Skip to main content

NEW ADVENTURE


New Blog.

New Adventure.

I started the journey of becoming a health and wellness coach over a year ago. My reasons were simple. My husband was diagnosed with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, and I wanted to find a way to help him ease the burdens of not only his disease, but also the side effects of the medications he will now have to take for the rest of his life.

And let me assure you, the side effects of these medications are worse than the disease itself.

PH is no picnic, but the side effects ravage his body on a daily basis.

The good news from all of the bad news we've faced in the last couple of years is that his body weight directly correlates with the amount of medication he has to take. So the more weight he can lose, the less medication he has to take and the less severe the side effects are.

And that leads me back to health coaching. I wanted to find a way to help him effectively lose weight, but also help myself get in better shape and have more energy to deal with the daily stresses of life. Health coaching crossed my path, and it felt like a great choice for me.

I started with a few classes from Arizona State University on health and wellness. I took a nutrition course from the American Fitness Professionals Association. Then I enrolled in the Pack Education Health and Wellness Coaching Certification program and completed my training. Now I'm considering taking another step and enrolling in the National Academy of Sports Medicine Nutrition Coach Certification program. 

(AND AS OF THIS UPDATE I AM NOW A NATIONAL BOARD-CERTIFIED HEALTH AND WELLNESS COACH).

My goal is to learn as much about nutrition and healthy eating as I can, and to put that information to good use helping others reach their health and wellness goals, as well.

One of the most important things I've learned in the last year of study is that a lot of what I have been told, have read about, or have seen in various forms of media (TV, magazines, blogs, Pinterest, etc.) is incorrect. 

Weight loss is about one thing - cold, hard math. The number of calories you put into you body versus the number of calories you burn off. 

That's it. It's not about pills, potions, number of reps, specific food combinations, etc. It's about the harsh reality of calories consumed compared to calories burned.

You can create any number of combinations to tip the balance of calories in vs. calories out - what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how quickly you eat, how slowly you eat, what exercises you're doing, when you exercise, exercise intensity, number of reps, etc. - but ultimately, it still comes down to the cold, hard math of calories in vs. calories out.

But that's also the GOOD news. You can create any combination of calories in (foods or drinks you consume) and calories out (exercises you do and movement throughout your day) to find the perfect balance that helps you lose the weight you want and maintain a healthy weight once you've reached it.

My hope is that this blog will be able explore the topic of health and wellness in a way that makes sense, and keeps the information relatable and real.

Until next time....

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

QUICK WINS WEDNESDAY

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY IS EXHAUSTING. IT'S YOUR HEALTH & YOUR RULES - EVERYONE ELSE CAN TAKE A SEAT!

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

ARE YOU ACTIVELY TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH? Or Are You Simply Trying to Hang On?

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...
Post a Comment
Read more