Hometown Kids Become Healthcare Advocates

Clayton Taylor, NASM-CPT, AVHS Class of 2008, SF State graduate (BS, Psychology) is a fitness trainer who works with clients in the Tri Valley. He enjoys working with people with a broad range of ages and goals.

Danielle Klessel, AVHS Class of 2016, is enrolled in the pre-nursing program at Las Positas College and has an Instagram account where she shares her fun, creative and nutritious eating solutions for an on-the-go lifestyle.

Clayton

Q: What was your experience with exercise and nutrition and athletics in high school?

A: Playing football and volleyball throughout school, I experienced first-hand both the benefits and drawbacks of middle and high school athletics. Better general health, learning to work with a team and developing the ability to overcome life challenges are some of the positives. The negatives however, like injuries from overwork and imbalances of strength and flexibility, tend to be much harder to see because they often don't surface until later in life. One point of focus in my work is to create a balance within the body that is designed to maximize performance gains in a safe and effective way.

Q: How has your college experience influenced your health habits and career choice?

A: From ages 18 to 26 I worked in restaurants full-time and took classes during the day. I studied Psychology mornings and afternoons, while at night I participated in the hustle and bustle of work and life beyond the classroom. That showed me the importance of physical fitness and industry/activity-specific support.

Q: What kind of impact do you want to have on others in your work?

A: It is my goal to use my unique experience and expertise to help teach people how to find happiness, health, and comfort for themselves in their daily lives. There is no once-size-fits-all solution when it comes to creating a more balanced, beneficial lifestyle. My purpose is to help people find the best version of their selves.

Danielle
Q: What was your experience with exercise and nutrition and athletics in high school?

A: In high school, I played competitive soccer with practice three or four times a week and at least two games on the weekend. It was a lot of running and sprints. We had a fitness trainer come once a week and push us to our limits. I’d go to the gym but used soccer practice as my exercise justification. I have always been into healthy eating and ate relatively well in high school. I’m very lucky that my mom made dinner every night and we always had something green on our plate along with protein.

Q: How has your college experience influenced your health habits and career choice?
A: Because of my background, I felt passionate about eating at least one salad every day. I was extremely lucky to have healthy food options available at school, so normally I would have a salad for lunch and, for dinner, have sauteed veggies with dressing that I would top with a piece of chicken. However, I definitely exceeded portion sizes and justified my dessert and chocolate addiction. Sometimes late nights with friends meant pizza or burritos at midnight or 1:00 AM. I stayed active by playing intramural soccer and I participated in running club where we trained for a half marathon. It wasn’t until my half marathon that I wanted to focus on foods that would help me with my long runs, so I started looking up food accounts on Instagram. It became such a fascination to me that I made one myself, got teased for it, and then deleted it. I decided to make another one which I now post to regularly. Since I am going into healthcare, hopefully as a nurse practitioner (NP), I want to incorporate nutrition into my practice.

Q: What kind of impact do you want to have on others in your work?

A: Aristotle said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food". I aspire to become an NP and focus on preventive medicine. I am a firm believer in the power of food. But even beyond healthcare, I think it’s critical to understand that a healthy lifestyle improves your quality of life. Better eating and exercise allows you to get through the day without feeling tired, be more open to social activity (which is also essential to a healthy lifestyle), and have the mental capacity to perform more demanding cognitive tasks and “strenuous” activities. You just get so much more out of life.

Dan Taylor, ACE, NASM-CPT, is owner and head trainer at Pleasanton-based Tri Valley Trainer. They provide personal training and small group fitness solutions at their studio and a premium, innovative, medically endorsed web-based group healthy eating coaching program.