February 2022

I often hear my friends and clients talking about or asking the following questions :

• why can’t I eat healthily even though I know I should, and that it is good for me?
• why do I feel exhausted all the time?
• why can’t I lose weight/maintain my weight anymore?
• why am I gaining weight around the middle/thighs?
• why can’t I stick to an exercise plan?

So many people seem to think that it is a foregone conclusion that as we get older, we will gain weight, feel tired, be unable to move as well, but I simply don’t agree!  Sometimes it seems too daunting to tackle the issues that are holding us back – too busy with work, full-on with kids at home, looking after elderly parents…with so many outside pressures and concerns it is so easy to put ourself second (or at the bottom of the pile), but if you want to do your job to the best of your ability, have energy to play with or look after your kids, or look after and help your parents, it is precisely for this reason that you absolutely need to put yourself first.  Like when on a plane and clearly instructed to put our own oxygen mask on before helping others – how can we be any good to our families, friends, employers/employees if we are not in a good and balanced state ourselves?
 
The problem is though, that we all know this, but more often than not, it changes nothing.  We don’t seem to able to implement the healthy food plan that we know will make us feel energised, give us better skin, help us sleep better.  We know we shouldn’t drink so much alcohol but yet we get home from work, exhausted, and reach for the rosé, knowing we will regret it in the morning!  We choose Netflix on the sofa over going for a walk or getting some fresh air after work; or we stay on our smartphone right until bedtime (too late?) and then sometimes even wake up in the night to check messages or the news, even though we know that this leaves us waking up feeling unrefreshed and exhausted before our new day has even begun…hhhmmmm!
 
These are some of the reasons that prompted me train as a health coach.  Many of you will know that I am also a Pilates teacher, passionate about movement and breathing. But it goes beyond that for me – I am  passionate about striving for optimum health and preventing disease. This is what gives me purpose and gets me out of bed in the morning – nothing motivates me more than when I can connect and share this passion with others.  Most of us will be aware that chronic diseases (eg. heart disease, obesity and Diabetes, auto-immune diseases, cancer, Alzheimer’s) are affecting more of us than ever before (current stats say 1 in 2 Americans now has one of the aforementioned chronic diseases, and 1 in 4 has multiple chronic diseases, and it is just as much of an issue this side of the pond). Chronic disease is destroying our quality of life, shortening our health span, as well as our life span.  Many people seem to believe that conventional medicine is there to save the day, and that we can just pop the pills to achieve better health, and whilst it is true that we owe a huge amount to the medical advances of the last century, I firmly believe that the only real and sustainable way to prevent or reverse chronic disease is by changing what we eat, our lifestyle and our behaviour. 
 
However, this is not always as easy as it might sound!  Do you ever find yourself saying this sort of thing:

• Tomorrow I will start eating healthily / start my diet…
• I don’t have time for exercise – but I will start soon…
• I don’t feel motivated…
• It is too late for me to change now – it’s just what I am like…
• I was born with a sweet tooth – there is nothing I can do about it…
• I don’t have the time…to exercise/eat properly
• I am too tired to exercise…
• I can’t…It’s too hard…it won’t work…I get it, but it’s just not for me…

I hear you, and this is why I became a health coach!  But how can I actually help?  My role is not to lecture you and tell you what to do, but rather to help you understand why you are where you are today, and with individualised support and guidance, help you ascertain for yourself what changes (food, behavioural, movement and life balance) you can apply in your daily life to improve your health, reduce your health risks and reach your goals to becoming your healthiest and happiest YOU! 
 
Together we will look at your health with 360 degree goggles, and I will help you restore balance in your life with compassion, empathy and non-judgement.  But I will hold you accountable and nudge you when I think you need it;)  Like most things in life, what you put in you will get out – I often say this about Pilates and it is equally true with the health coaching – I will be your cheerleader, and mentor, supporting you as much or as little as you need along your journey to optimising your health and vitality, but the desire to take the necessary steps to transform your health will come from within you.
 
I like to think of my body as the precious vessel that is carrying me through life, and I maintain a fully holistic vision of health – if my mind is not healthy, my body can’t be either, and the opposite is true.  In addition, I need to take care of my spiritual health and live in my truth. It is when all these parts of us come together in a balanced way that we can truly say we are healthy and able to truly live our best life.  
 
Still wondering if it is for you?  If you are curious to learn more, please get in touch.  I offer various packages starting with a 2 week ‘kick-start transformation’ (a one-off assessment & coaching plan to get you motivated, gain a fresh perspective and get a feel for how coaching could really help create positive change). Also available are 6 and 12 week packages (and customised packages are also available depending on your goals).  
 
I look forward to hearing from you, and to working with some of you soon – I can work with you in person here in France, or online from anywhere in the world. Do please share with your friends or family who might also be interested about what I have to offer – thank you so very much 🙂