Hi friends! Want to hear something wild? I'm already halfway through my health coaching certification course at IIN! Time flies when you're learning about topics that you're super interested in and really passionate about, huh?! If you aren't familiar with IIN, here are previous posts I've done about the school and its teachings: IIN Chat: What's a Health Coach? IIN American Health Facts IIN: Month 1 Recap Taking the Plunge: Why I Went Back to School Pretty soon I'll be looking for clients to work with as a health coach, and I am really looking forward to it! An aspect of being an IIN student that I've really enjoyed is connecting with likeminded people who share my passion for healthy living. I met some great people when I was living in Northern Cali, and now that I'm ... [Read More]
diet
IIN Chat: American Health Facts
"America doesn't have a healthcare system. We have a disease management system." - Andrew Weil, IIN lecturer As some of you already know, in January I started school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to become a certified health coach. The school offers an awesome flexible yearlong program, and I'm in the thick of it and loving it. Every week I feel engaged in the lessons, and it's great how I can listen to the lectures anywhere on my iPad. As I recently mentioned, lately I've gone to the beach a few times to do school work, which provides just about the perfect setting for relaxing while learning! In February I did a recap of my first month of school, and I was planning on doing a post on my favorite ideas and concepts for each month I'm in school... but somehow a few ... [Read More]
Developing a Healthier Relationship with Food
Recently I had the chance to be interviewed by Adam & Devon Bate for a podcast on The Lifestyle Accountability Show. The premise behind their podcast series is to share the stories of people who lead healthy lifestyles to help motivate and inspire others. As a public relations pro and freelance writer, I am always the one doing the interviewing, so it definitely felt weird being the interviewee. But it was fun to share some of my story and put myself out there in a new way. You can check out the podcast here! Ever go on a job interview or date or something and think later about what you could have said better? Well I am the queen of doing this! I feel like during the podcast, a few of their questions put me on the spot, and later I looked back and thought of answers that ... [Read More]
Meatout: Eat Vegan For a Day
Hi friends! I first heard about Meatout last night via Twitter when I was in a state of exhaustion, so I'm way late on posting info about this... but better late than never to help spread the word right? So just what is Meatout? Meatout is a day of international observance with a purpose of exposing the public to the joys and benefits of a plant-based diet, while promoting the availability and selection alternatives to meat and dairy in mainstream grocery stores, restaurants and catering operations. Meatout has been observed every year since 1985 and has become the world's largest annual grassroots diet education campaign. Meatout is a movement led by Farm Animals Rights Movement (FARM), with a goal of getting 25,000 people to participate in the pledge. Partipants pledge to ... [Read More]
Gluten Free for February
Hello and Happy February! Speaking of a new month, my dog obsessed self can't decide which of my calendars is more awesome: the yoga for dogs one in my kitchen, or the underwater dogs calendar in my office.... With the start of February came a dietary change for me: Starting February 1st, I've gone gluten free for a month. So why am I, a lover of pasta and bread and all things whole wheat, making a commitment to not consume gluten for an entire month? Let me explain. WARNING: This post is a total over-share, but I'm going for it! About 5 years ago, I developed psoriasis, a chronic skin disease that causes skin cells to grow too quickly. It makes you really itchy and results in these icky red patches of skin. The causes of it are kind of fuzzy and general -- including high ... [Read More]
Participating in a DietBet
A few weeks ago, I heard about FitFluential's January DietBet. I had never heard of DietBet before and was intrigued. Here's how it works: DietBet is a social diet game that involves $$. You cough up some mula to join or start a challenge - in this case it was $25. Everyone puts in the specified amount of money, essentially betting that they can lose 4% of their body weight in 4 weeks. At the end of that time, whoever lost the 4% splits the pot evenly. Here's how the weigh-ins work: You have to take a full-length picture of yourself in ''airport attire" standing on a scale, then immediately take a photo of your weight on the scale at the beginning of the bet. DietBet is pretty smart about reducing cheating, and they email a secret word to you right before your weigh-in, which you need ... [Read More]
