Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC

Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC founded by Heidi M. Williams, MPH, RD, CSSD, LD, NSCA-CPT, CPPC, CSMC Louis, Missouri founded by Heidi M. I received a B.S.

Real Nutrition & Fitness, LLC is a small nutrition & fitness consulting business in St. Williams, MPH, RD, LD, NSCA-CPT, CPPC. As a dietitian, I focus on using balanced whole foods to help people meet their optimal health states. I am a firm believer in food's natural ability to prevent and manage many disease states, and I am passionate about educating people on the raw powers of food. I take a h

olistic approach to nutrition and I consider food our best medicine and an important source of enjoyment for the mind, body, and soul. I focus on whole food menu planning, so I can help clients bring more colors into their diet, and transform how and what they eat. I also firmly believe that every individual is unique, so I tailor my nutritional approach to each client's personal goals and comfort level. While many experts in the nutrition field advise patients to cut out particular foods from their diet, I help clients say "yes" to foods instead of "no." I also have a personal passion for the environment so I can guide individuals to eat sustainably and local as well. I take a mindful and supportive approach to food, and I help create an environment where one can improve their health and relationship with food. degree in Nutrition and Fitness and a Master of Public Health from the University of Missouri. If you are interested in my nutrition services, please email me and I can send you along some more detailed information regarding my nutrition consulting sessions. If you do not live in St. Louis, I can do virtual sessions as well.

Carbs are key to fueling activity! As the body’s preferred source of energy, carbs should not be skimped on ESPECIALLY b...
06/04/2026

Carbs are key to fueling activity! As the body’s preferred source of energy, carbs should not be skimped on ESPECIALLY before working out. They can be incorporated in so many ways: meals and snacks. Here are a few ideas if you don’t know where to start🍞🥯

Happy Global Running Day! I went out for an easy run this morning, nothing special, because that’s what was on the calen...
06/04/2026

Happy Global Running Day! I went out for an easy run this morning, nothing special, because that’s what was on the calendar. :)

I don’t really think much about this day except that I like to run and it’s been a part of my life for decades.

I have been running since I was in 3rd grade. I started out running track in elementary school and I loved it because I was fast! I progressed to cross country & track in high school because I sucked at every other sport. ;) When I got to college I slowly started working up to longer distances and by the time I was a senior I ran my first half marathon and then a marathon. As I got older and grew tired of the road running, I graduated to trail and ultrarunning almost 15 years ago!!

I remember the days I could go run 3 hours with a bottle of water and 1 gel. Wow have times changed! It’s not because I didn’t think I should fuel, it was purely because I was 21 and didn’t know any better. :) I also thought if you walked during your run that it didn’t count. And now, I gladly welcome walking and have done it for 50 miles in a 100 mile race before. ;) It’s part of my training plans now - walking recoveries. I digress.

I think about all the people I have met, the places I have visited, and the experiences I have had all because of running. Wow. It has been such a big part of my life. It has gotten me through some rough times - I got really into ultra running after my mom passed away in 2015. It was a way for me to escape and to cope. I ran some of my best races after that as well.

I have gone on runs for many different reasons and all I can say is I am so grateful I get to do this and have the privilege to continue to move my body in such a way that makes me feel proud of what I can do.

I hope you got out to celebrate global running day in some sort of way today if you enjoy running like me, and if you didn’t that’s ok! It’s just another day. I do think it’s pretty amazing how one action - running - can bring so many people together. :)

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As summer begins and the days start heating up, hydration can make or break your performance! Hydration needs can differ...
06/03/2026

As summer begins and the days start heating up, hydration can make or break your performance! Hydration needs can differ based on your workouts, timing, and sweat rate, but neglecting this can change everything.

This is a good starting point but must be adjusted for each individual, especially related to heat & humidity. Personally I bring a handled bottle with electrolytes on every single run all year round, but it is especially important during the summer months for any run longer than 1 hour. Stay mindful and consistent!

I hear from my athletes all the time that they don’t feel hungry before or after workouts, or sometimes throughout the d...
05/26/2026

I hear from my athletes all the time that they don’t feel hungry before or after workouts, or sometimes throughout the day. Unfortunately, athletes need more fuel than the average person and sometimes it requires being more creative in adding in more calorie dense foods that do not take up a lot of volume.

For many athletes, high calorie snacks are essential to fuel activity, prevent muscle breakdown, and support recovery.

Any of these can be thrown together in a few short minutes and provide the right balance of carbohydrates and protein to feel your best!

If you have time to train, you have time to eat. And if you do not have time to eat, then perhaps you might have to rethink your priorities and what your goals are. I say this, not to be mean, but it is a privilege to be an athlete, so if you want to be one, you must fuel like one.

The workout or the long run is the reward. You get to do it because you fueled for it!

Meet Greg Stahl. Greg comes to some of my classes @ shred415stl - a treadmill and strength class here in St. Louis. We h...
05/18/2026

Meet Greg Stahl. Greg comes to some of my classes @ shred415stl - a treadmill and strength class here in St. Louis. We have gotten to know each other over the last few yearsand I was honored when he asked me to coach him to run his first 50 mile race.

We settled on the Berryman 50 Mile Race in Potosi, MO - well it’s really a 54 mile race - on Saturday May, 16th. The elevation gain is about 100’ per mile so it’s a good race to train for here in St. Louis. The hardest part of this race is that it is 2 loops and the heat and humidity.

Greg and I put together a plan where he could continue to go to Shred415 2x/week, ride his bike 1x/week, take yoga 1x/week, have a long run 1x/week, & do tempo runs 2x/week. We incorporated one rest day as well. Greg is a father of 2 little ones so he didn’t want to be gone all weekend on long runs, and with his flexible work schedule he was able to get his long runs done during the week while kids were at school.

Running a 50 mile race is no easy feat, and before your first one, it can be very scary to wonder, how the heck am I going to run 50 miles?! We made a goal and I told Greg he could race it, knowing how hard he trained. The first lap flew by and he did amazing, but by mile 35-40 he said he was feeling it, and that’s normal! He put his head down and grinded it out to the finish through running, walking, power hiking, and just moving forward to get top 10 male, finishing in 11:05!

I am so proud of the work Greg put in and he did an amazing job running and completing his first 50 mile race! So please join me on congratulating him on this awesome accomplishment! He did amazing with his fluid & nutrition plan through lots of practice on his long runs. Greg, you are officially an ultrarunner!

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Hellbender 100. 05.08.26-0.5.09.26. Old Fort, NC. Pisgah National Forest. 5th Place Female. 27hr20min. So proud of this ...
05/18/2026

Hellbender 100. 05.08.26-0.5.09.26. Old Fort, NC. Pisgah National Forest. 5th Place Female. 27hr20min.

So proud of this finish. I remember I ran my 1st 100 mile race @ Tunnel Hill in 2015. I chose this race to run in honor of my mom that year, but also because I honestly was not sure I could run on single track during the dark, and was worried I wouldn’t be able to finish. Almost 10 years later, I decided to attempt a trail 100 miler and I did it. And to attempt a mountain 100 miler was even a bigger feat for me!

In 2011, when my friend Jerry asked me to run a 50 mile race with him in California, did I think it would turn into this. What started out as something to do, such as a bucket list item to run an ultra, turned into something I truly love. Not everything about running ultras is fun - all the training is hard. I take time away from work and family at times to get it all in and I don’t like that. But at the end of the day, it’s something I truly love and I never want that to disappear.

I am so grateful for the community I am in, and the people I have met from all over at all the races I do, and of course in my own community here in St. Louis. I try my best to ask everyone’s name I run with at races and get to know them on some level. It makes it way more fun, and I have met some really incredible people out on the trails.

In all honesty, running 100 miles is hard, but if you do the work and train for it, it sucks just a little bit less. But you still have to honor the distance and in my opinion, you have to put in the work to get a solid finish. All that to say, I’m pretty proud of the performance I had last weekend.

Next up, Angeles Crest 100 in October!

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05/13/2026

Hellbender 100 Finish Line. 05.09.26. Old Fort, NC.

All I can say is it is a great feeling to have the energy to make it through training for a 100 mile race and to actually get to the finish line. It was not pretty during all my training runs and even during the race, but I did it!

We are living in a world where it seems as if anyone is obsessed with being thin. It might sound like I am jealous of overly thin people or that I am body shaming, but I am not. I am 100% aware that people come in all shapes and sizes but many people are doing things to manipulate their weight to make them smaller. Once again, if that is what you want to do, by all means, it is your body.

I do worry about the future generation of women and their obsession with thinness. I cannot stress enough, you are worth more than what you look like and what your body looks like. I just want to tell the next generation, don’t give into the pressure to be thin because it’s not worth it. I know many millennial women spent their teens and 20s hating their bodies, and now the obsession with being thin is back again in our 40s.

I am not saying you have to go run 100 mile races - I mean you don’t all have to be lunatics like me. ;) But I encourage you to move and do what you love and feel happy you have the energy to do so. If I was restricting, whether that be from a medication, over exercising and under fueling, or just restricting calories, I would not have the energy to do what I want. You don’t get to have it all when you restrict though.

If you need support with fueling appropriately for a race or your active lifestyle, please reach out for a 1:1 nutrition session. I promise you, life is better when you are fueled.

Hellbender 100. 05.08.26-05.09.26. Camp Grier. Old Fort, NC. 27hr20min. 5th Place Female. I went into this race original...
05/11/2026

Hellbender 100. 05.08.26-05.09.26. Camp Grier. Old Fort, NC. 27hr20min. 5th Place Female.

I went into this race originally to attempt a mountain race and to just finish my 5th 100 mile race. As it got closer to the race, I decided to attempt a sub 28 hour and maybe a top 5 female finish which I managed to successfully do!

I am so grateful for my crew and pacers, Lisa & Rachel, & for joining me for many of my training runs and getting me to the start line. They are both top notch crew and pacers and helped me move through the aid stations quickly and kept me moving even when I didn’t want to. There is absolutely no way I would have finished without my 2 amazing friends.

And of course to my coach .coachrunner for pushing me out of my comfort zone and getting me to do lots of tempo runs on high inclines and many hill repeats to practice running with elevation.

Overall it was an awesome race. 102 miles and 19,000’ elevation gain. There was a lot of varying terrain which was helpful in mixing it up and the views were amazing which helped when I was suffering - at least I had the beautiful mountains to look at! The race was much faster the first half with lots of big climbs and big downhills and the second half was much more technical terrain.

I had to have mandatory gear for this race so my pack was so full. I did bring trekking poles and those were a game changer - they kept my quads from not completely blowing up.

I fueled with Water, Skratch, Noka Smoothies, Never 2nd Gels, Huma Gels, Noogs, and many items from the aid stations - avocado wraps, potatoes, homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, rice balls, veggie sushi, pancakes, homemade banana bread, veggie broth, coffee, coke, and ginger ale. I was so grateful for the aid station volunteers and their wonderful spreads.

I am very happy with my performance and so happy I got out of my comfort zone by attempting this mountain race. Plus it had a Friday start time which I absolutely loved! I also made a new friend, Zar, from STL and we shared probably 50 miles together.

It was an amazing race. Thanks to Carrie & The Run 828 Foundation.

I have been training Erin for almost 3 years. This winter she came to me saying she wanted to run a half marathon, the ...
05/04/2026

I have been training Erin for almost 3 years. This winter she came to me saying she wanted to run a half marathon, the Indy Mini Marathon on May 2, 2026. She has not run one in years so went in with the goal for sub 2:15 hours.

Erin is a mom of 2 young kids so I put together a plan she could do with her busy schedule, including 2 strength days, 1 speed work day, 1 moderate run, 1 ride, & 1 long run every week - including 2 off days.

We worked on fueling appropriately for long runs, including 30-45g carbs, 16oz fluids and 300-500mg sodium per hour and that seemed to work perfectly for her to hit her paces in all the workouts.

As Erin progressed in the training ahead suggested she could go for sub 2 hours and based on her long run paces I knew it was doable! I’m so glad she did because she crossed the finish line in 1:57:47 last weekend.

Please congratulate Erin, a strong mom of two, on her incredible performance at the Indy Mini Marathon last Saturday, May 2nd in Indianapolis, IN.

Low Energy Availability is a topic that came up with my friends this past weekend and I thought this was the perfect top...
04/28/2026

Low Energy Availability is a topic that came up with my friends this past weekend and I thought this was the perfect topic to discuss with you.

Low Energy Availability (LEA) basically means there is an imbalance between what one is consuming and one is expending = Calories In < Calories Expended. So there is not enough energy available to do basic human functions.

I think many times people think it can be caused by severely restricting but that is not the case. It could be caused by eating just a little less than what your body needs and over time it can cause negative side effects. Some of the major ones are elevated blood values, difficulty recovering, chronic fatigue, and overall decreased strength and endurance.

If LEA is left untreated it can lead to REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). Some side effects include bone loss, increase risk of stress fractures, repeated injury and illness, reduced training capacity, excessive fatigue, the inability to recover and even lead to disruption in one’s menstrual cycle or decreased testosterone.

I am not one to count calories and really do not advise it as a long term solution but this is something that came up among my female ultra running group and I did suggest it can be helpful to see how much you are having by tracking 1-2 days just to get an idea. I do not encourage this to be a habit to commit to long term because many times it can become obsessive. It is nice to have a starting point because many times people have no idea how little they are consuming. A good guideline includes consuming around 45 calories/kg body weight to make sure you have enough energy available, especially as an athlete.

More often than not, I find most of my athletes are under eating. I notice most of them are very good about their intra fuel nutrition but forget about the importance of fueling throughout the day.

If your performance is suffering, your lab values are elevated, you are not recovering or you are chronically fatigued, low energy availability could be to blame. Often times it has nothing to do with not training enough, it’s almost always related to not fueling enough.

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