Meet Anna Savelieva: Empowering Wellness with Maks Holistic Fitness

We’re excited to introduce you to Anna Savelieva, a NutraPhoria graduate and the founder of Maks Holistic Fitness. As a Holistic Nutrition & Health Coach, Anna is passionate about helping people to take control of their health and heal from the inside out. On Instagram, she’s a true source of inspiration, offering insightful and practical tips that reflect her authentic approach to wellness. If you’re looking for real, actionable advice from someone who truly walks the walk, Anna is a mentor to follow! Get ready for your feed to be flooded with wisdom that can transform your health journey!

1.  Can you share a bit about your background, specialization, and what initially drew you to holistic nutrition?

I’ve always been into health and fitness ever since I can remember. Being part of competitive sports growing up and then wanting to make a career out of it. I started my journey in Kinesiology which then led me to get certified as a personal trainer and then adding the nutrition aspect. When I was doing my personal training, the nutrition part wasn’t very much talked about or discussed as it was out of scope of practice and I was told there are certain things that we can’t really discuss, nor was it really talked about in the certification programs. After some time in the field, I realized that as much as I can help the person with their fitness, what they’re eating is a much bigger part of achieving their goals. I looked through some schools for nutrition in 2021 where I didn’t have to drive far or be in a classroom and can do it on my own time and came across NutraPhoria. The fact that it was “holistic nutrition” is what drew me to apply because it’s not just fitness, or just food, or mindset, it’s all of it combined together to help heal the person as a whole. It’s definitely been a huge addition to my approach of being a personal trainer and I have now transitioned to being a registered health coach.

2. What unique approach or philosophy do you bring to your work that sets your practice apart?

I guess as I stated above, that I work with the person as a whole. Looking at their lifestyle in detail to figure out what’s going on and how to approach their healing process from the root cause. I also love being an advocate for moms and women in general to take matters into their own hands and heal themselves first. I had my son at a young age of 21 where I raised him on my own, without much help or resources on how to live my life now. This alone helped me to want to help others in their own health and mindset journeys. There’s been a huge shift in women (and men) going back to the roots of their ancestors to grow their own food, to homeschool their kids, to step away from the processed foods and junk food, and to live a more simpler life so that they’re in control of their own life and their own family, and I love that. Being a holistic nutritionist, this is what it’s about. To take matters into your own hands and heal yourself from the inside out.

3. Can you share a success story or transformation from a client you’ve worked with?

I guess my last client that just finished her work with me. I started training her a couple years ago in a commercial gym where I was working at and we’ve made some good progress to build a good foundation. When I left the gym, in a few months she followed me to work with me privately where I helped build up her strength, prioritize her nutrition, and even helped her with anxiety where she stopped taking her medication (with the guide of her Dr too). Some days when her anxiety would act up, instead of training, we would just go for a 10-15 minute walk to get the body moving and just talk. In about a year of that work, she then told me she’s wanting to try for a baby so I guided her nutrition to make sure she is healthy and able to carry a healthy baby. She got pregnant pretty fast and we continued doing fitness and nutrition up until her last month of pregnancy. As a new mom now, her body is strong and so is her mindset to take on  this new life.

Another client, with similar pregnancy plans was with me for 4 years prior to getting pregnant. Healthy baby, healthy mom. A few months into the baby stage, she sends me a message saying how much the squats and deadlifts helped her with all the squatting she has to do with having to hold the baby while doing tasks around the house. It’s those little things that really matter.

I’ve helped both of them with being diligent on what foods to eat and what products to use at home and what to avoid to reduce their toxic load.

4. How do you stay inspired and continue to expand your knowledge in the ever-evolving field of holistic nutrition?

I’m constantly taking courses or webinars to expand my knowledge. Right now I’m focusing on hormones more than anything as I see it being such a huge problem that is still not fully being discussed. I’ve got lots of books and online courses I work through every month. Gut health is also very important when it comes to hormones, so knowing how food affects that is a huge help that being a nutritionist has given me. It’s also helped me with my own hormonal imbalance issues. I’ve also taken an environmental toxicology course to learn more about ingredients in our everyday life we should avoid and how to choose alternatives.

5. What’s one habit or daily ritual you’ve integrated into your own life since becoming a holistic nutrition professional?

Reading the labels! Not just of food but of cleaning products, makeup, soaps, lotions, etc. I’ve also been educating my family and friends. Luckily many of my current friends have the same mindset so it’s easy to have those conversations with them and we learn from each other too.

6. If you could share one piece of advice to your fellow holistic nutrition students and graduates of the program, what would it be?

If you’re unsure whether this is for you, go for it! Even if you don’t do this as a career, do it for yourself and your family. This education is so, so important.

7. Looking ahead, what goals or projects do you have for the future of your wellness practice?

I’m currently working on strategies and systems for my business so that I can help more people on a bigger scale without having to always do 1on1 work. I’m also planning to start a family with my now husband, where my goal is to be more of a stay at home mom and make sure they get the best nutrition to thrive, and also the best of me and my health. With that, I want to do pregnancy and postpartum fitness as well as nutrition to help other moms feel and look their best.