My approach
Movement
Mindset
Lifestyle
Movement
Humans need movement to thrive, yet at the same time we are hardwired to conserve energy. What a modern dilemma! Movement is a huge category including everything from breathing to sprinting, exercise is only a small category within this. Focusing on movement rather than exercise can make all the difference to your health and your motivation to move.
It’s not natural for us to move for the sake of it, so don’t feel bad if the thought of exercise fills you with dread. There’s nothing wrong with you and you’re not lazy, you’re just human. However, our bodies and minds need movement to work efficiently and to be healthy. How this looks though, is completely up to you. To make sure that you move consistently in your life you have to find something that you really love and it has to become part of your life rather than something separate that you have to find time to do. Walk to work, carry your shopping, squat to fold your clothes, leave your tea bags on the top shelf etc.
I’m a great believer in “snacking” on movements throughout the day, just like you would sip on water rather than drinking all your liquids in one go. Let your environment invite you to move (a chair will invite you to sit down!) and try to find a way of moving that has an additional benefit (i.e. getting you somewhere). So, movement can include exercise but it’s also much more than that and we need to move away from this fixed idea of what it should look like.
I have been teaching movement classes based on Pilates and Natural Movement for a decade. I also love hiking, climbing trees, balancing on anything I find while out walking, jumping up and down from obstacles, hanging from bars, tree branches and door frames and cold-water swimming. The most important movement practice is the one that I adopt based on my everyday life and I refer to it as ‘movement snacks’. I snack on movements throughout the day to make sure that I strengthen and move as may parts of my body as possible.
Breathing is movement and adapting a breathing practice that works for you can really help you to connect with your own body as well as giving your mind a much needed break. Breathing exercises can be part of your movement practice or can be practiced on their own. Focused, intentional breathing can help create clarity, focus, a calm mind and a strong core.
And lastly, movement is a great stress buster, moving throughout the day can help keep cortisol (stress hormone) at base level as well as preventing any parts of your body getting “stuck” in any certain position (think of what the chair does to your hips, back, neck and shoulders…). However you movement needs to complement your life. If you’ve got a stressful life/job then a high intensity workout might just cause more stress to your already exhausted body. When it comes to movement and health, harder isn’t necessarily better. Work with me to find the perfect movement practice for you. Contact me here to arrange a chat!
Mindset
Your mindset plays a critical role in how you cope with life’s challenges and is a big factor in your ability to succeed, both personally and professionally. We get the idea that we have to exercise our bodies, but did you know that you need to train your brain too?
Mindset is easily forgotten about but is hugely important! The difference between being successful or not is often down to your attitude and approach to life. It’s not just about positive thinking, although there is a lot to be said for that. Understanding the nature of your thoughts, how your brain works and how your beliefs and values impact on how you experience life is fascinating and life changing. Sadly it is not something that is taught at school and people can go through life without really realising how much they can influence their happiness and life experience. But information isn’t enough, to create transformation we need to look at behaviour change which really is the key to creating any lasting, meaningful change. I draw from my Life Coaching & NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) background (and I love the work of work of BJ Fogg) to inspire and empower change. Contact me here to arrange a chat!
Lifestyle
Lifestyle is a big category covering hugely important topics such as nutrition, sleep, stress management, burnout, relationships, career, purpose to name a few. We’re not looking for perfection in any one of these areas but they are all worth addressing at some point. The word ‘health’ comes from the word ‘whole’ and to be truly healthy you need to look at your life as a whole. Core Coaching will support and inspire you to see that everything is connected!
A big part of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition’s approach to Health Coaching is a focus on what it refers to as Primary Foods – everything that nourishes you off the plate (your lifestyle) and the fact that it is as important to your overall Health & Wellbeing as Secondary food – the food on your plate. I truly believe that food is medicine and that sleep is the most underrated aspect of health. But, going back to the Scandinavian approach, it’s about creating a balance within all these categories without striving to find for example, the “perfect diet”. The aim is to create a lifestyle that has health, happiness and longevity in mind and there are no quick fixes (sorry!).
What underpins my approach, both with individual coaching and corporate wellbeing, is my Scandinavian background and way of thinking. It’s all about balance, and enjoying life in a sustainable way that works for you, friends & family and the environment. Contact me here to arrange a chat!