TH: Michelle, tell us about your background and how
you became a television health journalist.
MH: I started my career in media as a radio personality but ultimately always had my sights set on television. I moved (from my home in Connecticut) to Los Angeles and began getting some work and experience in commercials, bit parts on TV shows and hosting some small cable and video shows. In my personal life I had developed a great interest in natural health and decided to begin working with natural foods and health products. I started a company that did healthy cooking and product demonstrations for special events and retail stores and became a nutritional consultant. It was this combination of media experience, natural products experience and my own personal lifestyle that made “Alive & Well” such an obvious choice in my life.
TH: How did the television series “Alive & Well” get started?
MH: Mark, my husband and I were both already in the media business. We were actually in the midst of filming for another show we were producing together when he came to me with the idea of combining our media business with our personal involvement in natural health, to create a national television series devoted solely to natural health. It was definitely more like a “mission” than just another work project since we felt there was a growing demand for this type of information and little to no national television programming addressing natural health. We immediately stopped production on the other show and began developing “Alive & Well.” The show was in development for almost two years before we approached the television networks with our first
episodes. We’ve now passed 200 airings on national television.
TH: Tell our readers more about the show “Alive & Well.”
MH: “Alive & Well with Michelle Harris” went on the air
on January 5, 2002 on national cable network, GoodLife
TV Network, which reaches about 14 million households
nationwide. The show is considered a magazine-style television
series since we present several different feature
segments in each program. It’s also definitely a lifestyle
show. We knew we didn’t want to be just a cooking show
or just an interview show. There’s so much information
we wanted to share with people so we devised a format
that would enable us to show many things in each show.
We always feature a cooking or food-related segment
with things like organic foods, healthy alternatives and
recipes. We usually have a segment that focuses on nutrition,
supplements and natural remedies such as herbs, homeopathics, natural weight loss products,
natural energy boosters, natural pain relief
products, etc. We also usually have a beauty
segment that focuses on natural beauty tips
and often features all-natural beauty and skin
care products. Sometimes for this segment we
go on location to health spas and check out the
latest trends in natural spa treatments. We also
do segments that cover things like fitness,
yoga, sugar alternatives, coffee alternatives,
stress reducers, grocery make-overs, environmentally
conscious products for the home and
we’ve covered a lot of supplements such as
greens-based supplements, oil of oregano and
Nexrutine. We frequently invite guests on the
show like authors, chefs, health practitioners
and experts in the subjects we are featuring.
This keeps things fresh and interesting for our
viewers.
TH: Tell us more about your “mission” with
“Alive & Well.”
MH: Our mission with “Alive & Well” is to
provide viewers with all the information they
need to lead a healthier lifestyle, especially in
the areas of food and nutrition. There are so
many great choices and alternatives available
and viewers just want someone to guide them
through all of it. As the host of the show, I
simply want to introduce people to all the
great things I’ve found and I act as their guide.
I research and write many of the segments
myself. There is so much information out
there and so many products. We sift through
all of it and show viewers only the best,
whether it’s organic foods, natural remedies,
natural beauty treatments or anything relative
to natural health. A lot of people realize their
lifestyles have gravitated away from health
with work, stress and fast food. We give our
viewers the tools and the knowledge they need
to incorporate natural and healthy products
back into their everyday lives.
TH: Do you think living a natural and healthy
lifestyle gives you a unique perspective as a
health journalist?
MH: Aside from the continuing process of
studying and learning, I think the most important
resource for me as a spokesperson to the
natural health community is living the
lifestyle. People who know me know that I
practice what I preach and that if I’m suggesting
a particular product or recipe or tip,
that I’ve likely used this in my own life and
found that it works. There are so many things
in the marketplace being marketed as “natural”
or “healthy” that I can’t imagine anyone providing
credible information unless they really
incorporate these things into their daily life.
I’ve been vegetarian since I was 14 and use natural
and healthy products in my daily life. My
personal involvement in natural health is what
led me to the show so I can help show others.
TH: How has your show affected viewer’s
shopping habits?
MH: Shopping is very important to a healthy
lifestyle. Knowing how to shop is something
we demonstrate regularly on “Alive & Well.”
We actually do a segment called the grocery
make-over where we take a guest viewer’s
unhealthy groceries and replace them with
healthier versions they can usually find right in
their supermarket. I have some simple tips I
use when shopping at the supermarket. For
example:
- Never shop when hungry since this can lead to binge purchases such as fried foods and sweets.
- Don’t eat white foods. Stick to choices higher in fiber and nutrition such as whole grain breads, brown rice and no refined sugar.
- Read labels. Many ingredients you want to avoid can use other names. For example, corn syrup is basically just sugar.
- Beware of hydrogenated oils. These are found in some margarine, prepared foods and baked goods. They are artery-clogging fats in disguise. Be sure your margarine in particular says “trans fat free.”
- Keep the good fats. Things like nuts, seeds and avocados contain essential fatty acids that our bodies need and are very healthy for us, if not overdone.
- Hit the produce aisle. Fresh produce is always nutritious. Filling up on as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can will keep you fit and healthy and keep you from eating less healthy options.
- Buy organic whenever possible.
These are all good guidelines to use when
shopping. It’s also helpful to have a relationship
with the retailer with whom you do your
marketing. This way it helps you to get any
special orders you may need, stay informed
about new products and also keeps you up-todate
on money-saving specials.
TH: How about nutritional supplements and
items generally only found at natural and
health food stores?
MH: Shopping in health food stores can
unfortunately be very intimidating for the typical
television viewer, but “Alive & Well” is
changing that. There are aisles of supplements
and herbal products with names customers
don’t understand. We try and take viewers by
the hand and walk them through step by step.
Although our format may be entertaining, we
utilize the show to inform and educate viewers
so they understand nutritional supplements
and these types of products and their benefits.
It’s very rewarding to get so much feedback
from viewers who have tried these products
after being introduced to them on our show.
We find out it’s helped them achieve their
goals and in many cases helped to alleviate
long-term health problems suffered by so
many people in this country. Our show has
helped many people feel informed enough or
empowered enough to take their first trip into
a health food store to buy new products and
this is rewarding as well, knowing that we are
helping the industry to grow and creating
long-term natural products consumers. Our
latest viewer polls show that over two-thirds of
our regular viewers are now shopping in health
food stores and we are very happy about that,
although we are aiming for 100 percent.
TH: Other than nutrition and diet, what do
you recommend as the basics of a healthy
lifestyle?
MH: I think a positive outlook is one of the
best things we can do for ourselves and
everyone around us. I really believe that attitude
is everything. You can win with grace and
learn from your mistakes, if you have the right
attitude. Keeping stress in check is also very
important. Life is so hectic today that we have
to make time for ourselves to unwind. Things
like yoga and meditation or anything you do
that helps you to relax is beneficial.
Exercise is something our bodies NEED to
keep healthy. It’s a great stress reliever but it is
crucial to get up and move. Even if it’s only for
a half hour walk a few times a week, it’s one of
the best things we can do for our physical and
mental health . . . and watching “Alive & Well”
of course.
Michelle Harris is the host of “Alive & Well
with Michelle Harris,” a national television
series devoted to natural foods, nutrition and
health trends. The show airs five times weekly (Tuesdays and
Thursday at 11:30 A.M. EST and 6:30 P.M. EST,
Saturdays 6 P.M. EST) on GoodLife TV
Network.
For more info visit
www.AliveandWell.TV .
|
|
