It is SO frustrating when a thriving, healthy lifestyle feels just out of reach, despite your best intentions. Why the heck can’t you just get yourself to eat healthy, exercise, get to bed at a decent hour, manage your stress, and practice meditation on a regular basis?
No big deal, right? (Umm…😬)
Reality check: your struggle is super normal, and you are not the only one! So then what’s the answer? 🤔 I know one thing:
you don’t need more articles or influencers telling you what to do.
Your problem is 🚫 not a lack of information (hello, the internet! practitioners! books! articles!) You know where to go for that stuff. No, what you really need is:
- To step back from information overload
- To connect with your strongest motivation
- To work with your unique brain (not against it!)
- And make it sustainable in your own life (aka realistic + holistic 😉)
Boom! That’s where the ⚡magic happens. Of course, to make it a bajillion times easier, you need personalized, tailored support from a trained health coach.
(Oh hey! That’s me! 👋)
The Real Question, Though, Is…
Why
Health Coaching?
Here’s the thing: our society’s healthcare model is dominated by the “expert approach” where practitioners spend their time doling out prescriptions and advice for their patients to follow. While we absolutely need qualified and licensed clinicians, there’s still something lacking in the implementation of their advice. 🧐
You probably have a decent idea of what kind of healthy changes you want to make in your life. So… why haven’t you made them yet? ➡️ That’s where I come in!
A health coach is trained specifically in the psychology of behavior change, which means it’s my job to help you get from point A to B successfully so you can live a realistic and holistic life that helps you thrive. 🙌
Do you want to…
- Eat less junk food?
- Eat more nutrient-dense foods?
- Have a more peaceful relationship with food?
- Lose weight?
- Adopt a specific dietary style targeting a health concern?
- Find your meal planning groove?
- Fit meal prepping into your week?
- Overhaul your pantry and fridge for whole foods?
Or maybe…
- Quit staying up too late?
- Start getting up earlier?
- Fix the quality of your sleep?
- Reduce daily overwhelm?
- Improve memory, focus, and consistency?
- Get into a meditation habit?
- Squeeze in more time in nature?
- Add fun and play to your day?
- Feel less stressed?
or how about…
- Figure out an exercise routine you won’t flake out on?
- Build muscle and core strength?
- Start taking regular walks?
- Train for an athletic goal?
- Target weak core muscles after pregnancy and birth?
- Have more energy?
- Lower your inflammation?
- Actually use that gym membership?
One of the most common topics in a health coaching conversation, healthy eating is a cornerstone of a holistic lifestyle. Aspects we can explore together include things like your desired eating style, what’s working right now and what’s not, how much time you have to cook, strategies you might explore to make it easier, your emotional attachment to food, your patterns and roadblocks, and the possibilities for change that align with your values, strengths, and long-term vision.
My health coach training was in the context of functional medicine and a Paleo diet as a template to work from, but you don’t have to choose Paleo in order for me to help you out. One of the fundamental principles of functional medicine is that everyone is unique and health should be tailored to that. As such, I can support you in any healthy eating goals, including fitting specific dietary protocols into your life.
75-90% of doctor visits are for stress-related ailments, and yet unmanaged stress is wildly rampant in our culture. If you think you could benefit from a conversation about managing your stress (and not letting it manage you!), coaching is a fantastic place for that.
Coaching conversations around managing stress could go in many different and multiple directions, such as your vision for the change you want, your strategies for dealing with stress on a regular basis, trying mindfulness practices that can have physiological impacts on the brain’s ability to handle stress and building habits in those areas, as well as untangling the possibilities for changing stressful circumstances on a practical level, in accordance with your own circumstances.
Everyone knows they “should exercise”, but coaching conversations often lead clients to realize that a “should” (aka a feeling of external obligation without any internal buy-in) is a fast road to burnout, flaking out, and resentment. A successful habit is one that you’re motivated to do, so a coach will help you unpack the layers under the “should” until you are excited to take action on building a sustainable movement/exercise routine that fits your lifestyle and values.
Coaching conversations around exercise often include topics such as which types of exercise you enjoy, what kind of routines have worked in the past, and barriers (physical, circumstantial, emotional) that may be holding you back currently. We unpack the deeper motivation behind the surface desire, make short and long terms experimental goals based on your desires, and check in regularly to fine-tune things as you go.
Healthy habits are simply actions you regularly do that contribute to your health and wellbeing. They may be simple to define, but adding them to your life in an ongoing, and – dare I say – enjoyable, manner can be a daunting task indeed. With an ADHD brain I know first hand how challenging this can be, but if I can get to the root of it and find success, I believe anyone can.
Many health coaching conversations start with changes the client desires to make in their life, but the “what to do” is not the only part of the equation. Any successful healthy change requires a well-thought out plan for maintaining that change sustainably over time. We’ll often include topics like support systems you have in place, how your environment can set you up for success, flexibility, the practicalities of remembering, carving out time, and crafting a positive mindset for the inevitable ups and downs. The health coach can also provide accountability for the duration of the coaching relationship – an invaluable support as you navigate early change.
It’s so very common to feel totally overwhelmed by the various aspects of a healthy lifestyle that you hold in your mind as “should do” and “soon, I will…” In fact, overwhelm causes many people to feel stuck, leading them to inaction on their goals. (It’s the freeze response of your nervous system, and it’s totally normal!) If you feel this way, and you’re reading this… congrats! investigating health coaching *is* a step in the right direction, and you should be proud.
Health coaching conversations are designed with you in mind. I’ll guide you through the process of identifying your vision for your own state of thriving. We’ll unpack your values, how your personal strengths can propel your efforts, and your long-term goals in each area that you identify as important and needing change. Then, we break it down into short-term SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) goals that you apply experimentally, week by week, until you’re in your groove. Before too long, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come and super proud of what you’ve accomplished.
The above are examples of some of the most common topics of conversation in health coaching, but the possibilities are much wider and deeper. The list of what health coaching is not might help illuminate this – it’s not a substitute for therapy/counseling (though we employ some of the same tools), and it’s not prescriptive in any way. We don’t offer medical, nutritional, or any other type of advice. Instead, health coaching expertly facilitates the (sometimes challenging!) change process in any area related to wellbeing while honouring client autonomy. This method has been scientifically proven to lead to more effective change over time.
As you probably already know, every corner in your life relates back to your health and wellbeing in some way. As such, the client is welcome to bring topics that feel relevant to them, such as work life issues, relationships, time management, chronic disease management, mindfulness practices, meal planning and grocery shopping, balance and priorities, and more.
Absolutely! While health coaching does not prescribe or give advice, it is an invaluable support to those managing existing illnesses. Many people are struggling to implement the advice of their practitioners surrounding lifestyle changes that impact their conditions, such as dietary protocols, exercises for rehabilitation, improved sleep quantity/quality, and more. Coaching can provide powerful support to successfully making the changes a practitioner recommends, and educated coaches are specifically trained on how coaching should integrate with external expert advice.
If there’s a change you want to make in your life that will promote health and wellbeing it’s most likely a great topic for coaching conversations. (And if it’s out of the scope of practice of health coaching, I’ll let you know. My first goal is to coach ethically, in service to your success.)
what’s
your next move?
I know you’re a smart cookie, and totally capable. Of course you *could* totally make all the changes you want on your own… but you just haven’t gotten around to it yet… right? 🙈
🔥 Real talk: if you haven’t figured it out by now, what’s going to change tomorrow?
Hiring a trained coach could be the best thing you ever did for yourself. Maybe it’s time to invest in yourself for a change?
Try a
CURIOSITY CALL
Not sure if coaching is for you? Try it for free and see for yourself.
You get to ask questions and experience the vibe of a coaching conversation with zero expectations to proceed further. If it’s the right fit, you can make another booking. If not, no problem!
Book a
Single Session
45-minute private coaching session
Useful for working on a singular issue, getting “unstuck”, and emerging with fresh insight and clarity.
Cost can be applied toward a package deal upon request.
Get a
Package Deal
Save costs and book a package deal. Includes 6 private, 30-minute coaching sessions.
Get regular support + accountability as you make sustainable changes for your health. These sessions can include visioning, focus, short and long-term goal setting, check-ins and accountability – all tailored uniquely to you as we go.
the necessity of
a healthy lifestyle
The current rates of chronic, lifestyle-related disease in the western world are staggering. Life expectancy is decreasing for our kids’ generation, and it’s time to do something about it. 👀
91%
of people surveyed said they need more help managing their chronic disease than what their doctor provides. 😮💨
60%
of Americans have a chronic disease, and forty percent have two, with similar concerning stats for other western countries. 😩
only 6%
of people engage daily in the top five behaviours for preventing chronic disease: exercise, sleep, healthy weight, no smoking, & moderate or no alcohol consumption. 😳
What now?
Believe in yourself.
Invest in yourself.
Ask yourself:
What’s possible?