When was the last time you gave yourself some much needed quality time, care and attention? Can’t recall? If you are anything like I was, you just continue on plate spinning mindlessly day to day doing what has become habit without giving real consideration to the impact it might be having on your health and wellbeing. It’s easier to just keep plugging away in an environment that feels familiar because you don’t feel like you have the brain space or time to make changes. When you stop and think about it, we spend more time and money making sure our cars are well maintained and road worthy every year because that is a habit that’s non negotiable; we have to do it. But just think of your body as a machine; a machine that’s way more precious than any piece of metal ever could be.
My need for self care came about when I hit a real energy low, poor sleep and carrying too much weight. The stress of the situation started to build like a snowball. The need for a life audit became quite overwhelming but, where to start? Standing and looking up at the top of a mountain can seem just too big to conquer and we tell ourselves the same old chat: “I just can’t do this right now”. We are good at telling ourself stories to justify our continuing inactions; I was that person. After much research and growing interest in the subject of good health, I enrolled with the College of Naturopathic Medicine with a view to getting myself healthy and subsequently lead others into a state of “thrive”. There are so many elements of self care that we can tap into to take that precious engine into a tip top state. It all starts with one small step, then another and then another. We live in a world where instant gratification is more prevalent than ever before so if we don’t see results fast we throw the towel in and revert back to a default state of self sabotage. I could write chapter and verse on this subject but we just need to slow down and tap into our patience and intuition. No1 Health Coach will work with you in unison, putting you at the heart of your own goals and aims with education and inspiration. Think of this point in your life where you can hear the needle scratch across the record, making you stop and realise that changes have to be made. To feel alive and start living with passion and purpose for yourself, your friends, your family; how amazing would that be?
Self Care Isn’t Selfish
Self Care is such a buzz word these days with so many inspiring quotes on social media. We scroll through and think ‘how lovely’ but not actually engaging with the sentiment. Our phones are amazing devices; utterly transformational. I love how I can be in touch with people I no longer see or work with but at the same time, its the most exciting time thief ever invented. We can sometimes fall into the myriad of rabbit warrens that are other peoples lives and get swept up in paid ad after paid ad. Think of how some of that time could be harnessed by doing something meaningful for yourself, adding value to your real life. I’ve recently read Atomic Habits by James Clear which I cannot recommend highly enough. The author really helps dissect why we do what we do and how we can create good habits and break bad ones. Different things work for different people but with the added benefit of being a client of No1 Health Coach, your journey will be mapped out with clarity, care, and achievable goals.
Some of you may know that I was crew for a well known airline. I loved my job for many years, meeting great people, visiting great places and sometimes responding to challenges that can make good after dinner stories! One of the best bits of the job was looking after passengers and doing my best to ensure that their journey was good value, enjoyable and memorable. That ethic carries over into my practice at No 1 Health Coach. Nothing stays the same in life and I realised that the lifestyle was starting to have a negative impact on my personal life. Not exercising because I was too tired or living on too many ready meals even if they were from good old Marks and Spencer! The accumulation of this led to lack of nourishment and vitality, all the whilst still trying to keep up the pace of life that I was used to. A progressive recipe for a state of decline. I have the pandemic to thank for bringing me to this point in life but there were times that I felt wobbly about making the leap from a career that I was super familiar with and enjoyed immensely for the most part. Change can sometimes be a bit scary but with guidance, good information, and trust in ourselves we get to be in a place that makes us grow: to grow is to live! We have a fascination for innovation and progress when it comes to technology so why don’t we apply this to our own lives? It feels a bit uneasy when we find ourselves under the microscope so it’s easier to just tune out and put our hands hands over our ears to tune out that small persistent voice in our heads. We self soothe with Netflix or Prime (who doesn’t love a binge watch from time to time?), because that space is more comfortable. In truth, if someone told us we had a year to live, would we be vegging on the couch watching the latest block buster? Hell No! It would be the biggest wake-up call to jam in and savour as much fun and good times as we could. We rely on statistics about average age expectancy but really, to me, that is just an enabler for procrastination. We can all suffer from this at times in our lives for varying reasons; but really, it’s an awful shame that we don’t value ourselves the way we should.
Unlocking your future health
So, If you’ve gotten this far reading I’m guessing you’re keen to know more about coaching and how No1 Health Coach can help you on your journey of self care. As much as I’ve spoken about myself it’s merely to illustrate that I come from a place of understanding having “been there; done that; got the t-shirt; book’s out next week!” Life is precious and so are YOU! I am that coach that will teach you to steer that beautiful, biological machine of yours in a forward direction. We don’t drive ahead looking in the rear view mirror (I had to drop in one cliche!). Whatever your background is or where you are in life, domestically or professionally, the services of the right health coach are invaluable. You owe it to yourself to take stock, review and re-engage with yourself. With this new world that we are living in since Covid 19, the impact has been monumental with uncertainty. For some there have been positives but, for others, a tough and worrying time. Everything starts with “the self”. If we nourish ourselves correctly then we are arming ourselves not only against viruses and other bugs, we are conditioning ourselves to deal better with the emotional challenges that life throws our way.
The importance of good nutrition is starting to get some more airtime on TV, thankfully, but really, we should be receiving a daily public health broadcast! It falls to us as individuals to take ownership of our health and wellbeing, employing whatever tactics are necessary to help make sense of good nourishment, how the body works, how we can get more out of our lives. Around SEVENTY percent of the cells that make up the immune system live within our gut, working alongside good bacteria and help to protect us from disease. The diversity of our own gut bacteria can be determined by the way in which we entered into the world, what we eat, medication use and environment. For example, babies born vaginally are armed with extra protection from the microbes (minute organisms invisible to the naked eye) passed on from their mother via the birthing canal. Our bodies are not entirely human – instead we are an ecosystem with around half of our bodies’ cells being made up of microbes such as bacteria, viruses and fungi. This collection of microbes is known as our microbiome. The state of the microbiome is linked to diseases including allergies, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, Parkinson’s, whether cancer drugs work and even depression and autism. This fascinating area of research makes us realise that even although genetics play a small part in whatever disease we might encounter in life, we can certainly take ownership of our ongoing health by feeding our gut flora to keep them happy and positively responsive to potential disease and disorders.
In order for people to make the best of their health and wellbeing with a coach, there has to be trust, openness and rapport. It’s vital for No1 Health Coach to take a detailed case history and truly listen to the client’s needs and goals and take them to a place of motivation and success in a nurturing and non judgmental environment. We believe that active listening and a brief education around certain aspects of health help clients to understand better and realise the importance of why certain actions and behaviours might undo good efforts. As kids we ask “why” regarding pretty much everything (much to the frustration of our parents at times!) “Why” and “how” are very good words in my book. If we take an interest in learning about ourselves and how our health (in a good or bad state) can impact every single area of our lives. Self care has really fallen by the way side in modern times for many different reasons, but we can learn, improve and flourish when we recognise that spark inside to take responsibility for getting the best out of ourselves. As mentioned, any journey can seem daunting to begin with but by employing your own guide, you can remove the uncertainty and burden of where to start. One step forward is still a step in the right direction and better than being stuck. The end result is not the focal point but the quality of the building blocks that will take you there. The accumulation of positive change will eventually present itself with quality measures and engrained good habits. This is a team sport; the coach and the player. With your own evolving intuition and recognition of good self care, the pursuit of good healthy habits will start to become second nature because that’s what underpins a quality existence; we are the sum of our habits. Life is for living and living well! Your best self will surely bring out the best in others so win win! Make that call to action today and get in touch with No 1 Health Coach. With a free 30 minute discovery call we can discuss your personal situation and come up with an actionable plan. You should be proud of yourself for making this all important move and taking charge of your future. YOU are No1. There is nothing selfish about self care. Consider the positive impact on your decisive action today and make contact now.
