ABOUT JOY BOERBOOM
It’s a unique story of how a farm-girl from the Midwest went from loving the chemical fed-land to having a passion for natural health and wellness. Insert me, Joy. Who would have thought that this girl who originally LOVED the idea of having GMO seed in her parent’s fields would be pushing organic food on her friends; the simple act of drinking water on her family; and starting her own natural health business? I can’t really believe it myself, but let me tell you how it all went down.
I grew up on a traditional Midwestern family-owned farm. Our major crops consisted of corn and soybeans, a staple in the American farming industry. Livestock included a farrow-to-finish hog operation. I know, right? Beyond a doubt, the real deal. It was so text-book. I was truly a down-home, barefoot wearing, tree climbing, barn-mice hunting, frog catching, rain loving, outdoor living farm girl.
I’m sure you’re wondering why I would have written that I had a “love” for a chemical fed-land and “loved” the idea of having GMO seed? Well, let me tell you, coming from a child that would have rather walked across fire-engulfed broken glass than being hauled out to a bean field to waste-away my precious limited summer hours trying to kill each and every weed God created for this planet! After all those years of field-torture, science and Monsanto had finally come out with a genetically modified seed that could be sprayed with chemicals and eliminate the weeds – and all the work! Hallelujah….and the farmers’ children sing! Who wouldn't love the GMOs and chemicals… Ask any farmer back in the day and they’d tell you the same thing. It was a miraculous discovery! So, I thought.
You might think that my high school years were filled with driven athletics and fresh foods from the garden, however, I’m here to say that although my mother tried her hardest to provide healthy dinners, the rest of my meals were the exact opposite. Breakfast, if I ate anything, consisted of sugar cereal. Lunches were even worse! With the open campus policy at my little K-12 school, a friend and I would walk to the little grocery store each day and I’d purchase 2 chocolate cupcakes and a can of fully-loaded soda! Lunch of champions? The concept of being “healthy” was the furthest thing from my mind, after all, I was skinny, so I must be healthy?
After high school, I ended up staying in my little chemical infested community that I loved. I attended a local college and earned a Business degree. I was driven to be an international corporate executive! While still in college, I started working for a local major frozen food manufacturing company (that specialized in ice cream). The summer after I graduated from college, I got married to my high school sweetheart. I even started jogging. I guess I realized that I should probably start moving my body since sitting behind a desk all day wasn’t doing me any good. I mean really, I didn’t want to get fat! (Please note – I didn’t start jogging to be “healthy”. I just wanted to burn the extra calories from all the pizza and chocolate!) It wasn’t even but a year after my wedding day and I was pregnant with my first child. This would also mark the first time that I started paying attention to what I was shoveling into my crap-food filled body.
I had read somewhere and I’m sorry I don’t remember where, but I had read that when you are pregnant, you should have at least 3 colors of vegetables every day. “Whoop, there it is!” (Thanks for the catchy phrase Tag Team!) Step 1 in becoming healthy – add vegetables to your diet. What an enlightening concept! I loved vegetables, so implementing this healthy diet was easy-peasy! From there on out, every lunch during that pregnancy consisted of some raw carrots, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Oh, ok, I did eliminate the usual soda and alcohol from my diet too! I can’t forget about that! After all, I was completely addicted to diet soda by this time in my life so it was an enormous feat to give it up.
Don’t get me wrong. I added a few veggies with my lunch, but I was still eating entire pizzas (yes, by myself) and any kind of horrible packaged food you can think of each and every day. But for me, I truly believed I was healthy. I gained 50 lbs with my first pregnancy. I was a boat, PLUS the truck that was pulling it. After my beautiful, perfect daughter, Izabella was born in December 1997, I was so paranoid that I wasn’t going to become the “Skinny Joy” again, that 5 days after delivery, I hit the treadmill. By the time my maternity leave was over, I was back down to my original self. WHEW! Just as a side precaution, I also added in strength training classes over my lunch break at the local hospital. Oh, and yes, I started back up on the diet soda the day she was born! I also realized that maybe my dream job of being an international corporate executive wasn't quite for me. Why would I want to travel away from my beautiful baby and have all the stress that would come with it? Nope, not me!
It’s a unique story of how a farm-girl from the Midwest went from loving the chemical fed-land to having a passion for natural health and wellness. Insert me, Joy. Who would have thought that this girl who originally LOVED the idea of having GMO seed in her parent’s fields would be pushing organic food on her friends; the simple act of drinking water on her family; and starting her own natural health business? I can’t really believe it myself, but let me tell you how it all went down.
I grew up on a traditional Midwestern family-owned farm. Our major crops consisted of corn and soybeans, a staple in the American farming industry. Livestock included a farrow-to-finish hog operation. I know, right? Beyond a doubt, the real deal. It was so text-book. I was truly a down-home, barefoot wearing, tree climbing, barn-mice hunting, frog catching, rain loving, outdoor living farm girl.
I’m sure you’re wondering why I would have written that I had a “love” for a chemical fed-land and “loved” the idea of having GMO seed? Well, let me tell you, coming from a child that would have rather walked across fire-engulfed broken glass than being hauled out to a bean field to waste-away my precious limited summer hours trying to kill each and every weed God created for this planet! After all those years of field-torture, science and Monsanto had finally come out with a genetically modified seed that could be sprayed with chemicals and eliminate the weeds – and all the work! Hallelujah….and the farmers’ children sing! Who wouldn't love the GMOs and chemicals… Ask any farmer back in the day and they’d tell you the same thing. It was a miraculous discovery! So, I thought.
You might think that my high school years were filled with driven athletics and fresh foods from the garden, however, I’m here to say that although my mother tried her hardest to provide healthy dinners, the rest of my meals were the exact opposite. Breakfast, if I ate anything, consisted of sugar cereal. Lunches were even worse! With the open campus policy at my little K-12 school, a friend and I would walk to the little grocery store each day and I’d purchase 2 chocolate cupcakes and a can of fully-loaded soda! Lunch of champions? The concept of being “healthy” was the furthest thing from my mind, after all, I was skinny, so I must be healthy?
After high school, I ended up staying in my little chemical infested community that I loved. I attended a local college and earned a Business degree. I was driven to be an international corporate executive! While still in college, I started working for a local major frozen food manufacturing company (that specialized in ice cream). The summer after I graduated from college, I got married to my high school sweetheart. I even started jogging. I guess I realized that I should probably start moving my body since sitting behind a desk all day wasn’t doing me any good. I mean really, I didn’t want to get fat! (Please note – I didn’t start jogging to be “healthy”. I just wanted to burn the extra calories from all the pizza and chocolate!) It wasn’t even but a year after my wedding day and I was pregnant with my first child. This would also mark the first time that I started paying attention to what I was shoveling into my crap-food filled body.
I had read somewhere and I’m sorry I don’t remember where, but I had read that when you are pregnant, you should have at least 3 colors of vegetables every day. “Whoop, there it is!” (Thanks for the catchy phrase Tag Team!) Step 1 in becoming healthy – add vegetables to your diet. What an enlightening concept! I loved vegetables, so implementing this healthy diet was easy-peasy! From there on out, every lunch during that pregnancy consisted of some raw carrots, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. Oh, ok, I did eliminate the usual soda and alcohol from my diet too! I can’t forget about that! After all, I was completely addicted to diet soda by this time in my life so it was an enormous feat to give it up.
Don’t get me wrong. I added a few veggies with my lunch, but I was still eating entire pizzas (yes, by myself) and any kind of horrible packaged food you can think of each and every day. But for me, I truly believed I was healthy. I gained 50 lbs with my first pregnancy. I was a boat, PLUS the truck that was pulling it. After my beautiful, perfect daughter, Izabella was born in December 1997, I was so paranoid that I wasn’t going to become the “Skinny Joy” again, that 5 days after delivery, I hit the treadmill. By the time my maternity leave was over, I was back down to my original self. WHEW! Just as a side precaution, I also added in strength training classes over my lunch break at the local hospital. Oh, and yes, I started back up on the diet soda the day she was born! I also realized that maybe my dream job of being an international corporate executive wasn't quite for me. Why would I want to travel away from my beautiful baby and have all the stress that would come with it? Nope, not me!
I became a pretty die-hard runner after my first pregnancy. I became addicted to it. I normally didn’t run over 5-6 miles a day, but was pretty adamant about running 6-7 days a week. With my love of running, I also became addicted to health and fitness magazines. I loved skimming through the pages to get pointers on how to breathe during a run; why I'd get side pains; what shoes are the best; and why my knees continuously ached! Step 2 in becoming healthy – education! Along with learning the running tips, I was also absorbing what foods were healthy, how to cook them, and diseases that could develop from a poor diet.
Pregnancy number 2 came during, what I had considered, the healthiest time of my life. I was strong! I had muscles from all my exercise efforts. I, of course, started adding in the 3 colors of veggies at lunch again, eliminated soda and alcohol, and ate entire pizzas and yummy packaged foods! 52 lbs later, my strapping son, Samuel, was born in June, 1999. It seems that with everyone’s second pregnancy, it always takes a bit more time to lose the baby weight, but for me, I was back down to Skinny Joy within 3 months. And I continued thereafter to run, strength train, read my magazines, eat nutrient-depleted foods and drink my diet soda.
Pregnancy number 2 came during, what I had considered, the healthiest time of my life. I was strong! I had muscles from all my exercise efforts. I, of course, started adding in the 3 colors of veggies at lunch again, eliminated soda and alcohol, and ate entire pizzas and yummy packaged foods! 52 lbs later, my strapping son, Samuel, was born in June, 1999. It seems that with everyone’s second pregnancy, it always takes a bit more time to lose the baby weight, but for me, I was back down to Skinny Joy within 3 months. And I continued thereafter to run, strength train, read my magazines, eat nutrient-depleted foods and drink my diet soda.
Years passed and I won’t get into all of the details, but a few important things happened along the way. I divorced my high school sweet heart. He’ll forever be a part of my life, but it was time to move on. 6 months later, I met the man who would become my husband, life partner and soul-mate. Wade and I were married in November of 2004. My children, Izabella was 6 and Samuel was 5. My husband, Wade, brought 2 children into our new family as well; Katie, who was 7, and Carter who was 3. A very full house indeed! During this time, I began to realize that nutrition and exercise were extremely important for my growing, active children. I became more interested in “cleaning” up the foods I was eating and feeding my children. Everyone at work began to regard me as the “healthy one”. I helped people figure out how to exercise and what foods to eat in order to become healthy. I was changing. I was developing.
Some odd years later, a good friend of mine convinced me to become a Certified Fitness Instructor. Without her pushing me, I probably would never have taken the step. I went to the classes 3-4 times a week, why not lead them? So, I did. That same friend, also convinced me to become a Certified Personal Trainer a year later. Man, she’s pushy! I can’t stress enough, the importance of finding friends that push you, that believe in you, and that want the best for you. You need to find those people ~ people like my good friend, Jeri.
Some odd years later, a good friend of mine convinced me to become a Certified Fitness Instructor. Without her pushing me, I probably would never have taken the step. I went to the classes 3-4 times a week, why not lead them? So, I did. That same friend, also convinced me to become a Certified Personal Trainer a year later. Man, she’s pushy! I can’t stress enough, the importance of finding friends that push you, that believe in you, and that want the best for you. You need to find those people ~ people like my good friend, Jeri.
Since I had become the “healthy” person to everyone around me and I was certified to officially help people with exercise, I decided that I needed to take another step toward being that person everyone thought I was. After all, how can I tell people to eliminate diet soda, when I was addicted myself? On April 19th , 2013, I decided that was the day. That was the day that I would have my last soda – ever. And it has been! I’ve treated it like an alcohol addiction. I quit cold turkey and have never looked back. After that, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to become “official”. Someone that was qualified to actually recommend nutrition plans and directions on how to eat clean! I decided to become a Certified Natural Health Professional. This was a stepping stone, an introduction into natural health. The next step would be to get my Master’s degree in Holistic Health and Nutrition Education which I finished in November of 2015. I have learned a tremendous amount. Words cannot even describe the magnitude of knowledge I’ve gained. This farm-girl now knows that the “miraculous” invention of GMO’s and chemicals was definitely not a good thing and the reason why all the farmers (including my own dad) were developing cancers and other diseases…
You probably assume that by now I am eating a 100% organic whole foods diet, drink non-caffeinated herbal teas, and meditate 4 times daily? On the contrary, I’m far from it. Natural health is a PROCESS. Normally, people cannot change their entire lifestyles in a short amount of time. It’s all about baby-steps. Doesn’t matter, but the reality is, my goal isn’t to become 100% organic and live a completely PERFECT life. I believe in BALANCE. Especially with kids, a husband and the rest of my amazing extended family. It’s impossible. My theory is that I try to eat as perfectly as I can, WHEN I CAN CONTROL IT. Then, when we decide to eat out with my family, I can still eat my pizza (ok, not an entire pizza!) and have some red wine. I want to be healthy, not insane!
You probably assume that by now I am eating a 100% organic whole foods diet, drink non-caffeinated herbal teas, and meditate 4 times daily? On the contrary, I’m far from it. Natural health is a PROCESS. Normally, people cannot change their entire lifestyles in a short amount of time. It’s all about baby-steps. Doesn’t matter, but the reality is, my goal isn’t to become 100% organic and live a completely PERFECT life. I believe in BALANCE. Especially with kids, a husband and the rest of my amazing extended family. It’s impossible. My theory is that I try to eat as perfectly as I can, WHEN I CAN CONTROL IT. Then, when we decide to eat out with my family, I can still eat my pizza (ok, not an entire pizza!) and have some red wine. I want to be healthy, not insane!
“Whoop, there it is!” My long, drawn-out story of how I became the “Healthy Joy” instead of just the “Skinny Joy”. I thoroughly enjoy teaching people the baby-steps to follow in order to become healthy or how to support them in their fight against diseases and being over weight. I’m following my passion in life and doing something that I love – educating people on holistic, natural health. My goal is to educate my amazing, vibrant, chemically infested community on how they can fight against diseases and how to avoid them. This farm-girl has learned a lot in life and has come a long way from the barefoot wearing, tree climbing, barn-mice hunting, frog catching, rain loving, outdoor living farm girl that I was.
Here’s to a long healthy life….
Joy Boerboom
Fitness & Holistic Nutrition Coach
Certified Menopause Fitness Specialist
Certified ACE Weight Management Specialist
Certified Natural Health Professional
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Fitness Instructor
Certified Senior Fitness Specialty Instructor
Certified Rock Steady Boxing Coach 2016-2024
Here’s to a long healthy life….
Joy Boerboom
Fitness & Holistic Nutrition Coach
Certified Menopause Fitness Specialist
Certified ACE Weight Management Specialist
Certified Natural Health Professional
Certified Personal Trainer
Certified Fitness Instructor
Certified Senior Fitness Specialty Instructor
Certified Rock Steady Boxing Coach 2016-2024
AND, I'm a grandma as of February, 2023!
ABOUT BARBERRY HEALTH CENTER...
The mission is simple; to help people support their overall health by applying holistic health and nutrition PLUS physical fitness. - Holistic Health that encompasses natural living. Clean, pure, and completely natural products without the toxic chemicals. - Nutrition from organic whole foods and supplements. - Balance macronutrients for optimal health based on the individual. - Exercise and workouts that incorporate cardio, strength, movement, balance and more, for a complete health and wellness focus. - Individualized plans (exercise and nutritional programs) based on specific needs. |