Even Health Coaches Struggle

Posted on December 2, 2012 Even Health Coaches Struggle (Self Care as Meditation)

 The last few months have been interesting, full, and some of the most challenging (yet rewarding) of my adult life. Ups, downs, and moving in one direction and then switching last minute to go a different way. That’s the ebb and flow of life, and I’m grateful Spirit intervenes when my plan isn’t in my highest good and sends me in another direction. The lesson I continue to embrace is this: I​don’t have to know all the answers at every turn and I don’t need to strive for perfection.​As I reflect on past events it seems as though everything was perfectly timed, and worked out for the best. I have faith it will continue on in this way.

“Joanna, you’re a health coach!?!?”, said my friend after telling her I gained 9 pounds in a month. Yes, I am, but I am not perfect. I face challenges just like everyone else, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Afterall, the answer today for the problem at hand may not be the best solution tomorrow or 2 weeks from now. What worked last year may not work this year. Our bodies change and our response to induced self care can change over time too. Afterall, I am a spiritual being having a human experience, so I falter. I learn lessons and I move forward. It’s all in the process of growth and looking at the big picture, I notice a trend towards living even more vibrantly and healthily than ever before.
Roughly nine years ago I gained 25 pounds from candy binging. My binge lasted from Halloween and continued through to a Spring dinner at my then future Mother in law’s house when I realized how my body changed. As I continued noticing my weight gain, I felt hopeless and decided it didn’t matter if I kept overeating since I was fat anyway. I plumped up another 15 pounds before doing something about it. Finally, I went to Weight Watchers and lost all of it, which I put back on after a couple years because I changed nothing else in my life and just counted points.
This time is different. Only 3 things changed over the last month. 1) I stopped walking/jogging everyday because of the cooler weather, 2) I stopped my daily green smoothies also triggered by the cooler weather since I craved something warmer, 3) I got the full blown flu for the first time in years and after not having an appetite suddenly became ravenous....oh wait and 4) Thanksgiving where my newly untrained taste buds (yes, it can come undone that quickly, but thankfully can be retrained almost as fast) didn’t want to say no to Mom’s broccoli casserole and a second helping of stuffing. In the midst of all that having the flu emotionally took me to a lower place.
So yes, I’m a health coach who helps others face their obstacles head on and I too face my obstacles head on (which I used to not do hence the weight loss at WW without long term results). I have clients who comment over and over about how they can’t meditate because their thoughts don’t calm down enough for them to meditate. Do you know how one gets to the point of meditating undistracted by their thoughts? KEEP PRACTICING....EVERYDAY....if a day is missed (a week or *cringe* a month) you pick up again as soon as you become aware. Aha! Same with self care! If it’s not something you’re used to doing it’s not just going to come to us immediately with 100% perfection. Before starting my journey over 7 years ago, I would sometimes go days without ANY self care, which meant no showers, no brushing my teeth, not eating vegetables or fruit, and only drinking cola...among other nasty habits. Part of taking care of myself now involves not being hard on myself and not beating myself up for setbacks, but instead using them as stepping stones to keep moving forward. Using that technique I lost that 40 pounds and have kept it off.

So now, as I recognize my “steps backward” over the last month I take a breathe, give myself a break, take stock in my emotional process, and develop a strategy for moving forward. So far, I’ve been having solo dance parties sporadically throughout the day, so I can get in some regular movement. Of course, days it’s not quite as cold I get out for a hike with my beast Maya. I’ve chosen to move my green smoothies to dinner time since the coolness of the smoothie doesn’t bother me in the evening, as it does when I first wake up. Lastly, I’ve stuck to eating sensibly and in addition to drinking plenty of water I’ve added in herbal and green teas (which I tend to go back and forth with throughout the year). With all my other care rituals securely in place, I know I will get back to where I was and continue evolving from there because that’s what we do when we’re awake. We may not be able to make giant leaps, or even little baby steps consistently forward all the time, but even those of us who take occasional steps back can be successful with our health by being in the present moment and choosing to love ourselves at each turn. Here’s to shortening those backward steps and being with our process!

As always, thanks for reading. Til next time, Joanna Rose