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Healthy Snacks for Runners (and Other Active People)
Snacking gets a bad rap sometimes. We associate it with sitting on the couch being lazy, or with being weak and giving in to cravings. But it’s not like that!
Snacking is a power habit– when you do it with intention.
Hear me out. Humans need nourishment. Active humans need more nourishment than sedentary ones. If you’re active, you need not only energy (calories), but also micronutrients to repair your tissues and sustain the increased metabolism of your body.
You get these through food, and that needn’t be limited to three meals a day. For lots of active folks, it’s actually hard to get what you need that way. Why limit yourself?
Why Am I Quitting. . . And How Can I Stop?
So you set yourself a goal, and you didn’t stick with it.
That schedule of going to the gym tapered off. Your six A.M. runs lasted a week or two and then stopped. Your meal prep moved over to make room for takeout.
Instead of labeling yourself a quitter (why so judgy?), what would happen if you went back to that goal with curious eyes and investigated what happened? If you let it be the first step in a process, rather than a definitive ending?
What Does It Mean to “Listen To Your Body”?
Coaches (myself included) say “listen to your body” a lot. Feeling tired? Debating whether your weird sore spot is OK or not? Trying to figure out the right intensity level? Listen to your body! Cool. . .but what if you don’t know how?
Listening to your body is, basically, paying attention to how the things you do make you feel. Sounds easy– it’s not. But it is important.
Break Your Bad Running Habits
Establish good habits around your running, and you’ll stay healthy, make progress, and feel great. Sounds good, right?
. . . but nobody’s perfect.
We’ve all got a few bad habits that probably aren’t serving us (yes, even your friendly neighborhood coach). You can pile on healthy habits, but if you don’t let go of the bad ones, you’re making it harder on yourself. Figuring out what’s holding you back is the first step to getting better!
In my coaching practice (and, ahem, my own running), I’ve run across a lot of bad habits. Here are some of the most common bad running habits– and what to do about them.
Healthy Running Habits: Feel Awesome, Run Forever
Running is good for you, right? Healthy people run. Just look at those tanned, lean people loping along, gazelle-like, without a care in the world. So running will make me healthy, just like them. Right?
Maybe, if you approach it the right way! But let’s clear up some misconceptions. . .
7 Easy Ways to Eat More Veggies
There's so much noise in the nutrition world. Trying to figure out the best way to eat is confusing! Many of my clients come to me wanting to eat well and ready to commit to what will make them feel best, but they have no idea where to start. Should they cut carbs? Count macros? Try intermittent fasting? Eat paleo? Eat vegan? There are people (usually salespeople!) who will swear up and down that one of these is the one and true way forward. I beg to differ.
How to stop getting injured all the time: A primer for runners
The sun is out. The bright mornings and long evenings have you psyched for some nice, long runs. You found a cool race to sign up for. You dove into your training with both feet. It was awesome. And then. . . you got hurt.
3 tips for moms to go from exhausted to energized
In my coaching practice, I work with a lot of caregivers. This includes people in helping professions, like nurses, counselors, teachers, and public servants. It also includes folks who care for others at home, whether it's their kids, their parents, or other relatives who need support. And some people fill all of these roles. Many of these people are mothers. The most common thing I hear from these folks is that they are exhausted. They miss their energy.
Does this sound familiar? You love and value your role as a caregiver. You want to enjoy the time you have together and be fully present. You want to meet their needs. And somewhere along the way, you want to reconnect with your body, your adventurous dreams, and your independent self.
What shifts can moms and other caregivers make to go from exhausted to energized?
How to stay energized for a 12-hour shift
Lots of nurses and other healthcare folks work a tough 12-hour schedule. Even if you like the freedom of fewer days on, the demands of 12-hour shifts are a lot to take on consistently. These long, stressful shifts are draining even on good days. After the second or third day (or night, yikes), you likely feel a little bit like a zombie. Are you making your best decisions then? Being your best self? You don't have to answer that, but when you have a quiet moment, think about it, and be honest.
How an integrative health coach can help you
As a nurse practitioner and integrative health coach, I help people who want to feel better. To do this, I work alongside you to identify meaningful health goals and create and implement realistic and achievable plans to move towards them. If you are struggling with not feeling as good as you'd like to, managing symptoms, facing a new medical diagnosis, frustrated with your interactions with the medical system, feel like you're tried everything and nothing helps, or you're just trying to get started with some healthy routines, integrative health coaching may be just the thing! And by choosing a coach with advanced healthcare training, you ensure that you are getting safe, smart, evidence-based guidance.