The Power of Coaching: Creating Lasting Change for Health and Parenting
The Power of Coaching: Creating Lasting Change for Health and Parenting
Research shows that people are more likely to succeed when they make changes for their own reasons, rather than following directives that often lead to resistance. Coaching empowers individuals to take charge, fostering lasting change on their terms.
Coaching is a goal-driven process designed to help individuals achieve positive outcomes in health, parenting, or personal growth. While life and career coaching are well-established, health and parent coaching are emerging specialties. As a certified health and parent coach, I use evidence-based strategies to help clients align their strengths and values with their goals, creating sustainable success.
Body Image and Self-Care: How They Impact Mental and Physical Health
Body Image and Self-Care: How They Impact Mental and Physical Health
Your feelings about your body significantly affect how you care for it, influencing both mental and physical health. Negative body image can lead to poor self-care habits and health complications.
Body image combines how you see yourself and what you wish to look like, ranging from realistic to distorted ideals. When your body image is realistic and attainable, self-care improves, promoting overall well-being. However, dissatisfaction with appearance may push people toward unhealthy behaviors, such as excessive exercise or restrictive eating, in pursuit of unrealistic goals.
In severe cases like body dysmorphia, no amount of dieting, exercise, or surgery satisfies the desired image, often resulting in dangerous habits and conditions like eating disorders, nutrient deficiencies, osteoporosis, and heart issues. Promoting a healthy body image is key to fostering balanced mental and physical health.
It’s about balanced eating-forget clean eating
Undernourished teenage girls need saturated fats for essential body functions like hormone regulation and menstruation, as a pediatric endocrinologist once emphasized while I worked with a client battling a severe eating disorder. This insight shifted my perspective on nutrition, underscoring the importance of balance for both those with eating disorders and individuals managing weight issues.
Over-restricting “fun foods” like quick-digesting carbs or labeling foods as “good” or “bad” can lead to under-fueling, harming both physical and mental health. Promoting balanced eating habits is essential to preventing malnutrition and supporting overall well-being at any age.
Balanced Eating: A Healthier Approach to Nutrition and Well-Being
My philosophy toward nutrition aligns with creating a balanced approach to eating. By refraining from categorizing foods as strictly “good” or “bad,” we foster a healthier relationship with food. Instead, we can refer to less nutrient-dense foods as “sometimes foods.” This shift in language helps to normalize all food choices and lessens the emotional weight associated with them. It encourages individuals to view eating as a source of nourishment and enjoyment rather than a source of guilt or anxiety. By developing this mindset, we can significantly reduce the risk of disordered eating and support a more positive body image. Ultimately, it’s about cultivating resilience and understanding that nutrition is just one aspect of our overall well-being.