Staff List
She has always lived an active and athletic lifestyle. She played volleyball, basketball and softball in high school. During and after college, she found ways to stay active and competitive and found her way to the weight room and cycling. She began teaching group fitness classes at a local gym in 2009, has completed 4 century (100 mile) bike rides and there’s not many days you won’t find her training here at American Iron.
She is a certified group exercise instructor, personal trainer, nutritionist and specializes in bodybuilding competition prep, strength training and conditioning, and nutrition. She got her start in coaching after previous experiences led her to look for a better and healthier way to approach bodybuilding and nutrition. She now coaches a team of NPC and IFBB bodybuilding competitors and lifestyle clients through her team Iron and Lace.
After teaching for WCSD for 16 years, she discovered that her true passion was educating and supporting others with their fitness and health goals. She resigned from teaching and is now coaching online and at American Iron full time. She loves sharing her passion for sports, living a healthy lifestyle, and fitness with others. She believes that health, fitness and bodybuilding not only create transformations physically and mentally but are also huge character builders that empower your life and confidence beyond the gym.
Biomechanics has been a passion of mine for over a decade. I’ve used this passion to learn proper form and movement and have been able to push myself and those around me to great limits.
For me an exercise program is not just about getting into shape or staying in shape it’s about challenging yourself to realize gains you never thought you could achieve. It's about improving your mental health by releasing endorphin's and relieving stress. But most of all it should be fun.
I have over 20 years in the field of exercise and fitness. In 2004 I competed in the Nevada State Body Building competition. Exercise is not just something I "do" it's a way of life for me. Over the years I have faced challenges to my workout program due to sports related injuries. In working with personal trainers and medical professionals I have learned how to modify an exercise program to work through injuries as well as teach people how to use perfect form, while exercising, to prevent future injuries.
I hope to impart, to the people that I work with, the same energy and enthusiasm to a fitness lifestyle that I enjoy
An expert in health and wellness
A Registered Dietitian is the only medically recognized practitioner to work with individuals on health conditions and apply “medical nutrition therapy”. A Registered Dietitian has to complete a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree from an Accredited University, and at least 1200 hours of supervised practice. Shanti has worked with hundreds of clients individually and in groups to help them improve their nutrition using the best science, clinical experience, and lifestyle change strategies. Having looked at hundreds of lab reports, Shanti is skilled in being able to interpret and identify potential areas of concern to help individuals tackle their health challenges without guesswork.
Skilled in nutrition for performance
Shanti is a USAPL competitive powerlifter, having competed for the past 6 years, loves to cook, portion and plan meals and enjoy all different types of delicious foods. Being a competitive lifter, Shanti understands the importance of nutrition for better recovery from training, nutrition for managing weight combined with exercise, and better nutrition for injury prevention. Shanti has helped dozens of athletes perform better at their chosen weight class by strategizing their nutrition intake suited for their training volume, desired weight, and training efficiency.
Agnostic nutrition approach
Shanti believes in whole food nutrition, addressing individual nutrition requirements, habit based recommendations, and results based nutrition modifications. There isn’t one particular strategy that Shanti applies, but uses a combination approach to help others find their own way, and what can work best for them long term. Shanti provides more than macro coaching and more than meal plan, he helps individuals understand their relationship to food, and how the foods they eat respond to them. This strategy helps individuals become healthy, happy and strong with confidence knowing what they need to do to make real changes in their health and performance.
● 13 years of experience in the fitness/health industry
● 5 years experience as an ACE Certified Personal trainer
o Over 500 hours of logged continuing education as a personal trainer
● 5 years experience as a Registered Dietitian specializing in Wellness and Prevention
o Track record of success working with hundreds of police, fire, military and civilian personnel on improving body size/shape, improving heart disease and diabetes risk factors, and improving gut disorders and auto-immune conditions
● 3 years experience as a Registered Dietitian specializing in meal prep/planning
● Precision Nutrition Level 2 Certified
o One of the most well-respected nutrition certifications in the world focused on health promotion and individual coaching
● Countless endorsements by medical professionals, doctors, chiropractors, personal trainers, and clients
● Specialist in Integrative and Functional Medical Nutrition Therapy
o Helping individuals find the root cause of their disease and pain and using nutrition to help them heal, recover and prevent illness
I offer these components working from inside to outside, often what is causing someone pain outside was set up on the inside.
My passion and focus with nutrition is on the health of a persons gut and the health of their good essential bacteria, the microbiome.
This is critical to how well our body is being fed...how well the nutrients we take in are being absorbed to feed us down to the cellular level.
Hippocrates said over 2000 years ago "all illness and disease begin in the gut" and this is more true than ever. Cutting edge research is now showing how the breakdown of our gut is connected to more than 90% of all illness and disease.
I work with a person by looking at the "cause" of their symptoms rather than treating symptoms. How their life up to present has contributed to the possible breakdown of their body. Our body is a beautiful intelligent organism of relationships, everything connecting and affecting each other. When one system moves into an imbalanced state, other systems will also become impaired over time. This is where I am putting my focus, on the whole person rather than simply a part.
