I’m Melissa Burton, a New Yorker living in Southern California. I’m theValentineRD.com because I’m a Registered Dietitian (RD) and my birthday is Valentine’s Day.  It’s a happy accident that I also got the word “neRD” in my website name.  I’m a pretty big geek about all things related to food, fitness, family and Duran Duran.

 

Fitness, Running, 80's

Getting ready to run the Awesome 80’s Race 2012
with the “Wild Boy”.

 

By profession, I’m a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator. In my actual life I’ve been a million things: “woman of advanced maternal age”, “injured athlete”, “wife”, “insomniac” and “tightly wound type-A chick”.  Through this blog I’m attempting to achieve a balance of life, love and what will be my next iteration of work.

LIFE: I’m a parent who is not entirely consumed by being one. I have a deep love for food (eating it more so than cooking it). I used to call myself a “fitness whore” but decided that saying I have “fitness A.D.D.” might be somewhat more polite for someone first meeting me.

I’m excellent at checking out the latest and greatest in fitness classes (I have a love/hate relationship with running but have a love for indoor cycling, running, yoga and most recently group reformer Pilates classes).  However, I have yet to become the athlete my inner self wants to be.

I ran a marathon in 2009 (never again) and have had to pull out of 4 half marathons in as many years due to injury, I did participate in the 200 mile SoCal Ragnar Relay in 2014!  I run a lot of 5K’s and 10K’s but I’m very determined to get strong and crush the next major race in my future (still TBD at this point).

LOVE: I love Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran and have since I was a teenager.   I’m (happily) married to my best friend and college sweetheart and have 2 children – one furry (my pug, Griffin) and one elementary school aged boy.  I don’t come from an idyllic childhood and while I love my husband and child(ren) immensely, wife and parent are still difficult “roles” for me.

Duran Duran, Simon Le Bon, 80's

One of the best albums ever!

 

WORK: While it has taken me a long time to realize that success isn’t reflected in how high a rung you’ve reached on the corporate ladder. I’ve worked in music, television, marketing and dietetics and have given all of myself in every job I’ve ever had but none have brought me the success I craved.

Only over time have I realized that true success is being happy and balanced in life’s demands, a balance I’ve yet to achieve the way I’d truly like. Given my recent cross-country move, I’ve been given the opportunity to craft my next professional endeavor and this blog will be a part of it.

 

To connect with me, you can email: melissa (at) thevalentineRD.com or follow me on Twitter or Instagram at @mburton0214.

 

Disclaimer:  I am a Registered Dietitian and a Certified Diabetes Educator but the writings on this blog should not be interpreted as nutritional counseling or diagnosis.  If you’re interested in individual nutrition counseling, please see my Nutrition Services page to set up an appointment.