The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG – A childhood struggle with her weight and a family history of diabetes ignited a passion in Melissa Lambert to become an advocate for health and wellness. After being displaced from her position as the cardiac rehab lead at Walla Walla General Hospital when the hospital closed its doors, Lambert is looking to strike out on her own and will offer her services in Waitsburg and Dayton.

Lambert’s passion for health and wellness grew from her personal experience, as did her belief in the importance of a supportive environment.

“I was an overweight child and diabetes runs in my paternal family history. As a preadolescent, I was referred to a pediatric dietician at a time when I never thought twice about my size. From that time, I grew keenly aware of my weight.

“I learned how to practice portion control but also began to practice disordered eating habits. Through positive supportive environments, I learned how to achieve a healthy balance between my relationship with food and physical activity, as well as appreciate the impact my lifestyle has on my health,” Lambert said.

Lambert is a South Orange County native and earned her master’s of science in kinesiology from California State University in Fullerton, Calif.

She began her career as a clinical exercise physiologist (CEP) for Kaiser Permanente in Calif. in 2012. While there, she facilitated programs such as the Center for Disease Control’s Diabetes Prevention Program and supervised very low calorie weight loss programs. She also taught individual and small group exercise for individuals diagnosed with chronic disease.

In 2015. Lambert moved to Touchet, Wash. and acquired a CEP position in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at Kadlec Regional Medical Center and also worked as a fitness trainer at the Walla Walla YMCA. Later that year, she received the opportunity to work as the cardiac rehab lead at Walla Walla General Hospital. She and her husband, Chad, son of Ed and Cathy Lambert of Waitsburg, moved to the Waitsburg area a year ago.

While at WWGH, Lambert provided patient education, exercise training and counseling for those dealing with cardiovascular disease factors. She also worked with the Walla Walla WYMCA to facilitate a diabetes prevention program that is no longer going to be offered.

Rather than sit and wait for the next opportunity, to present itself, Lambert began her own business, P.E.A.K Northwest, and hopes to continue to help and empower others on her own.

“Faced with a lack of opportunities that complement my unique skill set and in combination with the closure of WWGH and discontinuation of the YMCA program, I have opted to create my own opportunity and start a Health and Wellness practice focused on providing coaching, consulting and performance training--P.E.A.K. Northwest.

“ The acronym stands for Perform, Exercise, Acquire, Knowledge. It is the mission of P.E.A.K. Northwest to provide clients the opportunity to learn how to perform and maintain exercise and healthy lifestyle changes in an environment of unconditional positive regard that fosters one’s own acquisition of knowledge and mastery experience,” Lambert said.

I am also excited to announce that my business has been recognized by CDC to independently provide their 12 month Diabetes Prevention Program,” she added.

The mission of P.E.A.K. Northwest is, “To provide clients the opportunity to learn how to perform and maintain exercise healthy lifestyle changes in an environment of unconditional positive regard that fosters one’s own acquisition of knowledge and mastery experience.”

Lambert plans to provide results-based outcomes for her clients and aims to partner with county and community practitioners and business owners who believe that “exercise is medicine.”

She currently offers individualized personal and small group training out of Star Fitness in Waitsburg, cardio respiratory conditioning, health and wellness coaching and the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program. She will also offer on-site fitness assessments, group exercise classes and health/wellness coaching for businesses seeking to promote wellness programs for their employees.

Lambert is currently seeking clients 18 years of age and older, from both Waitsburg and Dayton, who would like to learn how to make and maintain healthy lifestyle changes including: Type 2 diabetes prevention, increasing physical activity and weight loss. She plans to offer her first CDC Diabetes Prevention Program this winter. Details and pricing information can be found at http://www.peaknorthwest.com or by emailing Lambert at melissa@peaknorthwest.com.

“As an educator, coach, trainer and facilitator I am afforded a beautiful opportunity with each individual or group of individuals I work with. I get to help others show themselves how they can change to achieve and maintain a healthy balance between food and physical activity just as those in my past had helped me,” Lambert said.