Tag: Wellness

Obesity

I’m getting totally hormonal

Marilyn Clark

Really, it’s not what you think. Well, maybe it is. But the point here is that I’ve been studying Hormone Health through Institute for Integrative Nutrition and it’s been fascinating. It’s pretty amazing how the endocrine system works to keep everything in balance, but if one things gets out of balance, it has a big impact on the rest of the body.

So why hormones? Why now?

My focus as a nutrition and lifestyle coach has been helping women take control of their health optimizing nutrient balance and lifestyle changes. Every client is different, so the approach is different and tailored to specific goals. The common theme is hormones. Stress and sleep impact cortisol and adrenaline levels which can then impact the metabolism and cause weight gain. Thyroid hormone imbalances are common amongst my clients, and that impacts weight management as well. In today’s busy life, stress has become the norm, as have late nights, early mornings meals on-the-go, and work taking over as the number one priority.

How do I get started?

First, you need to take a good hard look at your nutrition and lifestyle. Are you choosing a lot of processed foods, quick meals on the run, or eating out a lot? Do you exercise? How’s your sleep? The quality of food, your activity levels, and your sleep habits all factor in to your hormone balancing act.

Are you feeling tired and worn out? Are you constantly fatigued? Are you having mood swings? Are you suffering from depression and anxiety? Are you putting on weight even though you’re on a restrictive diet? These may be signs of a hormone imbalance.

Over the next several months I will be rolling out some programs to help guide you with nutrition and lifestyle tips to restore balance to your body. Reach out if there’s something specific you have questions about.

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Are you ready to change?

Marilyn Clark

I was at a party over the weekend and was talking about my health coach business, and the question came up about whether I could help someone eat better. It was a trick question.

The truth is that someone needs to be willing and open to making changes, no matter how big or small. Thinking about some simple things like adding in more water and greens and crowding out fast food and processed food. Those simple suggestions were met with resistance.

That tells me the person doesn’t really want help, or is not willing to commit to the changes he needs to make. Yet.

How do you know you are ready? Every journey needs to start with a single step. Maybe “lifestyle transformation” is too overwhelming. With the help of a health coach, small changes can happen over time that will eventually add up to bigger transitions. Still, you have to be willing to let go of all preconceived notions and be willing to trust the process.

Not everyone is there. And that’s okay. I will continue to model the behaviors in my own journey and hope he comes around. My nature, I’m a fixer. But I am learning not everyone wants to be helped or is ready to do the hard work.

Are you ready? Contact me to learn more about my coaching approach.

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Reboot your thinking

Marilyn Clark

Sometimes you just need to give yourself a break.

Period.

We can be so hard on ourselves, and this time of year when the calendar gets full and work gets intense trying to meet deadlines while working around holiday schedules, it’s important for me to remember: self-care is not selfish.

Over the past few weeks, I have found myself overcommitted, full of anxiety, and with a to-do list a mile long. The most important thing I did was to recognize those feelings, own them, then come up with a plan to mitigate what felt like an impending implosion. Okay, truth time: I had a bit of a mini-meltdown.

I know I am not the only one who has experienced these emotions.

So what are some strategies for rebooting? Here’s a few I have been employing.

  • Sleep. I have worked on my sleep habit over the past few years. I aim for 7-8 hours which is a huge improvement over 4-5 that I thought was enough. After my mini-meltdown, I set an 8:30 bedtime for myself and even chose sleep over exercise to just get my energy back on track.
  • Protect your time. I have had to pass on some lunch and coffee invitations because as an introvert, they are a huge effort for me. I love my friends, but I needed to recharge before I can engage, at least for now.
  • Take some mental health time. I have so much banked vacation time, so I have been using it as a way to rest and refocus my energy, especially while building up my coaching business.
  • Eat well. Nutrition for your body contributes to the nourishment of your soul. What you eat affects how you feel.
  • Practice gratitude. Daily reminders of the good things in life help reframe your mental energy when in a rut.
  • Hug your dogs. (Well, that’s what I do.) If you don’t have a critter to hug, maybe it’s time to open your heart and adopt one!
  • Hydrate. Dehydration can add to your funk. With the weather getting cooler, herbal teas have worked their way into my hydration agenda.
  • Laugh. Read or listen to a funny book, or indulge in some Netflix time for a mental break.
  • Breathe. Practice focused breathing or meditation to help bring some mindfulness to the situation.

What are some of the ways you choose to reboot? Share them here or tweet with me @OffthePlateMC.

Namaste. 🙏

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Open for business!

Marilyn Clark

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It’s true! It’s go time!

I have now completed six months of my coach training program so I am ready to start small and start building up my practice.  For now, I will be available on Fridays for initial consults and coaching sessions, which can be conducted in person for you local folks, or by phone, Skype or FaceTime for anyone outside of the greater Sacramento area.

So what would it be like to work with me?

Initial Consultation

The initial consultation takes about 50 minutes to an hour and includes getting a health history where we’ll discuss your health goals, a bit of your history, and your current nutrition and fitness plan.  This is a great way to determine if we’re a good fit to work together and to identify a few areas of focus.  Health and wellness can be within your reach with some gradual changes.  Should you decide to work with me, we’ll create a customized program to focus on helping you refine and achieve your personal health goals.

What’s Included?

You’ll get 2 coaching sessions per month, either in person or by phone, FaceTime or Skype. We will customize an approach based on goals that we set together. Local clients can go on field trips to farmers’ markets and their regular grocery store to get some tips on healthy, balanced, and whole food eating. You’ll also get handouts, recipes, meal prep tips and newsletter articles tailored to your needs.  What I really offer is a holistic approach to creating a more balanced life, both on and off the plate.

Why do I need a health coach?

To be honest, not everyone does. Some people have worked to achieve the right balance of nutrition and lifestyle, physical activity and career, relationships and body/mind connectivity. I can tell you that I’ve been working at this a long time, yet I still have a core group of supporters that help me stay on track and focused on my goals. I even have my own accountability coach I have been working with through my training to help me hone my coaching skills and strategize my practice.

You need a health coach to help stimulate some ideas about how to get out of a rut, how to figure out where to start, and how to make the changes you already know you need to make — and make them sustainable over time. It’s not for everyone, but if you’re really ready to dig deep and mix things up, it might be for you.

Sound intriguing? Let’s talk!

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Welcome, and My “Why”

Marilyn Clark

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Welcome to Off the Plate, a health and wellness blog that will accompany my future practice as an integrative nutrition health coach. I recently started studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I am in the midst of my own personal journey to optimal health and wellness, and along the way, I realized that I can share my experience with others to help them achieve their goals.

In July 2016, I underwent gastric bypass surgery and my life was forever changed. I am now an obesity survivor — an obesity ass-kicker. This journey has been a long one, having been obese since I was in my teens (and literally on one diet or another since I was 11). When I decided to have bariatric surgery, I researched the lifestyle changes, I read books and blogs, and committed to making this change permanent.

Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, and a variety of endocrine and metabolic complexities prevented me from losing weight, no matter how much I exercised, and despite following nutritional guidance from my doctors. Although the surgery radically changed my digestion and absorption of nutrients, it didn’t change my brain. I had to make those changes myself:

  • Adopting a more positive outlook on life
  • Identifying stress triggers and learning how to manage them
  • Incorporating a daily gratitude practice
  • Changing my self talk with daily affirmations
  • Practicing meditation and yoga
  • Journaling
  • Establishing routine exercise goals
  • Building daily rituals to reinforce these lifestyle changes

In my quest to learn more about how food — a whole foods approach to nutrition — can impact weight loss and metabolism, I found this health coach training program and it was immediately apparent to me that I had found my purpose.

My goal is to inspire and support others on their health and wellness journeys to identify and achieve their goals, providing support for nutrition, but also providing support for the nourishment off the plate: nourishment for the body, mind, and spirit.

You’ve all heard the expression, “having too much on my plate.” How many times have you let the wrong priorities guide your life, depriving you of a healthy self-care practice? It’s time to get some things off the plate so you can start feeding the areas of your life that are the most satisfying. I can help you find your own approach to creating that balance in your life.

While I won’t officially be seeing clients for the first six months of this program, I am offering free guidance during this time to a limited group who in turn will help me refine my coaching skills, participate in health history sessions or provide feedback on pilot programs I would like to offer. If you are interested in this introductory coaching proposal, contact me at marilyn.clark@offtheplatehealthcoach.com.