As many of you know, I have recently completed my Coaching Certification! (Fist Pump!)
I’m officially a Holistic Health Coach! This will come as no surprise to many as it’s basically the way I have been coaching the whole time, just now with a piece of paper with bases in nutrition & microbiology and psychology & spirituality behind it. After treating chronic disease for 20 years, it was time to take a broader approach to helping people, and incorporating my extensive knowledge of nutrition and fitness into my practice to better serve my clients, whether in the gym or the clinic. In doing so, I have broken it all down into
10 Pillars of Wellbeing
As we all know, life gets busy and hectic, and it becomes difficult to balance these 10 factors, but just like a building, if the majority of your pillars are strong, they will support you as you build the others back up to full potential. And then… you are pretty much unshakeable, indestructible, or as a couple of my mentors like to say, “unf*ckwithable”. In this regard I’m referring specifically to your health. Your immune system will get a boost and your susceptibility to inflammation and chronic disease including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and cancer will be significantly reduced. Not bad for just 10 items on the to do list.
I’m going to do a weekly post, pertaining to different aspects of wellness that I sincerely hope you will follow along with. My hope is that within these 10 weeks then, you will come to find yourself in a much more healthful place, upon heeding this advice. Likely none of this information will be new to you. But perhaps knowing that making just 10 small changes in your life could completely alter your health and happiness, your satisfaction and contentment, you just might take the necessary steps towards them.
So what are the 10 things? Well you’re going to have to stay tuned to find out!
If you know me at all, it will likely come as no surprise to you that I will begin this 10 week journey by talking about… Movement. You guessed it; Fitness. Again, if you know me personally, and let’s face it, if you’re reading this first post, it’s probably because you do, 😊 and I am SO thankful for your support!
I might know you from a high school, University, or community sports team, from a workplace team building race or fitness class, from one of my first gyms, (OMG remember Spa Lady & the DiscMan? Geez I’m old), from myriad races, in salt and fresh water, on and off road, on foot and cycle, or from any of the community or corporate gyms I have coached, been coached, competed, won, lost, or sweat in.
Movement has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. It is our most natural state of freedom and happiness. Remember being a kid and running around playing outside from sunrise to sunset? Stopping only when your Mom called you in for dinner? I am fortunate enough to have grown up during that era, and it’s still the way I prefer to spend my days – outdoors and free, whether it’s on the water, on the mountains, or in the forest. (I still break for food – more on that in the coming weeks.)
I’m going to encourage you, this week, to get off your duff and out into nature, or the gym, or even just around the block. Have you found yourself in a rut that takes you from bed to desk to couch and back to bed? And subsequently you’re just “too exhausted” to even think about exercise? Been there. Here’s a secret that I’ve learned in my many years of coaching. Ready? IT IS NOT EASY FOR ANY OF US. Sometimes my clients say,“yeah, but for you it’s just simple because you love it…” Ummm, what? Erm…nope. Sometimes I want to stay in bed, curl up with a good book, binge watch the latest series, the list goes on. I don’t want to do it, but I DO IT ANYWAY. We have to cultivate the self-discipline to do the stuff we don’t want to do in that moment. The easiest and best way to break that behavior chain is to JUST START. Start easy, Start small, JUST START. Day One is the toughest day. By day 10 you’ll be chomping at the bit to lift that weight, and by week 10, you’ll be wondering how you ever managed without this daily dose of freedom and fun. I promise. And what’s more, next time you fall into a rut, because… life, it will be that much easier to get out of because you’ll remember that feeling of freedom and fun you are cultivating, starting NOW.
Let me hear what you get up to! I’m excited to hear all about the ways you’re moving these days! And it will also really help those lacking inspiration for how to get back on that horse. We are all rooting for you! Thank you in advance for sharing your struggles and your wins! We all benefit from knowing we aren’t alone. That’s the whole point of this awesome community.
Head on over to Facebook to join us!