I hope all of you guys are having an amazing night/morning/afternoon!
In this post, I want to share with you my experience in being followed by a health coach. We live in a world in which theres an urgency to eat better and feel better physically and mentally, hence why I thought it could be interesting to share my journey with a health coach.
WHAT IS A HEALTH COACH?
For those of you who at first, like me, were not too sure what a health coach is exactly, lets demystify the meaning together.
A health coach is not a personal trainer, nor a nutritionists nor a dietitian. In fact, its more of a mentor who guides and motivates you into cultivating healthy choices and maintaining these good habits. They use different techniques such as positive and behavioral psychology as well as motivational interviewing. To become a health coach, you need a certification and depending on the institute in which you are taking the courses, the lenght of the program is usually between 6 months to a year.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT IT
I have been followed in the past by therapists, psychiatrists and doctors and to be fair with you, I didnt really like my experience because I felt judged when I made a mistake such as forgetting to take my pills. Whats different with health coaches, it that they are free of judgments and super compassionate. It doesnt matter if you didnt meet your goal for the week, they will remain understanding and positive, which only helped me to get back on track the upcoming week.
My health coach has helped me with my eating habits (customized a plan designed to help me reach my health goals), and also with my lifestyle which includes ways to cope with my high anxiety level and be able to relax more and pamper myself when needed. Each week, we set actions steps for the next session. To give you an example, one of my goals for this week is to do the 4 days energy experiment which consists in eating different types of proteins for each meal/day and for some meals, not eating them at all. It My health coach also gives me many handouts and sends me ideas of easy meals to make and recipies to incorporate the food I like eating, rather than making a list of food I should not eat, which changes the dynamic.
Example of what would look like the 4 days experiment:
Day 1- Breakfast: No protein (ex: muffins, cereal, fruit...)
Lunch: Animal or plant protein (lamb, salmon, chicken, curry, tofu...)
Dinner No protein (vegetable soup, salad, spaghetti squash, baked apples...)
WHAT I LEARNED FROM IT
LESSON #1: Theres no such thing as failure. Each day is a new opportunity to conquer your goals
Its important to admit to yourself and your mentor what went wrong with your goals whether it is that you binged on ice cream, or that you slept through your work out. And as I mentionned earlier, your health coach will always repond to you with kindness and positivity. When I had these chats about my breakdowns, it reinforced the thought that if these goals really matter to me, I will come back the next day ready to aim for the stars because I am in charge of my life and I am responsible for it, nobody else will do it for me!
LESSON #2: Prioritize your goals
When it comes to changing health habits, most people get overwelmed and start thinking of 20 things that they want to work on. However, you have to be realistic and manage your priorities. Choosing only 3 or 4 things to work on is way more reasonable and achievable. And trust me, theres no better feeling than putting a check mark on the goals you succeeded to accomplish.
LESSON #3: The way you talk to yourself has an impact on your success
Most people underestimate this one but according to me, its one of the most important piece of advice I could give to someone. Your dialogue with yourself, will instantly affect your performances. Being negative with yourself and using words such as ''I cant'' ''Im not'' ''Im destined to be this way'' will automatically have consequences that will play against you.
Always use positive affirmations and mantras that will help you take each step into the right direction!
Ex: '' I have everything I need to help me prepare delicious, nutritious meals. ''
'' Everyday, I become stronger and healthier and I get closer to my goals. ''
'' I love and respect my body. ''
This sums up a small piece of my experience! Thanks for reading, I hope you guys learned something new! Until next time!
Sab xoxo
http://www.ichwc.org/JTA.pdf
http://www.health.com/mind-body/wellness-coach-help