A little after noon on March 18, 2022 I took a deep breath, curled up on my bed in child’s pose, and I cried. The tears were a much needed release, a way to say thank you to my body and soul for getting me through. I had just passed my Health Coaching exam with the American Council on Exercise under some extraordinarily challenging circumstances. There would be plenty of time to be celebrate the accomplishment, but for now I needed to let my body know the challenge was over.
Sitting and studying is pretty much the worst thing I can do for my body due to a musculoskeletal condition which is made worse with inactivity. Unfortunately that’s exactly what I needed to do to become a heath coach. My regular study sessions took my pain from a manageable 4 to a consistently irritating 6 on my personal scale of 1 to ten. Studying with an online text eventually exhausted my eyes to the point that I would get dizzy after just a few moments of looking at the screen. As if that weren’t enough, pain from a tooth I had treated 3 times previously had inexplicably come back with a vengeance.
So there I was on test day. Mentally ready as hell, but emotionally and physically a hot mess. I donned my blue light blocking glasses, took 800mmg of ibuprofen, and told myself to do the d@mn thing. It sucked. It was definitely one of the most challenging things I’ve done. I kept telling myself not to speed through, even though I just wanted to lay my head down. I told myself that every answer counted. There were many deep breaths and pauses to rest my eyes, but I did it. When I finally clicked the submit button the screen flashed back the words “YOU PASSED.” I was officially a certified heath coach.
Why I Became a Health Coach
Most of the time I avoid reminders of the limitations my pain creates but getting through the surprise challenge of a flare up during my exam is a perfect example of why I became a health coach. I’ve learned to continue my pursuit of a healthy lifestyle despite my chronic pain. According to the CDC 24.6% (61 million) of US adults have a chronic condition, and 27.2% (68 million) have 2 or more chronic conditions. Considering these statistics, I want to share what I’ve learned about pursuing health and wellness despite the difficulties life has offered us. I want to offer hope of a healthy and fulfilling life to those with chronic conditions.
Leading up to my exam I took every effort to be at my best and decided I would move forward whatever my best might be that day. In preparation I talked with my counselor regarding the anxiety I had over taking my exam with my pain. Sitting for 2 minutes is a challenge; my test would be 3 hours. I made an appointment with my community acupuncturist the day before the exam; a session always helps to take my pain level down. I rested my eyes as much as possible and purchased blue light blocking glasses to help when I was required to use a screen. To ensure I could mentally set the toothache issue aside for another day, I made an appointment with my dentist.
I know that being that proactive when you’re not well isn’t easy, and that’s why I’m here to help. Challenges like these are prime opportunities for a health coach to make a monumental difference in our health and wellness goals. To learn more about my health and wellness journey, check out my post on the 3 Truths About my health Eating Journey.
What is Health Coaching?
As your Health Coach, I’m your wellness guide and supportive mentor. I’m here to motivate you to toward healthy behavior change. I’m here to help you identify, challenge, and change thinking patterns that don’t support your goals. I’m here to educate when you request it and empower you to take responsibility for your health.
Most importantly I am here to support you in achieving the goals that are important to YOU. Improving your health, becoming physical fit, reducing stress, improving sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight are all real possibilities. Let’s work together to create the healthy lifestyle you always dreamed of.
My areas of expertise include:
- Pre-diabetes and diabetes
- Obesity and overweight
- Hypertension
- Cardiovascular disease
- Sleep improvement
- Stress management
- Nutrition
- Physical fitness
- Chronic condition management
How we can Work Together?
First, we’ll paint a picture of your ideal healthy lifestyle. Next, we’ll choose a habit or two that won’t support that lifestyle. From there we’ll examine and challenge thinking patterns that may be the foundation for those habits. We’ll learn new information to keep us motivated and we’ll build confidence with lots of opportunities for progress and wins. We’ll take an organized approach to changing behavior, making monumental goals into bite-sized successes.