Welcome to Day 2 of My 30-Day Blog Challenge.
This is me when I first became a health coach six years ago.
For today, I though I’d share a small glimpse of my history, what led me to became a health coach, and why I am coaching 1:1 clients, presenting workshops and speaking both in the community and for employers, running whole food programs for those looking to improve their diet and health, and facilitating a diabetes prevention program.
For some reason, I’ve always been intrigued about how we feed ourselves, and what we choose to eat. As the oldest of four children, it probably all started in the kitchen with my mom, helping prepare meals for the family, and for company. We always had relatives or friends coming to visit and my favorite thing was helping to get ready, and make sure everyone was happy with food and drink. It’s not surprising that my first job was in an upscale restaurant starting in the kitchen at age 17. When I developed eczema on my hands as a result of working with the acidic meats and cheeses in the kitchen, I was moved to the floor staff as a server, or waitress as they called us in those days. This was a fantastic job. I learned about food, wine, good service, restaurant management, and working hard as part of a team. Through my high school and college years, and even after college as a side job to supplement my full-time salary, I always worked in restaurants.
During this time, I personally struggled with what I should eat in order to be a healthy weight and feel my best. I started Weight Watchers with my mom when I was only 16, and had a roller coaster ride with dieting for years. In my quest to eat foods that wouldn’t put weight on, keep hunger pangs away, and still feel satisfied, I read a lot of diet books, and always experimented on myself with what I had read. But my favorite foods were still ice cream, mashed potatoes, meatloaf, spaghetti and meatballs, and high carb casseroles.
Later, In addition to a foods’ nutrition, I also became interested in the energetics of food, the politics of food, how our food system worked, food marketing, and foods of different cultures and societies.
After graduating from college, I worked full time commuting into New York City for 20 years. Then when my son was four years old, and I couldn’t handle the rat race any longer, I decided to pull back and work part time closer to home. Since I had lost weight on Weight Watchers and was at my goal weight, I started working as a wellness coach with Weight Watchers! I was a workshop wellness coach there for the next 14 years, and it was an important education for me in transitioning my own relationship with food. During this experience as a wellness coach, I noticed those focusing on the food they ate would lose weight, but then were not always able to keep it off. They struggled for years. Those in the program who changed the way they thought about themselves, put themselves first, and loved themselves made remarkable changes. I wanted to help more people change their thoughts, their habits, and their lives so they could live happier and healthier lives. I wanted to get away from the food aspect and focus on what I now refer to as primary food; all of the other aspects of life that feed us.
I researched health coaching programs for two years before making a decision and taking the plunge seven years ago to study to become a certified holistic health coach. The health coaching program was a great experience, and I wish I had found it earlier! Managing my time while in school was a challenge, but my first priority as a health coach is to walk the talk and take care of myself. Even though I was busier than ever, I still made time to exercise, practice yoga, get at least seven hours of sleep, and eat healthy, nourishing, home cooked meals and snacks. If I didn’t do this, I know I would have felt unhappy, overwhelmed, stressed and tired.
By keeping a healthy routine, I was able to not only keep up with the course work, (lectures, reading, assignments, quizzes, tests, coaching circle calls, peer coach calls, practicing Health Histories, and events) but I also would not have had the clarity or energy to launch my business. In just a year, I created a website, a blog, a Facebook page, a following on twitter, a pay pal account, a newsletter with subscribers, business cards, and referral partners. But most importantly, I have achieved my intention to use my background and experience to help people with their health concerns through diet and lifestyle changes.
If you or someone you know is interested in health coaching, let me know.