About Me
What motivated me to become a Health Coach? The desire to share lessons I’ve learnt the hard way so others have less work to do!
I’ve always struggled to maintain my preferred weight and body composition – whether I needed to or not. As the saying goes: I wish I was as thin as I was the first time I thought I was fat. I’ve tried various diets and grew up following the low-fat eating paradigm.
Having moved to Australia’s Gold Coast while in High School, I realised at the age of 30 that I had emotionally bought into a physical ideal that I could never hope to achieve - thin, blonde, blue-eyed and tanning easily - but buying out of that belief is a long-term project. Over time, I’ve worked on re-framing my thoughts to focus on being strong and shapely, not just thin.
When I came across the Marks Daily Apple website and The Primal Blueprint, two things appealed to me:
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I shouldn’t have to be so strict with my food and exercise as hard and long as I did to maintain my ideal weight and body composition
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This low-inflammatory lifestyle and way of eating could help me avoid triggering the rheumatoid arthritis suffered by my mother and which appeared a likely part of my future
Unfortunately, having made a lot of changes, a Doctor prescribed me hormones that significantly upset my body, leading to extremely low iron levels that no one noticed and contributing to a state of fatigue and possibly compromised Thyroid hormone function which I continue working to recover from after surgery.
What is Health Coaching and Why would you need it?
As a Health Coach, I link people to information and education sources to help understand how the types of food we eat impact our bodies in complex ways and then support them through the changes they decide to make.
Working with Me
Progressively implementing the changes to overhaul a person's lifestyle and way of eating generally needs a commitment of at least 12 weeks at a price of $480 when paid upfront ($510 if paid in instalments).
As I work with a client to educate them on how certain foods and lifestyle behaviours can be helpful or harmful, they will notice small changes on the way towards their ultimate goal.
This 12-week program can be implemented in person (allowing more practical education) or by phone/video calls and email.
Remote Coaching inclusions:
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An initial intake call (approximately 1 hour)
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A weekly check-in by email
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A weekly (30 min) or fortnightly (45 min) coaching call
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Occasional support by text and/or email
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Provision of educational documents by email as the relevant topics arise
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Facebook client group for support from me and others
For anyone close enough for in-person coaching and who likes to take information on board and work on implementing changes on their own for a few weeks, a different structure can be discussed.
As an example, less frequent but longer Coaching Sessions can be scheduled that cover more significant practical implementation, such as:
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a pantry cleanout and/or educational shopping trip
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a walk and discussion about movement and exercise
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a kitchen session where a couple of things are cooked to provide solutions and facilitate change.
Occasional contact by text or email between sessions would be acceptable but immediate responses shouldn’t be expected. Sessions can be booked at a frequency preferred by the client but a maximum of 4 weeks between sessions would be recommended.