Health and fitness have always been important to Velma Canaday, and now the Williamsburg, Virginia, native works daily to spread the word on healthy living to others.
Canaday, a graduate of Jamestown High School who currently resides in the Dallas, Texas area, published her second nutrition book 21 Days Cravin’ Fit, Go Beyond 21 Days & Make it Stick! in March.
Canaday’s book touches upon trends in diet and nutrition including eating gluten-free, vegan, organic, free-range, paleo, and low carb. The book offers tips on how much sodium, sugar, fat, protein, and fiber to consume, and provides more than 100 recipes for various dieting options.
“I encourage people to pay attention to the ingredients of the foods they consume, and how they can’t count on companies to provide them with one hundred percent healthy foods,” Canaday says. “There is so much out there that sometimes people don’t know where to start, or what certain things mean.”
Her book is a follow up to Melt Into Your Kick-Ass Body Food Diary, which she co-authored and self published last year. That book has more than 500 healthy meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, as well as space for writing daily meals and reflections for women and men looking to reach their healthy weight goal.
“I never imagined I would write a book, but the opportunity presented itself to motivate and advise people on what to eat,” Canaday explains. “A lot of people came to me wanting health advice, whether it was working out or with food. They wanted a healthier lifestyle and came to me because they saw the choices I made. It was my lifestyle and everyday life that inspired the book. I wanted to see how I can make it easier for others.”
Canaday has been active since she was eight years old. Her sport of choice is running, and she was a star athlete in track and field in high school. She knows all too well how fitness and nutrition go hand in hand.
“If you want to perform well, you also need to eat well,” Canaday notes. “Also, eating healthy helps you maintain your weight and prevent diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.”
Canaday worked as a web designer and developer at the U.S. Census Bureau for nine years before leaving last summer to pursue a career helping others learn to eat healthier and get fit. In addition to writing her two books, Canaday has experience as a virtual fitness coach, and is a certified nutrition and wellness consultant.
Recently, Canaday also started selling workout clothing, including leggings and yoga pants through the business Tights Presented by Velma Canaday. Eventually, she would like to create her own fitness videos as well as videos demonstrating how to grocery shop and prepare healthy meals, and provide her own brand of healthy food options.
“I want the average, everyday person that doesn’t eat healthy to know that eating healthy isn’t all that bad or hard,” Canaday says. “There are a lot of things that taste good and are healthy. You just need to give it a try.”
Velma Canaday will return to her hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, for a book signing and fitness boot camp demonstration in July.
Location and date/time to be announced.
For more information, visit velmacanaday.com.