Ideas in the Wild: How Vanessa Bogenholm is Helping People Get Their Bodies Moving No Matter Their Age

A new, healthier life doesn’t start with a program. It starts with an emotional commitment to becoming our best selves. That’s right. A new, healthier life is our choice.

Vanessa Bogenholm has watched clients make that choice with astounding results. She has seen people lose more than one hundred pounds — and keep that weight off. She has seen middle-aged men stop needing medications they expected to take for the rest of their lives. She has even seen people in wheelchairs get up and walk again.

These results aren’t miraculous. It’s Your Body shows readers step by step how to slow down and understand how the body works so they, too, can get the results they want.

Filled with inspirational stories of real people who made tremendous transformations, from thirteen-year-old kids to CEOs, It’s Your Body proves that anyone can have the body they want and deserve. I recently caught up with Vanessa to learn more about It’s Your Body.

What happened that made you decide to write the book? What was the exact moment when you realized these ideas needed to get out there?

I was being followed in a grocery store by a woman. She had heard my conversation with a friend and she just said she found me very inspirational and wished she could afford to have someone like me work with her weight and body issues, but knew she couldn’t afford my rates. I felt very bad for her and knew exactly how she felt. This was the same way I felt when I was an overweight child with parents that couldn’t pay the bills so getting a person to help me with my weight issues was not even an option.

I was always a big reader as a child and checked out many books from the library on fitness. These books didn’t seem to be people like me, struggling teenagers who were sad and overweight. The people in the books back then were movie stars or star athletes.

I wanted to write a book about real people and how they learned to make themselves feel better through exercise — the book that would have helped me greatly as a child and inspire people to change. I think this is this book for all kinds of people that need help with their bodies can relate to if they need to lose weight, get help with sore joints and general movement, want to do sports, or just live without pain. All the stories of my clients are very relatable with easy-to-do directions to get someone moving in the right direction to a happier body.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned going through the journey you share in the book?

How amazing individuals are and the changes they can make with just a little effort and belief. All people can do this, by this I mean get the body that will help them to do their day to day activities with less pain and more successfully. Writing all of these stories in one book reminded me how happy I am that I could help so many people and I truly hope this book can touch many lives.

I will never forget the feeling of overwhelming joy of Jack, the only client whose name I actually use in the book as he got out of his wheelchair and was actually able to walk down the hall on a walker. I started off by just doing chair exercises and strengthening his muscles.

We did this in just small steps until the day I knew he was strong enough and I said, “Hey, let’s walk down the hall.” He believed in me and did, and was so happy and shocked. There are so many stories like this in the book of people being happy with their bodies.

How will you apply this lesson in your life moving forward?

I feel my body is a true gift and I want everyone I work with to feel this way about their own bodies. I want to inspire everyone I work with to just try to exercise and not give up. I take care of my body just like I would that new car or new puppy every day, with love, understanding, care, and lots of laughter! I appreciate what my body can do and marvel at the science of proper diet and exercise. I feel great in my 50s and want to share with everyone they can feel great too at any age. I hope to live my truth so when people meet me they are also inspired to take care of their bodies. I take pride in being a good example in all aspects of my life.