Denice Murray Health Coaching

I love working with clients. I love walking them through the process of their health concerns, what their goals are, and how those goals can be achieved. But there is inevitably a glitch in the process where clients get stuck. For me, as well, when I’m working on my own personal goals. They hit a point where they feel like they’ve stalled in their progress. Or they feel like they don’t know where to start. Or how to navigate through an issue. And when these obstacles happen, the secret ingredient that health coaches use to help clients through these barriers is to Name The Problem . In my own personal experience, I have a tendency to get overwhelmed when I’ve made a goal too big. I get sucked into the vastness of the “forest” and I struggle to recognize the individual “trees” around me. For example, let’s say you’ve set a goal to “ Eat Healthier” . That is a very broad goal, and it could cover hundreds (if not thousands) of options. But you’ve made some changes that work for yo...

I had a conversation with a friend the other day, and it got my brain stuck on this topic, so I thought I’d write it out today. I’ve always had kids who were into sports. From the time my sons were 4 years old (and they just graduated from college), until now with my daughter in her senior year of high school. A large majority of my friends also have kids in sports. Recently, our coaches have been talking to the players, as well as their parents, about nutrition. The players are running out of fuel for their bodies long before their events have ended. The result has been kids getting quite sick in one way or another during or immediately after their event. The majority of the issues are coming from a lack of proper nutrition and a lack of hydration. The coaches are taking it all VERY seriously, and have taken a lot of steps to help remedy this situation. The conversation with my friend brought up this point (which is the one that stuck with me), as we were discussing how much ...

This is the question I asked myself this week as I cried over going to a school event for my daughter. She’s a senior this year and I am already struggling with my “baby” about to fly the nest. But the truth is, I wasn’t crying for sentimental reasons. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was crying because I didn’t want to go . I felt obligated to go and support her because it’s her senior year and that’s what I’m supposed to do as her mother, but honestly, I’ve been feeling the burnout for WEEKS now. I didn’t want to go and socialize. I didn’t want to interact with people. And I LIKE people. We’re incredibly fortunate to live in a supportive and active community with people who are very nice and get along. Most of the time. (Let’s be real – everyone has their moments.) But 99% of the time our little town works together and supports one another and they are ESPECIALLY encouraging to the kids. So, there I was, crying and trying to hide it from my daughter and husband because...

I’m probably going to get some backlash from this, but my give a cares are pretty much gone at this point in my life. I check social media platforms pretty frequently to see what topics are trending in health and wellness. I feel like it’s not only important for me to keep up with my formal continuing education but to also see what people are thinking outside of a course or a classroom. To say we have problems in this country, and as a society, would be an understatement. We have huge SYSTEMIC issues around healthcare, wellness, disease management and prevention, weight loss, etc. The list is utterly exhausting. Every person has their own ideas and opinions on what health and wellness look like to them. It might mean the absence of disease (ex. heart disease) or no chronic health concerns (ex. high blood pressure). It might mean a certain number on the scale, the range of your biometric markers (blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels), or your ratio of body fat to ...

While we may not have all the time in the world with back-to-school creeping in, last minute vacations before summer is officially gone, and dealing with the ridiculous end of summer heat (at least where we’re located), as Busy Moms we still have daily opportunities to get Quick Wins for our health and wellness that don’t require an entire rearranging of our lives to get them. So, here’s my list of five Quick Wins you can implement TODAY with little to no extra effort or going out of your way to make them happen. Eat a Piece of Dark Chocolate Every Day . I know it’s not everyone’s favorite, and to be honest it can be an acquired taste. I didn’t like it years ago, either. But if you get 70% or higher, you’re giving yourself a mini-health boost with vitamins and minerals like copper, manganese, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, selenium, calcium, and almost all the B vitamins. From CHOCOLATE! And an added bonus, your kids probably aren’t going to want it because it’s not a...

I don’t know how many of you have ever been to Las Vegas, but there’s a saying that, “The House always wins,” when referring to gambling. As I was taking a walk last night, the thought that we’re “playing” in a rigged system kept popping in my head. We’re constantly surrounded by nutrient-poor food options (fast food and ultra-processed foods); we have chaotic schedules that make it hard to cook nutrient-dense meals or find time for physical activity; we live in spaces that make it more difficult to have movement as a natural part of our days (more driving, long commutes, less walking on average, etc.); and we have financial, environmental, cultural, or social constraints that make it harder to focus on our health, wellness, or weight loss. As Busy Moms, it seems like we’re always trying to play by The House rules, but they always have the edge. The casinos are DESIGNED to give The House the edge. And I kept asking myself, “How do we win against that? As a Busy Mom myself, and as...