Hobokenite Donnie DeSanti wants to help you live your life in balance. Through his work as a health coach DeSanti has been touching the lives of not only his neighbors in the mile square city, but throughout the country.

A native of Watchung in Sommerset County, DeSanti has had a life long passion for healthy living.

“I have been into nutrition and health for a long time since I was a kid,” said DeSanti.

DeSanti was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) at the age of 9, and used daily medication for about seven years until high school. After the school had a presentation on natural and holistic living as a way of treating illness, his outlook on life changed and he took control of his disorder.

“I went on a natural route and haven’t taken medication since,” said DeSanti. “This was 15 years ago. So it has always been a passion of mine and put into a career now helping other people.”

After moving to Hoboken, DeSanti spent a few years of traveling and working at local bars like Oddfellows, and for a time lived inFloridapursuing a teaching career before moving back toHobokena year ago.

“It just worked out that my girlfriend got a job in the city, and it was just the right time to move,” said DeSanti.

By that time DeSanti had attended the Institute for Integrative Nutrition – a year long program, where he was trained in more than 100 dietary theories and studied a variety of practical lifestyle coaching methods – including lifestyle management techniques – with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.

“My older brother first went to the school and it felt like a right fit for me,” said DeSanti.  “I knew a lot [about health and wellness], but not how to apply it [to others]. I put my passion into action and I help everyday people to get healthy [through a] natural and holistic lifestyle.”

For DeSanti Hoboken was the perfect place to pursue his passion and to call home.

“Hoboken is not [overwhelmingly] big for a city environment,” said DeSanti. “I had a lot of friends here and there is a lot to do here. There is always something going on, a lot of great food, and a very social environment. On top of that it’s a very beautiful place. It’s a great community.”

Whether your goal is to lose weight or battle fatigue, DeSanti has put together a 12-week one on one program that will help individuals build a strong foundation in nutrition, dealing with stress in life, and exercise.

“I’ve had clients on tons of medication,” said DeSanti. “Many of them have reduced or gotten off of medication all together.”

A big part of the problem is many people just don’t know the right foods they should be eating, and just like we don’t drive our cars without gas our bodies can run without the proper nutrients for health and energy, he says.

“As a society we look to the pill first to cure the ill,” said DeSanti. “There is a disconnect on where our food comes from, and pharmaceuticals is a big business today. We’re eating food that is making us sick, going to the doctor, and then taking medication. People are accepting that and not looking into the cause.”

“People are sick and tired of being sick and tired,” said DeSanti. “It’s an epidemic.”

DeSanti now does corporate wellness workshops with his brother, and caters to individual clients throughout the country. He has given presentations on health and wellness at theHudsonSchoolfor parents, at gyms throughoutHoboken, and is hoping to work with the schools in implementing more health and wellness programs for children.

DeSanti’s website www.donniedesanti.com offers blogs and information including health tips of the week and free health consultations. As for his tip to our hMAG readers, “drink more water.”

“Drink half your body weight in ounces of water,” said DeSanti. “It’s something that is very often overlooked and a lot of us are very dehydrated. We can go three weeks without food, but only three days without water.”