[Video] What is a Health Coach?
Here is a quick video I made about What a Health Coach does and how they work with someone to help improve their health.
CHES, ACE Health Coach, AFPA Nutrition & Wellness Consultant
Insurmountable Odds: How to make an Unlikely Comeback
The greatest comeback in Super Bowl history was coming back from a 10 point deficit. With 18 minutes left in Super Bowl LI, the patriots trailed the Falcons by 25 points. For most teams, this game would be all but over. Well, the Patriots ended up tying the game, sending it to overtime, and winning the game. In the 3rd quarter and up by 25 points, the Falcons were given a 99.5% chance of winning the game. Was it impossible to comeback and win that game? No. Was it incredibly unlikely? Absolutely. There is a lesson we can learn from this amazing comeback in our own lives.
We have all had times in our lives when our obstacles seem insurmountable. They can come in many different situations, like finances, family, health, education, or career. There are always times in life that will get you down, whether due to your own mistakes or to circumstances out of your control. That is when an important decision has to be made—do you push twice as hard to fight for your goal or do you decide it is too unlikely to accomplish and give up? If you want to reach your goals badly enough, no matter how difficult the resistance, there are ways to increase your chances of success.
Focus & Plan
When life gets tough, it can become stressful. Maybe you have to improve your performance at your job, or you have to improve your grades in school, maybe you find yourself running low on money. It can be tempting to become self-defeated, which makes the problem even more difficult to overcome. It is important to focus and plan your next steps. What steps can you take to start the process of getting yourself out of your bad situation? Every situation is different, so give some thought to your specific position and think of even small ways to make improvements. For example, rearrange your schedule to improve productivity at work, allocate more time to study, or cut back on unnecessary expenditures. The Patriots had to focus on scoring one touchdown before they could focus on the next three they would need in order to come back and win the game.
Take Advantage of Opportunities
In difficult times, you have to take advantage or even create your own breaks and opportunities. Look for openings to capitalize on and improve your situation. For example, is there a part-time job available to improve your finances, or can you make extra money from a hobby of yours? Is there a classmate that can help tutor you in school? Is your boss open to suggestions on improving the productivity of the workplace? Take advantage of situations like these, you already need all the help you can get. When all seemed lost, the Patriots forced turnovers and made big plays when they absolutely had to.
If you want something, you have to work hard for it. When you find yourself down in life, you have to work even harder. I will be honest, even when you make some changes to improve your situation, it may still be unlikely that you will succeed. The Patriots could have made all the correct moves near the end of the game and still easily lost. But remember this Super Bowl Patriots team when you find yourself on hard times in life. Even if you feel like you have a 99.5% chance of losing, you might just be able to win in the end.
CHES, ACE Health Coach, AFPA Nutrition & Wellness Consultant
3 Ways to Set Yourself up for New Year’s Resolution Success!
Here we are at the end of the year. Looking back on the past year, we reflect on what we have achieved and what we hope to accomplish in the New Year ahead of us. People think about what their New Year’s resolution should be. Some people consider it seriously, and others somewhat jokingly say what they would like to accomplish. While many resolutions do not come to fruition, there are ways to achieve yours. New Year’s resolutions often fail because people do not set themselves up to succeed. You would not take a test or give a speech without some kind of planning or preparation. Let’s take a look at some ways to turn your resolutions from a wish into a realistic goal.
Put the Holidays Behind You
When the New Year comes, I often work with people that set one or more resolutions. Sometimes they say it in an apologetic manner, as if it sounds silly or cliché. They understand that many people set these resolutions but give up on them soon thereafter. Honestly, waiting for the New Year to set new goals for yourself is a good idea for several reasons. In the last few months of the year, the days begin to get darker, the weather begins to get colder in most parts of the United States, and the holiday season sets in (and with it comes stress, sweets, and large meals). As we head into January, the major holidays are behind us and the days (slowly) start to become longer again. The last few months of the year are usually difficult for most people and many people get off track with a healthy lifestyle. Don’t feel bad about making New Year’s resolutions; it actually makes a lot of sense!
Prepare and be Specific
Alright, you have decided that you are going to set one or two resolutions for yourself. Now how exactly are you going to follow through with them? Most people make resolutions with little thought on how they are going to reach their goals; unsurprisingly, this does not work. Before putting your resolutions into action, make a plan for how you will approach them. Set a time frame (Example: “For the next month…” “For the next four months…”), decide what days you will work on your goals (“3 days a week” “every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday”), and obtain what items you need before you begin (“gym membership” “Nutribullet”). Also, make sure to remind yourself of your goals to get into a consistent routine (set phone reminders, write notes on the calendar). By actually having a plan of action, your likelihood of reaching your goals increases greatly.
Partner Up
One of the great things about New Year’s resolutions is that many other people set them too. Everyone has a friend, coworker, or family member that has set a New Year’s resolution. It is a great opportunity to partner up with another person to help each other achieve both your goals. Accountability is vital to sticking with your routine and creating a habit out of your actions. Having another person to help you stay on track throughout the ups and downs improves your chances of reaching your long term goal.
Now you have a better idea how to actually make your resolutions into achievable goals. New Year’s gives everyone an even, fresh start to work on their resolutions. Your goals will still require hard work and may not always be easy. The more planning, preparing, and support you have the greater your chance of success. Best of luck on your New Year’s resolution!
CHES, ACE Health Coach, AFPA Nutrition & Wellness Consultant
Setting Realistic and Achievable Goals: 3 Keys to Reach Your Health Goals
It is not uncommon when I first begin working with someone that they have a long list of areas of their health that they want to address and work on. Eat healthier, exercise more, have better sleeping habits, drink less soda/coffee, manage stress better, etc. Those are all fantastic goals, but often people try to work on them all at the same time which can easily overload and cause them to not achieve their goals. Another issue is that someone I’m working with may want to lose weight but thinks they should lose 30 pounds or more in a month. It can sound like a good idea on the surface, but it is unrealistic through a healthy lifestyle change. Understanding what areas of health you want to improve is important, but it is necessary to approach your goals in a realistic and achievable manner.
- One At A Time
For most people, it is best to take on each goal one at a time. For example, put your effort into improving your eating habits, THEN start to focus on improving your exercise habits. Working on too many areas at one time often leads to failure with all areas you are working on. Create a list of which goals are most important to you. Make sure to have consistent success with each goal before moving on to the next goal. This makes the process more organized, less stressful, and easier to manage.
- Break It Down
You may have one large goal, like trying to quit smoking a pack of cigarettes a day or trying to lose 50 pounds. The goal can seem quite daunting and so far away when you first start working on it. It is important to break down your long-term goal into smaller, more manageable goals. Using the earlier examples, you can cut back from 20 to 15 cigarettes or reduce your weight 5 to 10 pounds in the first month. Moving in smaller steps has a greater chance of success than trying to do too much, too soon.
- Recognize Failure Can Lead To Success
Having realistic and achievable goals also means realizing it will not always be easy and you may not always reach your goals the first time. Roadblocks to success come up all the time. A family member gets sick, work responsibilities change, or the holiday season gets busy and stressful. Realize that this is part of the process to success. Go into accomplishing your goals with a mindset of learning throughout the entire process. Be open to better ways to address and succeed at your goals as you go along.
Whether working on many small goals or one large goal, always take time to break down your goals into manageable pieces. It takes time, effort, and patience to achieve long-term success. Learn from your experiences to find the best ways that work for you. While it may not always be easy, make it as manageable as you can to give yourself a realistic chance to achieve your long-term goals.
CHES, ACE Health Coach, AFPA Nutrition & Wellness Consultant
