In this episode of Barbell Vitality, Brent speaks with health and fitness coach Melissa Gatto. The Ohio native graduated from college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and built up a strong background in a variety of dance forms, from classical ballet, to musical theatre, to tap, among others. Six months following her graduation, she moved to New York City where she danced professionally for the next five years. Upon her retirement, Melissa made her foray into the world of fitness through Crossfit, and eventually made the exciting decision to become a certified trainer.While Melissa loved her career in dance, she laments the intense physical toll it took on her body, not to mention the body dysmorphia she quietly endured as a relatively muscular individual in the professional ballet scene. Even after her retirement, Melissa’s body dysmorphia carried over into Crossfit. She learned to chip away at it over time through therapy, meditation, and journaling in order to “heal old trauma and old wounds, and just let go of negative thoughts around my body and what I feel needs to change”.Melissa also had to work on creating a healthier relationship with food. While she was able to consistently perform as a dancer without much consideration regarding her diet, entering Crossfit in her late 20s was a different story. She might have gotten lean, but she was constantly tired. Melissa experimented with different diets, some leaning her out better than others. Over time, she was forced to consider how nutrition affected her energy levels, lifestyle, and general fitness beyond simply how she looked.Listen in and learn how Melissa practices mindful meditation to keep positive thoughts at the forefront of her thoughts, how she rebuilt her relationship with food after leaving dance, the importance of listening to your body, and best practices for ensuring your body is running on the right type and amount of food.Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: ●      [00:48] Melissa’s background●      [06:00] How dancing full-time affected Melissa’s body over the years●      [10:15] How Melissa deals with her body dysmorphia●      [14:34] Why Melissa became inspired to train with weights●      [17:39] Discovering the importance of nutrition●      [24:26] How Melissa’s calorie count as a dancer changed as a Crossfitter●      [30:39] Melissa’s philosophy around nutrition and how she coaches her clients●      [40:40] Melissa’s advice for those suffering with body dysmorphia or getting started with their fitness journey●      [42:08] Melissa’s favorite thing about Austin Memorable Quotes:“Find something that you can get lost in and keep improving upon for a long period of time, instead of necessarily always focusing on your looks.”“We can’t always be in a cut. Where we should be living is maintenance.”“I believe in sustainable habits and flexible dieting. What we eat is our diet. I do not believe in restrictive diets, at all.”“If you don’t physically enjoy eating it, don’t eat it.”“The media has brainwashed us to think that we have to not eat in order to lose weight. That can’t be further from the truth.”“When looking to optimize your nutrition, give yourself some grace and add in the good stuff, because adding in more of the good stuff is going to eventually take the bad stuff out.”Ask Melissa how she can help you along your journey to better fitness and nutrition on Instagram Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.