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’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...

MY FOOD IS FOR NOURISHING MY BODY , and even though I’m ALLOWED to eat whatever I want, if I want my body to be well and function for me, I’ve got to give it what it needs. I’ve seen way too many posts about how “toxic” it is to chase being skinny, and trying to lose weight means you don’t love yourself enough as you are, or accept yourself for who you are. Fair enough. If that’s how you feel, I understand. I’m not suggesting anyone turn themselves inside out or upside down to chase a number on the scale or a certain size jeans. But I AM suggesting that if you want your body to function optimally, you have to nourish it with the foods it needs. Your body needs protein, it needs fats, it needs carbs (yes, really), it needs vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and water. The ratios in which your body needs these nutrients will vary, but you still need them. And I’ve been gaining a lot of clarity in the last few years as I’ve gotten older, learned more about health, nutrition, and ...

Well, that’s not entirely correct. You probably KNOW you’re in it, you’re just not sure what to do about it or how to get OUT of it. Let me explain. In this article I talked about five top health issues we face as busy moms: weight loss, stress management, sleep deprivation, dealing with mom guilt, and struggling with life balance. And the truth is, all of these health issues can be interconnected in ways we aren’t even aware of. You’re a busy mom. You’re going to have a hectic schedule. That can lead to sleep deprivation, which can lead to stress or weight gain (or both), which can lead to more sleep deprivation, which circles back to mom guilt for being tired and cranky and stressed out, and you’re trying to find a way to balance it all…. Sound familiar? In the article , I mentioned that an easy first step is to just Start Small . Have one glass of water. Take a 5-minute walk. Do 5 squats while you’re waiting for the microwave. Eat one piece of fruit. Just one little thing...

I’ve blogged about this before , but I feel like it needs another moment in the spotlight. If you’re a busy mom and you try something new or different – a new haircut, a different shade of lipstick, wanting a new career, or starting a health/weight loss journey – you may not have the support you THINK you will. It might be a co-worker, your spouse, your children, a sibling, or a friend who makes a comment. “Why did you order the salad? Are you trying to lose weight, or something?” “What did you do to your hair?” “I don’t like that color on you. You should change it back.” “What do you mean, you want to try photography? You already have a full-time job. How are you going to do both?” Most of the time, these comments aren’t meant to be hurtful. They’re coming from a place of confusion because not everyone understands you’re looking for something deeper, more meaningful, or you’re simply not happy with the status quo. Sometimes the people in our lives, especially those close...

“Yes, eggs are ridiculously expensive right now. Yes, I still eat a ton of them anyways. I will never prioritize saving money on groceries over fueling my body with what it needs for optimal health. The cheapest food is not always the best food.” Okay. This is an anonymous post on a social media site. And while I genuinely appreciate the sentiment – fueling your body with what it needs for optimal health – I don’t think I agree with a part of it that seems to be kinda tone-deaf….in my opinion. While I agree with fueling your body, I also understand that not everyone has the ability to AFFORD the most nutritious options. This post stressed (and again, I sort of agree – to an extent) that making healthy food choices is their priority, and they will not compromise that value to save a few dollars. My disagreement is that everyone’s circumstances are different. At the time of this blog post, I was able to purchase boneless, skinless chicken breast on sale for $1.99 per pound. I ...

I came across a social media post that was essentially blasting the generalization of the health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition industry as a whole. If, as a health and wellness practitioner, you are someone who takes the one-size-fits-all approach and then places the blame on the person trying to follow your approach when it doesn’t work for them, then this post was correct. But there is one caveat I will touch on here – sometimes a generalized approach is all you can do as a practitioner unless you can get deep-down, one-on-one with a client. Taking a generalized approach is a good starting place for a health and wellness journey, but eventually, you’re going to have to dial-in and figure out some specifics for your situation. I had to travel this past weekend for a memorial service. And while I knew the GENERAL area I was going to, I didn’t know the exact location of the chapel. So, I knew I was traveling west. I knew the interstate I needed to travel for a few hours. I ...

A constant joke Hubs likes to tell for something that obviously isn’t super complicated, that we should already know and understand (like the phrase, “It’s not Rocket SCIENCE ”) – and yet somehow we still manage to make a mess of things by making it more difficult than it needs to be (hence incorrectly phrasing it as “Rocket SURGERY ”). Are you making your health, nutrition, or weight loss more complicated than it needs to be? I make posts/content for busy moms for that exact reason, WE’RE BUSY MOMS! We’ve got stuff to do. We’re constantly thinking about what needs to be done, who we’re doing it for, and how we’re going to make it all happen. So, why are we trying to over-complicate our health needs? We’re being bombarded with information from every corner of our lives – social media, family, friends, work, community – and it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. “If you mix cayenne pepper, lemon juice, honey, elderberry extract, ginger root, turmeric, vinegar, cinnamon, etc., et...

Why do you want to start a health journey? Why are you on a health journey? Why is your health important to you? As a busy mom, these three questions are important to ask yourself if you’re working on your health or thinking about working on it. Because, honestly, we've already got enough going on in our lives.  You might find out you’re not even trying to be healthier/eat better/move more/lose weight for the reasons you THOUGHT you were. Maybe you’re thinking about losing weight because someone made a comment that hurt your feelings. Or you went to put on a dress you haven’t worn in a while, and it doesn’t fit anymore. Maybe you don’t have energy like you used to and you’re tired of feeling tired all the time. Maybe you’re noticing that you overall don’t feel good after eating candy or cookies when it didn’t used to bother you before. Or maybe a relative is in poor health much younger than they should be and it’s got you thinking about how you want to be capable and act...

Okay. So, last week I posted about getting into a social media debate  regarding nutrition, weight loss, health, and a few other things that weren’t really relevant. The point of my post (before this debate happened) was that what you’re eating can have a direct effect on your health. I still stand by this statement. I was also told that because I have a link to a guide that says “ Natural GLP-1 Boosters ”, I “obviously” am not interested in science. When I explained it’s a list of healthy foods (general and specific) and recipes to go along with, I was then told “Food Isn’t Medicine”. I beg to differ.  While I agree that food is not MEDICATION , I do not agree that food cannot be “a compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease”, as MEDICINE is defined in the dictionary. BUT…. In the interest of playing devil’s advocate, I’m going to throw this out there…. Who cares? So what if “food isn’t medicine”? Does that mean it’s going to HURT y...