Since I have been a holistic nutritionist for 10 years, I have had some really cool jobs.
I started and managed my private nutrition practice.
I have taught cooking classes to both children and adults.
I have given lectures about nutrition.
Over 200 recipes have been developed for different companies.
I have interviewed health experts who are super smart and turned their conversations into articles, videos, cartoons, infographics, and video scripts.
I have helped my family and friends make healthier choices, and I have seen a tremendous improvement in my own health.
To think…
I hated my job.
Twelve years ago, I was working in a fairly standard office job.
Although I loved my coworkers, the work wasn’t stimulating and didn’t align with my values. I felt completely replaceable.
My dissatisfaction with my job turned into physical symptoms. I felt achy and lethargic, pimply, and bloated.
This general malaise led me to constantly search for health topics on Google:
Always bloated,
No energy
Can stress cause acne
Etcetera.
I was fascinated by everything.
Friends and family often brought up nutrition or food. I was always astonished. I wanted to know the ingredients of food, their feelings about it, and what they thought.
When a friend mentioned her bowel habits, I was intrigued and knew that I was becoming really strange.
It’s just weird, but not creepy.
It’s weird in a way I might be able to harness it for good.
I saw a little path that was sunlit and separated from the road to doom. It was then that I had a vision.
I wanted people to feel healthier and eat better. Yes, poop better.
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What exactly is a holistic coach?
You might think of homemade granola and tie-dyed socks when you hear the word “holistic”.
However, the word “holistic” really means “comprehensive.”
Holistic health coaches help people reach their health goals using a holistic approach.
This approach recognizes the importance of physical health in every aspect of one’s life, including relationships, mentality, spirituality, and so forth.
Attention! It can be confusing to understand terms and titles. Let’s get it out of your head:
Holistic health coaching is more of a general term than a recognized, specific designation.
It describes a style of health coaching approach that is holistic.
All holistic-style coaching certifications will include nutrition. The “holistic nutrition coaching”, certifications, are not really any different from the “holistic coaching in health”.
I attended a holistic nutrition school. My official designation is Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), however, I am still considered a holistic coach.
Holistic coaches focus on the whole person in the context of the individual’s life.
Let’s take, for example, a woman aged 50 who wants to quit eating junk food and get fitter.
This may be addressed by some health professionals in an isolated, very clear way. They’re right!
A holistic coach may do things differently. The coach might ask the client about their reasons for eating junk food and what obstacles they face in exercising more.
Is she alone and food her only comfort?
Are her food preparation and grocery shopping skills lacking?
Are you so overwhelmed and busy that you don’t have the time to exercise or cook?
Is she so unhappy with her body, that she is afraid to go to the gym.
Is there anyone in her family that weeps every time she brings a vegetable to the table?
Are her sleep problems causing her to be unable to exercise or is she just tired?
Instead of giving someone a plan that only focuses on exercise and diet, a holistic coach might help them with:
Life Skills: Food shopping and meal preparation; communication with family members about health priorities; time management; mindfulness and self-awareness
Habits and systems: Sleep or bedtime routines; stress management practices; weekly or daily meals prep routines
Beliefs addressing body image issues, breaking down the ” bad” food vs “good” food dichotomy; dealing with negative associations with exercise and “dieting”, and digging up meaningful reasons for change
More.
The reason I went holistic.
It was evident from my own personal experience:
It’s not how you feel, but what you eat.
My diet had always been pretty healthy. My “junk food” was a rice cake topped with peanut butter, honey, and honey.
Yet, I was always anxious, overweight, and tired. After every meal, I felt sick and my skin was more sensitive than when I was a hormonal teenager.
Making small changes to my diet can make a big difference. However, I realized that my feelings were also due to my sedentary job and the pain I was feeling after a bad breakup.
To feel better, I had to make a few changes.
I knew I had to be able to coach others to feel better.
This is how Precision Nutrition coaches are trained, interestingly. We call it “holistic coaching” instead of “holistic nutrition coaching”. Coaching for deep health.
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