What is a holistic health coach?

So often we hear the question, "What is a holistic health coach? What are you selling?"
I wish there was a one sentence answer! Sometimes I feel like calling myself a Cheerleading Health Therapist.  Or maybe better yet, I am like a Health Detective looking for clues, helping you find the healthy you, that is currently missing! I guess if there is something I am selling, it's me. I am selling you my time, invested in you!
But maybe none of that explains exactly what we do. . .

There is no perfect diet for everyone, no fabulous new workout or magic supplement that will instantly fix everything and give you the perfect body in a perfect life! And crazily enough, our diet (what we feed ourselves) is affected by so much more than what and how we eat! We are affected by our beliefs, our emotions, our experiences, our relationships and how we react to all of those things!

A big part of what we have been taught as health coaches, is how to listen. And it makes perfect sense! What is the first thing the nurse or doctor does when they walk in the room? They listen to your body - your heart, your lungs, your blood pressure etc. They look inside you for clues - your eyes, nose, ears and throat. Why is that? Because all of the clues they need to "fix" what ails you, can only come from your body! They have been trained to look for certain issues for which they have been taught certain remedies.

Now we are not doctors. But we are trained to do something similar. We are taught how to listen to you (the mouthpiece for your body) and then, instead of being taught remedies, we have been taught preventative measures that will help you identify the root problem(s) and then teach you how to take charge of your life and make changes in your life so those symptoms need never show up again!

In reality, it doesn't matter what is wrong with you, every symptom no matter how big or small,(obesity, heart disease, cancer, asthma, allergies, an ache in your back, migraines, stiffness in your joints) they are all just your body's way of telling you something is wrong and something needs to change! Please know that I am not minimizing any of those things - they are serious and some can be life threatening! But, wouldn't it be grand if instead of looking for a cure for things, we could look at preventing them from ever happening in the first place?

My job as your coach, is to teach you how to listen to your body and interpret your own feelings and symptoms. Initially, I meet with my clients for 1 hour, 2 times a month, for 6 months and even though I have literature and an actual program we go through, and I can and do teach you all about nutrition and food, my clients are the ones that determine the course we take. Every single person is so different and each one has different needs and is experiencing such different things. You talk and I listen to what you say and don't say and it is all like little clues that when you follow them down to the core, reveal the root of the problem. Then with just a little strength, that root can be removed and replaced with something healthy that will bear the fruit you need! Sometimes it's something you can do on your own - it just had to be revealed to you and then you know exactly what to do to remove it. But sometimes bigger tools and more strength is needed and that is where I come in. Remember that cheerleader I mentioned at the beginning of this article? That may sound a little cheesy, but when was the last time you had someone sit and listen to you? Just you? Describing exactly what it's like to be you every day? And then have that same person acknowledge that it all matters and is important and there IS something you can do to make things better for yourself? And then that person wants to be there for the journey, encouraging you on? That's me! I get the fun job! ;-) And I LOVE it! You don't have to depend solely on any great wisdom I possess (thank heavens!) it really is just a journey that we take together where your cheerleader has the privilege of learning as much as you do along the way!

When we say the word "holistic" a lot of the time people's response is (and honestly my first response was) -What on earth does that mean? If I had to simplify it in my own words, I would tell you that holistic health coaching just means taking into account all aspects of a person's life - psychological, physical, emotional, spiritual and social, when helping a person create a life plan. We aren't concerned with a temporary "diet" or exercise plan, we want to help you understand how you want to feel and live and then learning what you need to do and feed yourself for a lifetime, to accomplish that!

How do you want to live the rest of your life? What do you want to look and feel like at 70 yrs old? Because I don't care who you are, your future does NOT have to be the same as your today!

Hugs, Health & Happiness!
~H