Most of my clients are folks that lost themselves as they poured into others… ministers, single moms, overworked dads, nurses, teachers. People who kept putting themselves and their health lower and lower on the priority list until one day they realized they no longer had the health or energy to continue giving.

That was ME! I was exhausted, stressed, and grumpy all the time. I was uncomfortable in my own skin (and in my clothes) and what used to be loving service became dreaded chores. It was at that point almost two years ago that I said “enough is enough”.

I took a good hard look at myself in the mirror and evaluate where I was physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. This was incredibly difficult for me because it forced me to accept that I was failing (something that can be devastating to an enneagram 3 like me).

I was failing to live up to my potential and would often opt for watching from the sidelines when I really wanted to be in the action. I was failing to show up well for my family and friends, I was regularly failing to get things done or to meet deadlines because I was just too tired. But, more than anything else I was failing God who had called me to steward the body and tools that he had given me.

In January of 2021 I started a journey of self discovery and reinvention. I signed up for a health program with some friends from our weekly Bible study in the hope of dropping the “COVID twenty”. Over the next six months I lost 65 pounds, made social events about people instead of food, and reintroduced physical activity into my routine.

I learned about my food addictions and that sugar is five times more addicting than cocaine. I also learned that, for me, self control starts at the grocery store (If sweets make it into the pantry, sooner or later… I WILL GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION).

Since losing the weight I have been able to serve as a guide and coach to almost 100 of my friends and family, some with major health issues and lots of weight to lose, some only hoping to shed a few pounds in order to feel like themselves again.

Coaching has been as transformative as the program was initially for me. Helping others to contend with their health has helped me to continue to push myself to make healthier choices. For most of my life I was passive in regards to my health, allowing cravings and circumstances to dictate my choices. I love learning and teaching others have to proactively plan for health, especially though the challenges of social events and holidays.

I am grateful that approaching 51st birthday, I am healthier than at any point since my 20’s. I still get tired, but it is because I now push myself and not because I have to go downstairs.

Over the past couple of years I have learned that we all struggle with doubt and insecurities and even they guy that seemed healthy to me wants to do better. I share this to let you know that there is hope. If my story resonates with you, I’d love to chat. Our program, or even coaching could be as transformative to you as it has been to me.

A health coach is your personal health cheerleader, guide, and partner. They help you implement lifestyle changes to improve your physical health.

The most common obstacle people face is their own thoughts about themselves and about change. Health coaches help people work through some of their thoughts. People find out what’s blocking them from following through with the changes they’d like to see. It isn’t about someone telling you what to do, it’s someone who’s respecting your terms and your reasons for wanting — or not wanting — to change. A health coach shows up for you in whatever way you need.

A health coach also provides:

Accountability: Knowing that you have to check in with another person about your progress can give you the push you need to move forward.

Encouragement: Health coaches act as cheerleaders to pick you up when you’re having a not-so-good day.

Unconditional support: A health coach doesn’t judge your actions. They help you come to your own conclusions about what works and what doesn’t in reaching your goals.

Setting and reaching health goals can be challenging. But health coaches can help you move past barriers. Switching to a healthier lifestyle can affect everything. With increased energy and motivation, you’ll be able to do more, be there for others, and live life to the fullest.

If you need someone in your corner, we can start HERE with a personal health assessment!

Some days may be hard, pick yourself up and move on. You Got This!

When you fall, do you get back up right away?

When you fail, do you learn from it and take it as an opportunity to grow?

We all struggle at times with learning from our failures. We sometimes give up as soon as we fail, not realizing that what is necessary is to push a bit harder until we reach a breakthrough.

Failure isn’t the opposite of success, it’s a part of success. It teaches us about resilience, courage, growth, and support. Failure is a stepping stone to achieving all of our goals.

Every time you fail, there is a 100 % chance that it will teach you something. It is vital to use failure as a teaching tool to improve yourself and your skills, whether it be about decision-making, problem-solving, or more.

If you speak with any successful person, in any arena you will find a common theme. They have all failed many times, and many of those failures seemed catastrophic at the time, but they did not allow that failure to define them or deter them.

Regardless of what goals you have in your life, I can assure you that there will be obstacles and you will stumble, but it is within you to decide to pick yourself back up, dust yourself off, and make the obstacles your training ground for success.

MUCH OF THE SUGARS CONSUMED TODAY ARE ‘HIDDEN’ IN PROCESSED FOODS THAT ARE NOT USUALLY SEEN AS SWEETS

I am a sugar addict… My daily decision to overcome my sugar addiction does not consist of seeing chocolate and saying no, it begins at the grocery store! The only way I can truly successfully practice self control is to completely eliminate the temptation. If I am honest with myself, I know that if cookies, cakes, or candies make it into our house I will eat them [even if I don’t like them – I have been known to eat burnt cookies, and I taught myself to like black licorice because no one else would eat it]. It does not matter how hidden or out of the way they are, I will find them and I will eat them. When is comes to seeking out sugarI have a Liam Neeson level set of special skills.

Over the past year in a half I have had to learn to be addicted to feeling good, learn to play the long game, learn to value quality of life over the temporary sugar fix. It has not been easy, and occasionally I give in, but “stacking wins” for the past 18 months has helped me to become a healthier, happier, more present, and more focused version of myself.

In 2014, the founder of our health program Dr. A. wrote this article that I think is worthy sharing here today. These drastic findings have only multiplied over the last eight years.

The article reads:

Early this month, the World Health Organization (WHO), announced that it would be drafting new guidelines on sugar consumption, a change that shortly followed the FDA announcement of changes to nutrition labels aiming to help consumers better understand exactly what they are eating and choose a healthy option.

In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) suggested that sugars should account for 10 percent of our total daily energy intake. That suggestion remains in the latest draft of their guidelines, but they go on to suggest that reducing that intake to 5 percent, roughly 25 grams or 6 teaspoons, has additional health benefits.

In their release, WHO points out that “much of the sugars consumed today are ‘hidden’ in processed foods that are not usually seen as sweets. For example, 1 tablespoon of ketchup contains around 4 grams (around 1 teaspoon) of sugars. A single can of sugar-sweetened soda contains up to 40 grams (around 10 teaspoons) of sugar.”

If you do the math, you’ll find that the new WHO daily sugar intake recommendation is less than what is found in one—just one—average can of soda.

Why are major health organizations targeting sugar consumption? Let’s start by looking at how much sugar we consume. For example, according to the USDA, the amount of sugar that Americans consume increased by 39 percent between 1950 and 2000. An infographic from Forbes, which pulls data from a variety of studies, highlights that Americans currently consume an average of three pounds of sugar per week.

PER WEEK! THAT’S ABOUT 1,185 GRAMS MORE THAN THE NEW WHO RECOMMENDATION!

Sugar is a big target for health professionals because of its link to a variety of health complications. In their announcement of new sugar guidelines, WHO specifically mentions a desire to “reduce public health problems like obesity and dental caries (commonly referred to as tooth decay).”

Sugar and sugary substances actually creates direct inflammatory reactions which I outline in detail in Dr.A’s Habits of Health. And obesity is a one-word code for a large number of potential health problems. Obesity has been linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and even depression, to name a few. Sugar may not be the direct cause of all obesity cases in the United States, but the numbers that we just reviewed suggest that it plays a role in a great many of them.

Despite your body needing only the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar to operate your entire metabolism, sugar has become a major factor in American diets because sugar makes food taste good, and food companies want to produce food that sells. Sugar, and its substitute, high-fructose corn syrup (which is also a part of the new WHO recommendation), make food more appealing and more profitable while also making it cheaper to produce.

This is a victory from a business perspective, but it has contributed to what has become a global health crisis. Sugar, while unhealthy in large volumes, can at least be metabolized by any cell in the body. High-fructose corn syrup, the cheaper sugar substitute, can only be processed by your liver and has been found to be addictive. You can’t help but crave it, and unlike sugar, it keeps your body from producing key hormones that regulate your energy cycle and inhibit hunger, preventing your body from sensing when it’s full.

THIS INSIDIOUS ONSLAUGHT CONTINUES UNTIL ONE DAY YOU ARE SHOCKED TO DISCOVER THAT YOU ARE PREDIABETIC, OR WORSE, ALREADY HAVE DIABETES OR LIVER DISEASE.

The FDA and WHO have seen enough people fall into this trap that they are taking action to help fight this trend. Unfortunately, guidelines and recommendations can only do so much. We need to take our health into our own hands and make a daily effort to not only choose optimal health for ourselves but to encourage those around us to learn more about what they eat and to make the choice to live the Habits of the Health.

Like other leading killers, especially heart disease and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes may be an unfortunate consequence of dietary choices. There is hope, though, even if you already have diabetes. Indeed, even if you’ve been suffering with the disease for decades, you may be able to achieve a complete remission of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes.

Happy Sunday!!!! How about some tips as you Fall into a Healthier You! 🍁
One of the first Habits of Health we challenge clients to build is a daily walking habit. You can start at any level that makes sense for your current health reality, and then, over time, we gradually add more and more steps to your routine until you reach 10,000 steps a day.

Walking is a foundational Habit of Healthy Motion because it has a litany of rewards. It’s safe and accessible, doable for almost everyone even if they have not exercised in many years, and it burns calories while unlocking several benefits that are powerful but easy to underestimate.
Here are 6 reasons why walking is a wonder drug:
🍁. Lowers your risk for depression, a reward consistent across all forms of exercise
🍁. Reduces your need for certain medications, also a reward from all Habits of Healthy Motion but one you should talk to your healthcare provider about before making any changes
🍁. Reduces breast cancer risk by 30% and increases survival rates by 70%
🍁. Lowers blood pressure and prevents injury to your cardiovascular system by keeping blood vessels open and flexible
🍁. Increases survival rates from heart attacks by 80%
🍁. Can lower your risk of dementia by as much as 50%

Remember, walking is a part of the NEAT System and the EAT System, which means your steps should come from both your daily routine and your scheduled exercise. By finding excuses to walk more often–such as parking farther from the door or taking the stairs instead of the elevator–you can rack up hundreds of steps without it ever feeling like a workout.

And then, with just 15 to 30 minutes of scheduled exercise time, you can use a walking program to elevate your heart rate and build your fitness. Because you’re walking, you can safely control your rate of excursion and avoid the injuries that often plague well-meaning individuals who jump from the couch right into an intensely difficult workout program.
The opportunities for creating health don’t stop there, though. The accessibility of walking means that you can do it with a friend, building bonds and relationships, and you can also do it outside in nature, unlocking the wealth of physical and mental rewards that come from being out in the sun surrounded by trees.
So let’s lace up your favorite tennis shoes and start getting those steps!🏃‍♀️

If you do nothing, I can guarantee your results…

Today’s little truth-bomb is that beginning October 1st, most Americans begin a STEADY WEIGHT GAIN till January 1st.
The problem (according to studies) is that it takes another 5 months to get rid of that weight you just put on. If EVER!

CRAZY.

It’s easy to hit a common “hibernation” stage in our health & start gaining weight, largely due to the scattering of holidays through this upcoming season. Most of us feel like we don’t want to miss out on an event, or start a healthy diet knowing the festivities are coming. It’s a trap, honestly.
But what if you decided this was NOT going to happen to you? Because… you CAN decide that.

What if by January 1st YOU:
💪were healthier?
⚖️weighed less?
🗓️didn’t have to put “lose weight” as your New Year’s Resolution?
😊were happier because you decided to CONTEND for your health instead of just going with the flow? 🤜💥🤛

This WILL be my story! I’m wearing the same size pants I was wearing in 1990 when I graduated from high school and I am working on leveling up my health by January 1st!

I am working on these goals… my clients are too… and we always have room for more. 💪💪 💪

Message me to schedule a health assessment. Let’s see what we can tweak in your habits and set some GOALS together.
It’s time!!!! 👊💥

“I’m a mystery to myself, for I want to do what is right, but end up doing what my moral instincts condemn. And if my behavior is not in line with my desire, my conscience still confirms the excellence of the law. And now I realize that it is no longer my true self doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin in my humanity. For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but willpower is not enough to accomplish it. My lofty desires to do what is good are dashed when I do the things I want to avoid. So if my behavior contradicts my desires to do good, I must conclude that it’s not my true identity doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin hindering me from being who I really am. Through my experience of this principle, I discover that even when I want to do good, evil is ready to sabotage me. Truly, deep within my true identity, I love to do what pleases God. But I discern another power operating in my humanity, waging a war against the moral principles of my conscience and bringing me into captivity as a prisoner to the “law” of sin—this unwelcome intruder in my humanity. What an agonizing situation I am in! So who has the power to rescue this miserable man from the unwelcome intruder of sin and death? I give all my thanks to God, for his mighty power has finally provided a way out through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! So if left to myself, the flesh is aligned with the law of sin, but now my renewed mind is fixed on and submitted to God’s righteous principles.”

(Romans 7:15–25, TPT)

What we really have is an identity crisis

We see this concept when the Apostle Paul says, “I don’t understand why I do the things I do. Even though I desire to do what I know is right, I end up doing the very thing I am trying to avoid.” He goes on to admit that his behavior is not congruent with the image he holds himself to, the image of Christ.

I remember vividly the day my journey towards health began. It was not January 18, 2021, the day Wendy and I began doing Optavia or even the first time I asked our congregation to hold me accountable to my commitment to health in a sermon on October 18, 2018. It was actually a few days after thanksgiving when I saw a couple pictures of myself and realized that there was a disconnect between who I claimed to be and who I had become. My reality was not congruent with my image. At that point change inevitable, I could not continue to be someone that I was not. James Clear in his book Atomic Habits states:

Most people don’t even consider identity change when the set out to improve. They just think, ‘I want to be skinny (outcome) and if I stick to this diet, then I’ll be skinny (process).’ They set goals and determine the actions that they should take to achieve those goals without considering the beliefs that drive their actions. They never shift the way they look at themselves, and they don’t realize that their old identity can sabotage their new plans for change…”

“….The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person that wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.”

The struggle to claim our identity in Christ is equal parts physical, mental, and spiritual. The shift from doing to being although seemingly subtle is actually fundamental to real change. If you identify as a sinner, you are constantly trying to escape from that nature, if your identity is in Christ, righteous decisions simply affirm who you are. In the same way if you identify as unhealthy person doing healthy things, every healthy meal or trip to the gym is a chore that grates against who you believe yourself to be. Inversely if you identify as a healthy person, every positive health choice serves to reaffirm that identity.

To change your mind, heart and attitude requires your full attention, but the first step into admit you are stuck and ask for help. If you need a a plan and a coach, I’d love to chat!