Veeta Dinkins is determined to help her clients become the best version of themselves they want to be. This does not include indulging them, spoiling them or sweetening her message.
“I’ve never been the type to sugarcoat anything because serving so long in the military you’re taught just to be straightforward,” said Dinkins. “Some people see it as harsh; some have even called me rude; some say it’s tough. But I can accept that, because the world is not going to give you everything on a silver platter.”
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Dinkins is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach based in Grovetown. She founded Veeta D’s Fitness and Nutrition, LLC in 2015. By that point, she had already been a fitness coach for about 12 years, alongside her military career in the U.S. Army’s Signal Regiment.
Dinkins was inspired to seriously consider health and nutrition as a career while working in hospitals.
“I didn’t realize how much I would love it until I started working in hospitals on the cardiac ward and the amputee ward,” she said. “I realized how valuable nutrition was, especially in the patients’ recovery efforts.”
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This interest grew to lead Dinkins to pursue studies in nutrition and dietetics at Barton County Community College and Kansas State University with the intention to become a registered dietitian. The demands of military life limited her ability to complete internship hours, so Dinkins opted for cyber security. She continued working in cybersecurity even after resigning from the Army after 14 years, but her love for fitness and nutrition persisted.
“I did get a job in cybersecurity, but I didn’t love it,” said Dinkins. “So, I resigned from my government job to pursue my passion.”
That passion has been made manifest in a business that tends to clients in nearly every state and beyond who seek to look better, eat better and live better. Veeta D’s boasts a multitude of in-demand services, many of them via online. These include a variety of workout plans, diet plans, distance and in-person coaching and even group exercise training classes, or fit camps, held regularly at Liberty Park Community Center.
Two of her most popular services are specialized fitness and nutrition coaching programs. One of them is the customized, which offers a program based on an individual’s goals and physical fitness needs. This program provides a more hands-on experience for clients and more access to Dinkins, complete with weekly check-ins and daily and weekly nutrition coaching.
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The other popular service is called hybrid coaching, which offers fewer check-ins and less hands-on instruction from Dinkins.
“That is for those who pretty much don’t need me, and they have a higher level of discipline than those who need access to me 100% of the time,” she said.
Dinkins strongly emphasizes the importance of one’s diet in one’s fitness journey.
“No matter where you work out, who you work out with, it always boils down to your nutrition,” said Dinkins. “I wouldn’t give you the same caloric intake that I would give a woman who’s six feet tall 250 pounds because your body is totally different.”
Dinkins’ forthright manner, intensity and unabashed drive to inspire an attitude of gratitude.
“Everyone should be grateful to wake up with sound mind body and soul,” she said. “But what really made me realize how blessed we are, and the gift that we have, was in Iraq. My last tour, I’d seen a lot of death.”
Dinkins’ experience as a combat veteran left a profound impression that became a drive toward motivating others to appreciate life.
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“I lost a lot of soldiers and friends on my last tour. Seeing that gave me a newfound perspective on life. I don’t want to say that I hate that it took for me to see that that I see a new perspective,” she said. “You can’t take anything for granted. You may think that your life is bad because you can’t squat like you want to squat, or you’re not physically where you want to be, just be thankful that you can squat, or walk, or run; because I’ve seen people that lose limbs, and they would give anything to have their limbs back.”
Some may find her demeanor rough or blunt, but for Dinkins everything she does and how she does it is ultimately about her clients and their happiness.
“Don’t compare yourself to anybody else, because this is you, this is your journey and only you are going to be able to get to where you want to in life,” said Dinkins. “Once they see it from that perspective and know they can get up and walk that half a mile, and they get that first milestone or they lose that first pant size or they lose the first five pounds, their whole attitude changes, I see their whole demeanor change, through our video calls. That is what I love doing every single morning. Which is why I had to leave my corporate job, and do what fulfills me, which is seeing them smile, every day.”
For more information on Veeta D’s Fitness and Nutrition, visit its website at www.veetad.com, or Dinkins’ Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/veetadsfitness..
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com.
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