Derek Alessi, PhD (Dr. Derek™) became interested in the field of fitness training at an early age when he was an obese teenager. Determined to change his health, body and ultimately his future, he began strength training and developed a system to modify his nutrition. Derek dropped over 80-pounds in one year and later that same year, he entered his first and only body building contest. Disenchanted with the way body building tends to minimize health and well-being in order to encourage raw size, he left that arena and dedicated his career to helping individuals achieve better health and wellness through a program of planned exercise and practical nutrition. At the age of 18, Derek passed a national fitness certification exam and began his career in personal fitness training. He furthered his quest for more information through education and received post-graduate degrees in health and physical education as well as a master’s degree in nutrition.

As America’s Premier Health Advocate Dr. Derek’s core belief is that health and fitness are not a result of gimmicks, hype or the latest butt buster. Instead they are achieved by understanding the physiological complexities of the body and the synergistic role that the right kinds of exercise along with supportive nutrition can play in unlocking the healthy body that is inside every one of us. 

Dr. Derek is the author of The Bermuda Triangle Diet (October, 2009 Strategic Publishing), Lose Fat Forever (2003), and The Promise Health and Fitness System (2002). He has also developed an iPhone/iPad App called Eat, Eat, Eat!! To lose weight & drop fat. Derek has earned a doctorate degree in health and physical education and a master’s degree in nutrition. He is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) trainer. He owns and operates Dr. Derek Health & Fitness, a private practice, a personal training facility for adults and a facility for children in East Amherst New York. He has appeared on over 1200-TV and 400-radio programs throughout the country and has been featured in national print media including Maxim, Burn Fitness for Women and Iron-Man Magazines. Dr. Derek is a health, fitness and lifestyle contributor for the USA Today and the host of weekly TV show on NBC Cleveland & NBC & CBS in Buffalo, New York called Live It Fit Now! He also syndicates recipes and cooking videos to Rogers Canada and iFood TV. In addition, Dr. Derek conducts regular health and fitness seminars for the health care industry, Fortune 1000 companies, and small businesses where he combines his unique brand of humor, empathy and knowledge to communicate his positive, affirming message: