Marina Kotova - Health & Wellness Coach, Nutritionist Serving DMV: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, & Surrounding Areas
Enjoy the vitality of a healthier lifestyle
After I moved to the United States from Russia twenty-eight years ago, my lifestyle changed dramatically. With the new way of living, young children, and being away from my family, my health began to deteriorate. Asthma took control of my life with trips to the ER, inhalers, and constant steroid treatments. I was also at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other ailments. I had to find answers quickly. Below, I'd love to share my health journey with you. This is how The Roots Of Vitality came to life. This is how I found my true passion.
My health journey started with an important connection
My early experiences learning about health, wellness, and natural healing in a traditional European way from my Grandmother Polina enriched my life in more ways than I ever could imagine at that time.
I spent many summers with her, walking through fresh meadows, picking wild strawberries, hunting for mushrooms in the woods, and listening to the birch trees whisper to each other. This was the simple and healthy way of life in Eastern Europe at that time, and it was my foundation — my roots.
This simple and healthy lifestyle lifted my spirits and soothed my soul. Back in the city with my parents, I spent much of my childhood in hospitals being treated for chronic diseases, gastrointestinal problems, viral infections, and several other ailments. An illness was always present in the city, but at Grandmother Polina’s house, many of these health problems seemed to disappear. I always felt nourished and nurtured by her unconditional love, care, and kindness. She shared her wisdom, and today I know that in order to be healthy and at peace, you need to feel connected to nature. You need to feel accepted and have strong relationships in life.
Taking charge of your lifestyle can be health-changing
My grandmother inspired me to become a doctor. However, I chose a different educational path and earned a master’s degree in economics. As I soon discovered, economics was not my true passion.
After I moved to the United States from Russia twenty-eight years ago, my lifestyle changed dramatically. With the new way of living, young children, and being away from my family my health began to deteriorate again as it had in childhood. Strangely, this was the time that my parents were diagnosed with heart disease, high blood pressure, and prediabetes. I was the rock of my family, but as my parents struggled, so did I. Falling into severe depression, I was diagnosed with asthma. Caring for myself and my three young children, marriage, work travel, and not sleeping enough all started to take its toll on me. Asthma took control of my life with trips to the ER, inhalers, and constant steroid treatments. I was also at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other ailments in my new environment. The stress of it all triggered other health issues, and I was losing the ability to care for my family and myself. I was in a health emergency and needed to find answers quickly.
Changing your health works from the inside out
I started to make changes toward a healthier lifestyle — from the inside out. My strong critical thinking and data analysis tools came full circle when I began researching chronic diseases and autoimmune disorders. I looked to Grandmother’s enduring wisdom of nature and my early lessons — the sun, water, plants, fresh air, and strong relationships were as important for optimal health as nutrition and exercise. And I used the latest research from health studies in medical journals and publications to develop an overall plan.
I focused first on nutrition and detoxification and experimented with juice cleanses, vegan and vegetarian diets, gluten-free food, intermittent fasting, and time-restrictive eating. I used the power of nutrition to strengthen my body and learned how everyday toxins like plastics, pesticides, and other chemicals can affect health and well-being. At the same time, I reduced stress and focused on the mind and body connection.
Looking back, I can see that my health problems started when my life was out of balance. It’s a scientific fact that stress left unchecked can contribute to many health problems. Inadequate nutrition and toxins can also wreak havoc on wellness. While I was busy being a caregiver to my parents, children, and husband, I neglected to check in on myself. While I was working hard to manage a busy lifestyle with lots of work and travel, I hadn’t given myself any nourishment. Thankfully at my breaking point, all my health research and early years with my grandmother came back to me. I began to focus on the same three pillars that I share with all my clients: stress management, abundant nutrition, and the elimination of toxins. My parents joined me on this path toward a healthier lifestyle, and it worked!
I’m so proud to have been a part of so many amazing transformations and look forward to helping many more people enjoy the vitality of a healthier lifestyle. I am perhaps most pleased with the health benefits my parents have experienced from following my path to optimal health. Today, in their late 70s, they are healthier than when they were in their 40s and walk five miles a day. They travel the world and are looking forward to many more active years fueled by this healthy lifestyle.
Health and well-being are gifts I want to share with others
When I started to feel the changes, I continued learning with courses to further my education and fuel my passion to live a healthier lifestyle. My studies in health, wellness, and integrative medicine include Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology course at the University of Pennsylvania, I graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) and became a licensed Health and Wellness practitioner. Through IIN, I learned that the only path to success is to put your body and spirit at the center — and that by nourishing yourself, you’re able to nurture everyone around you. Currently, I continue my education at The School of Applied Functional Medicine and hope to make an impact through a more novel approach: prevention and reversal of the disease.
Everyone’s journey to wellness is unique, and I continue to help my clients take charge of their health every step of the way. With a holistic approach to health and wellness, my coaching is rooted in the enduring wisdom of nature and backed by the science of integrative nutrition. I’m so proud to have been a part of so many amazing transformations and look forward to helping many more people enjoy the vitality of a healthier lifestyle.
Every day you have a choice to follow a path toward
health and wellness
We all have a choice to continue along in the same direction or to take a new path toward optimum health and wellness. I encourage you to check in on yourself today — you're worth it. I’m here to share the journey with you, to help you unlock your potential for personal growth, to encourage you to seek positive changes, and to guide you toward a more fulfilling and abundantly healthy lifestyle.