Shelbi Thurau
RD-led nutrition. Real food, real schedules, habits that hold.
Shelbi leads RD-led nutrition across both locations.
Shelbi was never the athletic kid, and for years she had a difficult relationship with food. In college she taught herself to get comfortable running, because a life without movement felt unhealthy, then became a personal trainer to cover her health insurance while she figured out a career. Studying for that certification, she became fascinated by the science of nutrition — and turned it into her path. Hundreds of clients and thousands of miles later, she helps people build a relationship with food and movement that gives them the healthy life they actually want.
She sees health as a full 360-degree picture, and says Redefine lets her support a client’s nutrition better than she could anywhere else. Her own hardest chapter came in 2016, when a car accident killed her fiance and five others. Through survivor’s guilt and PTSD, marathoning and helping others rebuild gave her a sense of purpose she desperately needed. Now, when she travels the world running marathons, she knows she’s leaving footprints for him and honoring him the only way she can — by continuing the journey.
Who Shelbi works best with
Athletes, women navigating peri-menopause and menopause, and first-timers intimidated by the gym.
One client felt she could never turn off the noise in her head around food — so many rules about “right” and “wrong” foods that she’d spend the day worrying, then overdo it on things that didn’t make her feel good. They worked on slowing down and noticing which foods actually made her feel her best. A year later she enjoys food, knows what serves her, and doesn’t let the intrusive thoughts take over her life.
What most people get wrong
Relying on general information and one piece of the puzzle, Shelbi says, when every person is unique — and not taking the time to see the real barriers a client is up against. The more you learn about someone, the better equipped you are to find solutions that actually stick.
In Shelbi’s words
“It’s a 360 approach. Real food, real schedules, and habits you can actually keep — that’s what gives you the healthy life you want.”
What it takes to coach at Redefine
Nobody trains clients at Redefine Fitness without passing a screening test, an in-person skill practical, and a written exam just to get hired, then testing out of a 30-day onboarding against our 100-page Training Master Guide. Every Thursday from 1-2 PM we close both gyms so the entire staff trains together, and every specialist sits annual exams on a tiered education ladder. We also created a New York State Department of Labor approved Fitness Specialist apprenticeship. Fitness is medicine, and this is what the standard behind it looks like.
Nutrition that fits your real life. Start with a consultation and bring your history.