So today I want to talk about a subject that is very near and dear to my heart: my journey to becoming a health coach. When I first decided to enroll in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), I wasn't exactly sure what would come of it. To be honest, I wasn't sure what kind of role health coaching would even play in my life. I knew I was interested in learning more about nutrition and how it can effect our lives, but health coaching? I wasn't so sure about that...So let's take it back to the beginning.
What exactly is a health coach?
A health coach is someone who helps you with any health related goals you may have. Whether it is to loose weight, get you and your family to eat better, cut sugar out of your diet, investigate possible food intolerances, work through diabetes or other degenerative diseases, or combat chronic stress, a health coach is your go to professional to support these issues and many more. We are here to shed light on some of the reasons you may be dealing with all this, and hold you accountable to making sustainable change. We provide a safe space for you to open up about your life, and have a conversation with someone who has the time and training to provide you with the support you need.
Why do we need health coaches?
Let's be honest, even if we are living the perfect life on paper (and who really is?) modern life is incredibly stressful. Our environment and food supply is laden with toxic chemicals we aren't aware of; meanwhile the media is constantly bombarding us with products we're told we simply can't live without. And in order for us to keep up with the demands of consumer culture, we feel we have no choice but to work long hours at jobs that aren't right for us. This is a recipe for chronic stress, addiction, and disease. And where does chronic stress, addiction, and disease lead us? More times than not the doctors office.
Let's talk about healthcare:
Our healthcare in this country is a mess. It's unsustainable, unaffordable, and does not address some of the leading causes of degenerative disease: diet and lifestyle. When was the last time you got to the root cause of a symptom you've experienced? When has your health care provider had the time to sit down with you and actually figure out what is going on in your life? How many times have you walked in with an issue and walked away with zero answers and one more prescription to add to your night stand? I know I have experienced this many times and the results were nothing short of drastic.
My own journey:
When I was in college, I experienced a pretty gnarly bout of manic depression. I was put on a lot of different medications. My doctors were trying their best to help me and support my recovery. I have no doubt about that. But these medications...man were they extreme. And I'm being honest when I say that they really messed up my life. I was sleeping up to 16 hours a day. My reading comprehension skills had pretty much disappeared. I was falling asleep in the library and missing class. My social life was a hot mess. I could no longer tell the difference between my "symptoms" from the depression, and the "side effects" from the drugs. I had given control of my life, my body, and my mind to a pill bottle. And I don't share this with the intention of bashing anyones choice to use prescription medication. And I don;t place all the blame on the drugs themselves. I believe everyone's journey is their own, and if you are someone who benefits from these drugs I fully support that. Everybody is different. Ultimately what helped me reclaim my health was a commitment to taking care of my physical, emotional, and spiritual well being long term. I changed my diet. I developed tools to manage my stress and anxiety like running, yoga, ad meditation. I read books, adopted the principles of positive psychology, and learned not to place my identity in a diagnostic term. I stopped looking to everyone else for answers, and started holding myself accountable for my thoughts, choices, and actions. I realized I can't place all the responsibility in the hands of my doctors. It sounds silly, but it's true. I think many people are afraid to question their doctors judgements and recommendations. They are afraid to advocate for themselves or get a second opinion. Our doctors today work hard. They see so many patients and treat a multitude of different symptoms, and it's difficult to get the personal attention you deserve.
And this is where health coaches come back into the picture.
You can take all the prescription drugs in the world, but unless you truly know how to truly heal your body from the inside out, you are only putting a band aid over the problem. Health coaches play an essential role in helping people make lasting changes in their life. When working alongside doctors, fitness experts, holistic health practitioners, and others in the health care system, we really can make a positive impact!
The Bigger Picture:
Food is information for our bodies. It forms our cells, creates the very structure of our blood, our tissues, our organs, our thoughts. What we feed ourselves affects everything. It's not just about how we look or feel physically, it's about how we show up in our lives. How are you showing up in your relationships? In your professional life? How is your relationship to your bigger purpose here on earth? Are you showing up for the good our planet? For our global community? And are these things being blocked due to a poor diet? When we free ourselves of chemical laden junk food, artificial preservatives, pesticides, herbicides, refined sugar; when we stop participating in a broken food system and start eating real whole foods, we are able to heal from the inside out. It is like lifting the veil and being able to see clearly for the first time. There is another way. This way offers us longevity and respect for ourselves and our planet. And I believe if we keep going in the direction we've been headed, this will become the only way.
Why IIN changed everything.
I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition because I thought I wanted to learn more about food. It seemed like the perfect program because it encompassed all that I was interested in. Plus it was online and accessible to someone who already worked full time. IIN teaches nutrition, dietary theories, business skills, personal development, finance, time management, stress management, the list goes on and on. And as you are exposed to these different ideas and modules, you begin to learn a lot about...yourself. I knew these ideas would strongly affect my perspective, but I never expected to learn as much as I did about who I am in this world. IIN is a fantastic program for anyone looking to find direction. They provide you with the tools you need to succeed at your own pace. And I think this point is very important: at your own pace. While I was there I learned how unimportant and irrelevant it is to compare my journey to someone else's. This gave me the permission I needed to finally start setting goals that felt right for me. I used to not be able to stomach the idea of being my own boss. I've always been more comfortable taking direction than giving it. I always came up with 100 excuses as to why I couldn't do something. It's just easier to stay in your own lane, stick to the same routine. And whether you're interested in becoming a health coach or not, I say this to anyone who feels like they aren't living up to their full potential. You have immense value. You were born with a purpose. Once I was able to align myself to a bigger purpose everything changed. I realized it's no longer a matter of can I succeed but will I succeed? My continuing success, personally and professionally, was truly up to me. It is our birthright to lead successful happy lives. It is our choices that decides whether or not that will be true. There is a quote from A Course in Miracles: "Those who are certain of the outcome can afford to wait, and wait without anxiety." When you are living in alignment with your true self, a path is revealed to you. And this path seems so obvious and so certain it's dumbfounding that you struggled to find it in the first place. Now all there is left to do is get out of your own way, choose the path, and get to work.
Yes, a nutrition school taught me this.
So anyone who is on their own path to better health, I encourage you to ask yourself: What is it you truly want? And are your everyday actions aligned with getting it? What is it going to take to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you know you're meant to be? If we want things to change, we must commit to that change within ourselves. I've come to realize that health truly is a choice. And that choice cannot come from anyone else but myself. As a health coach, I feel it is my purpose to reveal to people that they can choose for themselves. Now more than ever our choice is essential. If choice has the power to change one life, then it can change the world. And this is why I firmly believe that health coaches can and will change the world.
