My job as a health and wellness coach encompasses so much more than habits and exercise and food. I strive to help my clients feel better in all areas of their life. Mental well-being included. I can still remember the first time anxiety disrupted my life. It was 1980 - and I was in kindergarten. Yes indeed, you read that correctly. Kindergarten. A time when most children have very few (if any) worries. It's a time for fingerpainting + silly songs + playgrounds + making new friends. But not for me. Always a bit more serious than other kids my age, it didn't take much to land myself on the worry bus. After being transferred to the full-day (academically gifted) class (why was this even a thing?), I was terrified of stepping … [Read more...] about 3 Effective Tools For Managing Anxiety
Coaching Tools
Behavior Change Doesn’t Have to Suck
Since starting my business, I’ve promised to keep it real. Health related content tends to lean idealistic. I mean, I’m a dang Health Coach and I find myself rolling my eyes at 90% of the articles and blog posts out there. One of the reasons (and perhaps THE main reason) so many people give up on behavior change is because they feel like it requires drastic habit transformation. When the Health Coach you’re following on Instagram is only posting pics of being in the gym and eating lean protein and veggies, well – it feels entirely out of reach for most of us. I’m here to say you can make progress (and sustain that progress) without giving up bread or Hazy IPA’s forever. To be fair, if your goal is to be fitness competition … [Read more...] about Behavior Change Doesn’t Have to Suck
Scale Sanity
The skill of getting on the scale without being emotionally tossed around by the number is essential for long-term weight loss success. Every year that I coach, this become clearer. You can make peace with the scale. The number that appears does not have to dictate how you feel for the rest of the day (or week). If the number isn’t what you hoped for, you can let the initial feelings of disappointment come – and then get your head straight. It’s a skill worth practicing. I’ve been working on getting back to my goal weight (currently .2 pounds away) and I’ve been SUPER PROUD of the way I’ve been showing up. There was steady progress at the beginning of June, then for SEVENTEEN DAYS my weight went down a … [Read more...] about Scale Sanity
Messing Up is Part of the Process
About 10 years ago, I enrolled in a Weight Loss Coaching Certification program. I was already certified as a Health Coach with ACE, but that program didn’t teach about the mindset of weight loss. The new program was ALL about mindset. During my certification, I was asked to assess any overeating I did. What did I overeat? What were my sabotaging thoughts? But, I DID NOT DO IT. Why? Because I was beating myself up for not being perfect instead. I was too busy swimming in shame + comparison + judgement. How can a Health Coach possibly make mistakes?I’m supposed to be the example.Who would hire a coach that overate sometimes (or GASP, gained weight)? I tried SO HARD to do it all perfectly so I wouldn’t have to feel the … [Read more...] about Messing Up is Part of the Process