Who Am I?

I’m April Ho, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Personal Trainer, and recipe developer! I was born and raised in Rochester, NY and I love helping people use food and fitness to improve their physical and emotional well-being. I completed undergraduate and graduate studies in Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, and currently I work at the University of Rochester Center for Community Health and Prevention providing medical nutrition therapy and personal training to individual patients. My professional interests and expertise include weight loss, gastrointestinal disease and dysfunction, autoimmune disorders, hives/allergies, and thyroid health. I live with my husband, four children and dog, and spend my free time cooking with my family and practicing jiu jitsu.

What is Caritas?

You may be wondering – what is Caritas? It is a latin word meaning “selfless love for all people.” I first encountered this word while singing a song called Ubi Caritas (arr. Durufle) for my college chorus. My favorite lyrics translate to:

“Where charity and love are, God is there…

Let us rejoice in Him…

And with a sincere heart let us love…”

I love this song because the second two lines are beautiful sentiments… that of course often seem impossible to fulfill. Although I am (very) imperfect, I will never stop striving to live my life this way. Caritas Wellness is about believing you and I can improve – can be better – than we currently are. We can:

• love others more selflessly
• love ourselves more genuinely
• treat our bodies well
• train ourselves to like new foods
• make movement a normal part of our everyday life
• forgive ourselves and others 
• make our own autonomous choices toward health
• let go of the opinions and expectations of others
• live with purpose
• be different than we’ve been in the past

My hope is that on this website you will find some humble tools to help you do these things. My belief is that as our bodies become stronger and healthier, we gain the confidence, energy and clarity of mind that we need to begin the work of loving more boldly, and living more brightly. Enjoy!