.png)
By Brielle Franklin, Wellory Ambassador
As a Certified Holistic Health Coach, I’m incredibly well versed in the importance of a nutrient dense diet and can explain over 100 dietary theories in greater detail than most. I know that regular exercise improves both your physical and mental health and can cite countless scientific studies that explain how and why that’s the case. My family and friends know not to get me started on the gut-brain connection (I’m admittedly a bit obsessed with all things microbiome) and have turned even the biggest skeptics into firm believers of the magic of infrared saunas.
I graduated from college with degrees in psychology and nutrition and spent an additional year studying holistic health- under some of the world’s most renowned wellness experts- at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
So why on earth would someone “like me” – who has spent so much time and energy to become a health coach - have a standing Friday afternoon appointment with my own holistic health coach?
There are two very important answers to this question: one simple, the other deceptively complicated.
The simple one is accountability. Just because I know what a balanced meal looks like doesn’t mean I’m immune from the temptations of the dollar pizza around the corner from my office or the leftover cupcakes that always seem to appear in my kitchen. While I’m all for the occasional indulgence, I know that if left unchecked, I can quickly go off the rails.
The more complicated, but equally important, answer is perspective. Holistic health consists of far more than just the food on your plate. It takes into account every facet of your life: relationships, career, education, spirituality, social life, finances, the list goes on. When any one of those things is out of balance, it is hard to feel truly and completely well and it’s easy to lose perspective. When I’ve had a bad day at work or haven’t spent much quality time with friends, I subconsciously turn small problems into insurmountable and all-consuming obstacles. My health coach is incredible at identifying the true root of my distress and creating small, manageable goals that get me “back on track” far more quickly than I could on my own. I take tremendous comfort in knowing that my coach is only a call or text away – that sense of security, in and of itself, is priceless.
I am incredibly fortunate to help others for a living, but I’ve learned from experience that I’m not helping anyone if I don’t take care of myself. My health coach reminds me to “put my own oxygen mask on first” and despite being a health coach myself, that reminder will never lose its value.