I get this question all time. What is a health coach? Are you a nutritionist? Let’s break it down for you.
I get this question all the time. What is a health coach? Are you a nutritionist? Let’s break it down for you.
Nutritionist
Use a largely numbers-based approach to achieve target weight (think: calories in vs. calories out)
Consider only food when creating a strategy
Prepare meal plans with particular nutrients, calories, fats and carbohydrates.
Strict compliance is usually necessary to reach your dietary goals
Health Coach
Use a whole-food centered approach – may suggest a food that is higher in calories, but is closer to its natural state such as pure organic maple syrup versus Splenda
Take a holistic view of your life. You can eat all the healthy foods in the world, but if you are in a toxic relationship, soul sucking career or don’t have a spiritual practice you will not achieve optimum health
Prepare meal plans that are flexible and easily integrated into daily life. Best idea is to take current food that you like and then make a healthier version of that meal
Supports clients to make sustainable change, by tapping into their inner wisdom, discussing their values and learning to practice self-care
How can this help my infertility?
When it comes to infertility many people have been through years of heartbreak, a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows, isolation and frustration. If I tell them they need to give up all their favourite foods, this strategy could completely backfire.
Don’t get me wrong. If someone wants get to the bottom of their infertility and are willing to remove top inflammatory foods such as dairy, gluten and sugar, I’m there to support them too! It’s all about bio-individuality. What works for one person may not work for someone else. The key is to listen to your body and to get support.
If you decide to take baby steps or go all in, either way, if you could do it alone, you already would have done it!
Learning to trust your body takes time. Many people feel angry that their body has let them down.
Many of the people struggling with infertility are Type A, high achievers that are used to succeeding at everything. They may attack their infertility with the same drive and gusto and wonder why they don’t get results.
Sometimes a more subtle approach where you slowly learn to listen to your body, connect with your inner wisdom and just plain slow down starts you on a journey toward self-healing.
