Let's nourish our body - Part Two

Let's touch on what else nourishes our body other than food.

"A Health Coach focuses on nutrition, physical activity, relationships, lifestyle and other elements of life that can impact markers of health such as stress, weight and energy levels."

Everyone will agree that we are more than our body.  We are a sentient being with a conscience,  thoughts and emotions.  How often in the course of a day do we think about feeding that aspect of ourselves?  What we eat certainly affects it but it is a great deal more complex.  The amount of physical activity, our relationships, our spirituality in whatever form it takes, as well as our career, are very important.

For most of us these four major groups are an integral part of our daily lives and need as much, if not more, attention than what we ingest.  Often when we find ourselves stressed out or upset with someone we care about, we turn to our comfort foods or destructive habits.  We all do it!

Which brings me back to the vital importance of nurturing our relationships, moving our bodies, finding some sort of spiritual connection, ie God, Higher self, yoga etc and either looking for new ways to enjoy our present career or searching for a new one that will fulfill us.

I also like to think that our lives are made up of choices.  We have the ability to choose to be the best we can or remain where we are at, either way it is totally within our power to choose.

And speaking of choice, I would like to invite you to take a look at my new website and let me know what you think.  :)  www.DianeLanglois.ca

Above all, enjoy life, have fun and laugh often.  :)

Healthfully yours,

Diane :)
Certified Health Coach & Natural Foods Chef
TotalCareNutrition@gmail.com

Let's nourish our body ~ Part One

For the next few weeks, I thought I would take a few of the elements from my definition of a Health Coach and expand on them.

"A Health Coach focuses on nutrition, physical activity, relationships, lifestyle and other elements of life that can impact markers of health such as stress, weight and energy levels."

Today is part one of two about nutrition.

The word nutrition itself, according to the dictionary, was first used in the 15th century and has its roots from the latin word nutrire meaning to feed/nourish.  As a personal preference, I like "nourish".  It sounds more of a comforting word.

So how do we nourish our body?  The ideal way for most people to truly nourish their body, is to drink plenty of water, eat whole foods, be active and get enough sleep.  Sounds simple enough now, doesn't it?  Yet, it is a struggle for so many of us.

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for convenience foods, sugary drinks, the latest gadget that will do more so we do less, and so on.  We are losing touch with our own body, our own thoughts and all this at what price?

Too often it takes a tragedy to send us a wake up call, to make us realize that we need to listen, truly listen to what our body is telling us.  It certainly did the trick for me.  With five children under the age of 10, a diagnosis of non-hodgkins lymphoma and five years to live, I had NO choice.  Fortunately, I did survive and pay very close attention to what my body is telling me, daily.

I am also finding out through my own experiences and IIN's teachings that every person has different nutritional needs.  Not every diet will suit every single individual.  As Joshua Rosenthal calls it, Bio-individuality.  Some folks need to add supplements to their diet while others do just fine without.  One person can eat meat while another finds it challenging to digest.  Again, the key point is to "Truly Listen" to what our body is telling us.

Above all, enjoy life, have fun and laugh often.  :)

Healthfully yours,

Diane :)
Certified Health Coach& Natural Foods Chef
TotalCareNutrition@gmail.com

What is a Health coach?

Whenever I mention to people that I am a Holistic Health coach, more often than not, I am asked either "What is a health coach?" or "Is it like a life coach?"

Although the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) has been teaching students for 20 years, with over 40 000 health coaches world wide, we are still unknown to most people.  Taking words and thoughts from IIN as well as my own, I will attempt to clarify the question.

Here is a good definition I found:  "A Health Coach focuses on nutrition, physical activity, relationships, lifestyle and other elements of life that can impact markers of health such as stress, weight and energy levels."

The main difference between a Life Coach and a Health Coach is in the fact that Life Coaches receive a more general training in a wide variety of areas while Health Coaches receive a more intensive training and specialize in aspects of life that impact the health.

Oddly enough I have been "unofficially" studying nutrition's impact our health for the past 20 years.  It quickly became a passion of mine.  I suppose I also had a vested interest as I was diagnosed with cancer and being that I was given five years to live with  no available treatment for the type I had, it left me with no other choices but to turn to nutrition and alternative medicine.  It has been a fascinating journey to say the least.

Turning my passion into a career was the next logical step.  Now, with the education I received from IIN coupled with my personal experiences, I feel fully equipped to help others achieve their health and wellness goals, while continuing to work on my own.

Healthfully yours,

Diane  :)
TotalCareNutrition@gmail.com