” that you prepare on your own.
Individual Support
These guys get it. Samantha Kling, lead health and wellness coach, has helped people lose thousands of pounds throughout her career.
“Nobody loses weight in a straight line,” she explains. “Customized goal setting is key, as is the ability to be flexible and navigate hurdles. Nothing about this is cookie-cutter. We have compassion for our clients. We understand the struggle.”
Each and every coach at Better U Today desires to help people achieve a better quality of life by addressing the mental, physical and emotional aspects of “diet,” which, depending on who you ask, can be a four-letter word. From yo-yo dieting and food fads to stress eating, the people behind Better U Today are able to help identify challenges and their origins, tackling each obstacle as it arises. An end goal is always in sight, and most importantly, it’s achievable.
Weekly Check-In
Drop by once a week for 30-45 minutes to touch base with your coach. A check-in means a step on the Composition Analyzer, a review of those results, a look at your food journal, and a quick chat about the highs and lows of your week. With every check-in comes new tips and tricks: ways to fight food cravings, reduce stress and avoid the antithesis of all weight loss plans—the vacation. Troubleshoot challenges and set a game plan, so when those cocktails and croissants come calling, you’ll be prepared.
Get Your Blood Moving
Take advantage of all Better U Today has to offer. Fifteen minutes on the whole-body-vibration machine will have you feeling revived. It accelerates weight loss and reduces arthritic pain while improving vascular flow and lymphatic drainage.
Sweat It Out
Spend 15 minutes in the Infrared sauna to improve heart function, decrease chronic pain and improve overall well-being.
Reaching Your Goal and Maintaining It
It’s exciting to watch as your numbers get redistributed. To sustain your progress, Better U Today sets you up for success with personalized exercise plans. Whether you plan to hit the gym daily or prefer an evening stroll, you’ll have the tools to stay intentional about your physical activity.
When it comes to health and wellness, we only have one life, but we do have the opportunity to make it better. Better U Today partner Travis Jorgensen sums it up with his reason behind his own “why”:
“Watching my father beat cancer with food reaffirmed for me that food, health and diet can affect real change. Better U Today is much more than just looking better in the mirror. We are transforming lives from the inside out.”
Travis, along with Greg, Melissa, Braden and Samantha—and everyone else behind Better U Today—want to help set you up for your best life, in a delicious, maintainable and simply achievable way.
To schedule your complimentary consultation, call 425.332.5000 or visit BetterUToday.com.