When Piperi Lisle first friended fitness instructor Brooke Van Asch on Facebook in July, at the behest of her good friend who was receiving nutrition instruction from Van Asch, she couldn’t know that the online relationship would lead to a 15- lb. weight loss in just two months and entrance into the Herbalife community. Today, Lisle is a consultant with Elite Nutrition. “Brooke’s ‘Hey, how are you,’ vibe is very welcoming,” Lisle says. “She just wants to help change lives.”
Van Asch, a former Vikings cheerleader, is opening a storefront right here in Maple Grove this spring, dedicated to bringing an accessible, healthier lifestyle to members of the community.
“I chose Maple Grove as the location for my business because my passion is getting families healthy,” Van Asch says. “There’s a huge opportunity to get the community together, work out, and create a healthy active lifestyle and relationships with your neighbors.”
Elite Nutrition is a national chain of specialty health stores that supplies vitamins, smoothies and supplements using the Herbalife line of weight-loss and weight-management products. “What’s so unique is that the program is so customizable,” Van Asch says, “whether you want to lose weight, gain lean muscle, drop body fat or get more energy.”
Van Asch says she’s always been interested in fitness and athletics: “As a child, I would be up really early working out to the aerobic shows with my mom,” she says. A former soccer, track and gymnastics star, her resume includes competitive fitness shows in addition to NFL cheering. She lived near Maple Grove during those years before moving out to California for a brief career overhaul, and returned to Minnesota last year to launch Elite Nutrition; her Maple Grove storefront is slated to open in late March or early April.
“It doesn’t feel like work, because if you’re truly passionate about something, and you do it anyway as a lifestyle, it’s a highly paid hobby,” she says. “Being able to go grocery shopping with my clients, customize a nutrition plan for them and their goals, then watch their results happen in front of us—it’s truly been life changing.”
“She’s very positive,” Lisle agrees. “Her whole aura is very positive … she’s got a heart of gold and is very ambitious.”
One of Van Asch’s favorite aspects of the business that she thinks sets Elite Nutrition apart is her Body Transformation Challenges, where clients can compete with each other for a cash pot in return for their accomplishments. Since her company is active online and on social media, the last contest pulled 1,200 competitors statewide. This spring, Maple Grove residents can look for more of the same.
“My nutrition strategy to beat the winter blues is to have a goal that you’re working towards for the spring—have your eye on the prize,” Van Asch says. Also, plan ahead. “It’s so much easier when your meals and food are prepped and ready to go in the refrigerator. If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. [Success] is 80 percent nutrition, 20 percent fitness and 100 percent mindset.”
Sample Menu
For healthy winter eating.
Beat the winter blahs before they begin with these meal starters from Maple Grove nutritionist Brooke Van Asch.
Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
- 4 egg whites
- 1/2 cup oats
- 2 scoops eN Formula One Pumpkin Spice Shake Mix
- Pinch of cinnamon
Blend all to make a batter consistency (don’t overblend), then cook on stovetop over medium heat until bubbles form in the dough; flip, cooking about one more minute. Top with peanut butter or sugar-free syrup.
Turkey Wraps with Sweet Potato Fries
- Turkey deli meat
- Romaine lettuce
- Bell peppers
- Mustard
- Sweet potato
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
Place turkey inside of romaine leaves, then add chopped bell peppers as a topping and moisten with mustard. Trainer’s tip: “I make sweet potato fries as a side,” Van Asch says. “Just cut sweet potatoes in strips, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, drizzle the panned fries with extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt, then bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.”
No-hassle Turkey Chili Comfort Food
- Ground turkey
- Chili beans
- Tomato paste
- Green beans
- Corn
- Black beans
- Low sodium taco seasoning
Brown ground turkey on a sauce pan, then add low sodium taco seasoning. Add all other ingredients to a big sauce pot, then cook on medium heat until hot. Add your own spices, such as chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper to taste. Trainer’s tip: “You can also freeze the extra and have it prepped and ready to go for work the next day or week,” Van Asch says.
