About me

I'm Dawn Giammalvo

I have always been active and have had digestion trouble for as long as I can remember. I used to get strep throat all the time, and it seemed I was always on antibiotics. The food I was raised on didn't help either. I had two working parents, so dinner was usually out of a box or can. Hot dogs and red kool-aid was probably the best lunch ever invented, and don't get me started on pre-packaged ramen noodles! We used caustic chemicals to clean the house. I was a child of the 80s, so I had some really big hair, and you couldn't achieve height without some serious hair products, so there are more chemicals. I'm sure my childhood isn't unique, and knowing what I know now, it is clear that my current health was built on a sketchy foundation.

As I entered my 30s, I started having back pain along with continued digestion problems. I had two small children, which didn't leave much time for figuring out what was wrong, so I just decided to grin and bear it. I assumed everyone has some issue they deal with all the time, and this was mine. I now know that we don't have to grin and bear it. Our bodies are made to function flawlessly; if they don't, we should find out the problem and strive to fix it.  

In 2005, I found Pilates. I am blessed that I was introduced to this form of exercise by a woman who trained with Joseph Pilates and was a physical therapist. She immediately saw that I had scoliosis (undiagnosed at that point, even though I had been seeing doctors for my back pain). She began to show me how to use authentic, classical Pilates to ease my pain and strengthen muscles that I didn't know existed. I was so excited about how Pilates kept me out of pain and made me stronger that I became a comprehensively trained classical teacher and started helping others the way my instructor had helped me. Not being in constant pain gave me the energy to start fixing my digestion. I went into full research mode and found the Paleo diet, which was new and controversial at the time. It was like magic the way it decreased my symptoms so quickly. Since then, my diet has changed, but Paleo did teach me that no matter what eating style best suits a person, whole, fresh foods are always the way to go.

Starting in 2014, my daughter started experiencing some terrifying medical symptoms. Since I had been doing so much research to fix my problems, I was able to sound knowledgeable enough for her pediatrician to run some tests I asked for. The results looked pretty scary to my untrained eye, but he told me she just needed some B vitamins and to switch her shampoo since her hair was falling out in clumps - "It must just be an allergic reaction." I know he meant well, but my instinct told me this was over his head, and I sought out different doctors. At this point, I stumbled across Functional Medicine and finally found the answers we needed. A few years later, my skills were needed again as my father started presenting with his own set of scary and puzzling symptoms. By this point, I had become adept at being a patient advocate and not taking the status quo from doctors. I genuinely believe every doctor my Dad saw was trying their best to help him; they just never had the training to make a difference. I finally convinced my father to see a Functional Medicine doctor, and it was with this approach that we saw the most success.  

After those two experiences, I knew that becoming a Health Coach would allow me to use my knowledge to help even more people. My vision for Fitlosophy started evolving into a "one-stop shop for fitness and wellness," I wanted to see it come true. I received my certification from the Vanderbilt School of Nursing in March 2019 and passed the National Health Coaching Board Exam in July 2019. I expanded my knowledge with a nutrition certification from Precision Nutrition and a certification covering hormones and nutrition from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Since I am always striving to increase my knowledge to help myself age better and more gracefully and others too, I found Functional Patterns and have been integrating those exercises and training fundamentals into my program. You can read more about it on the Functional Patterns page here. The final piece to realizing my vision of what I wanted Fitlosophy to be came with completing my Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Certification, which allows me to help others order functional labs and teach them what they mean while assisting them in implementing that knowledge into their lives.

I am on a mission to help people find out how their bodies are functioning and give them the tools to help themselves feel better, have more energy, and live the lives they have always wanted to live.

Functional Fitness & Health Coaching

“PHYSICAL FITNESS IS THE FIRST REQUISITE OF HAPPINESS.”

The Program

Brands
I use and love

Queen of the Thrones

Castor oil packs for detoxifying the liver and lymphatic system. It's a complete system with less mess than DIY packs.

COUPON CODE:

FITLOSOPHY_TN10

Health & Wisdom

Health And Wisdom Inc provides the purest, safest, fastest magnesium topical delivery through magnesium oil, gel, and bath crystals.

Layer Origin

HMO prebiotics & probiotics for a healthy gut.

COUPON CODE:

DAWN10 for 10% Off

Fontana Candle Company

The first and only candle given the Made Safe seal. They contain beeswax, coconut oil, pure essential oils, and a crackling wood wick.  That's it!  They are a small family business that started from their desire to have an amazing scented candle that did not cause respiratory distress.  They have also added room sprays, oils for diffusers, and bath salts to their collections.

Coupon code:

DAWN15 for 15% OFF your order

Branch Basics

Cleaning products that carry the Made Safe seal. They are human safe, plant and mineral-based, fragrance-free, non-GMO, no harmful preservatives, biodegradable and not tested on animals.

Shop the Link Below for $5 OFF

Dr. Cowan's Gardens

Organic, nutrient-dense, vegetable powders and kitchen staples to help make healthy eating fast, easy, and delicious.

Coupon Code:

DRCOWANSGARDEN for 10% OFF

What is a Health Coach?

Health and wellness coaches partner with clients seeking self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values, which promote health and wellness and, thereby, enhance well-being. In the course of their work health and wellness coaches display unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their capacity for change, and honoring that each client is an expert on his or her life while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.

What’s The Big Deal About A National Certification for Health Coaching?

Coaching has been around for a long time, there are sports coaches, career coaches, life coaches, and nutrition coaches, and in the past 10 years health coaches have come on the scene. There were never any guidelines as to who could call themselves a coach. You can choose to coach your child’s baseball team and suddenly you are a coach.

Black Friday through Cyber Monday Gifties and Discounts!

I am frequently asked what are my favorite products because my clients and friends know that I have been trying to clean up all the things I use in my home as well as what I put in and on my body for years now. I am always trying new products, but all of the products listed below are tried and true favorites. I hope you enjoy checking these out and hopefully get some Christmas shopping done as well!

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