Ideal Life Health Coaching

There is power in the breath.

We cannot tell our heart rate to slow down, command our blood pressure to lower, or shut down the many hormone releases that occur when we are under stress. These physical responses keep us ready to fight, freeze, or fly.

Of the many systems in our bodies, the breath is the one we can consciously control.

Magically, when we take a few deep breaths... those other systems follow suit. We become calm emotionally and physically.

If this seems difficult at times, that's because it is.

I can help with that.

Please private message me or visit my website: ideallifehealthcoaching.com.

I get it, I've been there. It's okay if others don't understand your journey, it isn't for them.

Coach or Therapist?

People often ask me how coaching is different from counseling or therapy... and it's a great question!

Here is a little something for those of you who are still curious. 🎁

https://www.ideallifehealthcoaching.com/single-post/2017/08/31/coach-or-therapist

Coach or Therapist? I am often asked, “What is the difference between a Coach and a Therapist?”

The way we think about the events of our lives can have a profound effect on our personal experiences of them.

How does this quote help you journey along your unique obstacle course?

What's Wrong With Being Right?! | Ideal Life Health Coaching | Relationships | Stress and Anxiety

Have you ever wondered how what was supposed to be something so simple just turned into a big argument that resulted in everyone being angry... again?!

What's Wrong With Being Right?! | Ideal Life Health Coaching | Relationships | Stress and Anxiety Over the weekend, I found myself humming the famous tune from the 1950’s movie “Annie Get Your Gun.” The light little ditty was stuck in my head and...

Marriage Is a Game | Ideal Life Health Coaching | Relationships | Stress and Anxiety

As a Certified Life Coach and Relationship Educator, I love helping families be as whole, happy, and healthy as possible. Check out my latest blog about relationships. I would love to open a positive conversation about this topic here.

Marriage Is a Game | Ideal Life Health Coaching | Relationships | Stress and Anxiety As I meandered through the brightly colored flea market on a tiny tropical island in Mexico, my heart sank when I saw this image on t-shirts available for both

Can you remember the moment you stopped believing in yourself?

Many of us can't pinpoint it because it happened very slowly, over time.

If you are having a hard time believing good things about yourself, I encourage you to try on the idea that good things just MIGHT be possible for you.

Slowly, as we begin to get get curious about what could be possible, this curiosity leads to believing again.

Believing opens up a world of new possibilities, so our lives can become joyful and energized!

We can spend so much time and effort seeing what others are doing, wearing, saying, or creating as a means of determining what will help us fit in or be accepted. What if instead, we were able to find our true selves and feel totally comfortable just being that?!

If you feel like you have lost sight of who you are or your life purpose, message me for a free Discovery Session. You are not alone and there is hope!

Eat for Energy!

Sometimes we eat because we are hungry. Other times we eat because of other reasons. Today I will share a little bit about eating when we are hungry.

If we wait until we are starving, we tend to grab whatever is handy and eat it quickly. We can honor our hunger by prepping meals when we are mildly hungry vs. starving. We can also honor our fullness by only eating until we are 70% full, rather than until all the food on our plate is gone.

The stomach-to-brain signals can take as many as 20 minutes to fully arrive and be accepted. By completing our meal at a fullness of 70%, we avoid the physical feelings of too-full tightness that come with overeating. Also, we can skip the thoughts failure and emotions of guilt and that accompany those physical feelings.

This type of eating energizes us, leaving room in the belly. If you feel the compulsion to eat past 70% full, take a moment to let yourself know that you will eat again later, that this meal or snack is complete. Then engage in a non-food oriented activity.

Sometimes, we want to fit in and feel like we belong so badly that we can become unrecognizable and without direction.

And... what could happen if we lived in such a way that we feel joy just because we are doing the things we love, without thinking about if someone else will approve, or not?

I wonder...

After 3 days of little-to-no A/C, in temperatures over 100 degrees, I realized that the uncharacteristic stress and lack of patience between my husband and I was not really about us, but due to our environment.

Uncomfortable body temperatures can cause irritability, fatigue, crankiness, and aggression.

This made me wonder what else might be in my environment that is having a bearing on my own clarity of mind and mood regulation.

What in your environment may be setting you off?

New photo by Rebekah Lawes

What is your favorite summertime treat?

New photo by Rebekah Lawes

I ran into Costco yesterday for a box of my favorite crackers. When I went to check out, the checker absentmindedly asked me if I found everything I needed, turned and saw my box of crackers, and immediately sent me back into the store for more items. I laughed, but she wasn't kidding. The customers around me even commented that they couldn't believe I would battle parking and waiting in the long lines just for "THAT."

This brought up a lot of questions within me, but the main question is, "Why?" When I have what I came for, and my need it met, why get more just for the sake of having more?

Is it any wonder that so many people suffer from feeling like they aren't enough? Not good enough, smart enough, nice enough, pretty enough, or lovable enough.
Well, I've had enough!

I have a new, low-cost group coaching program starting August 1. 12 spots available. Message me for details. The first 6 people will get a free 1 on 1 session with me.

I'm done messing around with this, "not enough" crap. And, everyone should have access to great coaching!

Sometimes, we make mistakes.

It's just going to happen. When we don't allow room for them, we can become stressed, anxious, or begin to beat ourselves up with our own thoughts. ("I should have known better. What was I thinking? How could I have been so stupid?")

We often feel that our mistakes mean something about us. ("I'm a failure. I never learn. I'll never get it right.")

But what if they didn't?

Next time you notice yourself in this line of thought, ask yourself, "What ELSE could be true?"

So, help me out... If I thought I was an idiot for not seeing the 2 hour parking limit sign, what else could be true for me?

As a health and relationship coach, with a degree in Marriage and Family Science, I work with couples in every stage of their relationship. This could be couples who are dating or engaged, newly-weds, couples transitioning through having their first child enter their family or their last child leave for college. Part of my process is an online, science-based assessment that identifies the couple’s strengths and growth opportunities. Based on the assessment report I receive, I create customized programs for the couple that shift their habits from trying to change each other to using each other’s strengths to further the relationship through guided exercises and experiential activities. The Couple's Check-in Assessment and a 90-minute feedback session is $297. Know anyone you would like to gift this to?

As we continue talking about our relationships with food, it is important to note that what we eat and how much we eat are only part of overcoming emotional eating. Those things are affected to a large degree by why you are eating. Here are a few questions to ask yourself, when you find that you are always eating or eating too much, too fast.

Why do I eat? Are there situations or emotions that trigger me to want to eat when I am not hungry?

When do I feel like eating? Can I tell if I am hungry?

What do I eat? Do I restrict myself from certain foods, then later give in and overeat them?

How do I eat? Am I distracted when I eat, eat fast, or really taste my food?

How much do I eat? How do I feel physically when I am finished eating- am I pleasantly full or do I need to undo a button?

Where do I invest the fuel I eat? Am I physically active or is much of my time spent sitting
in front of the computer or television?

The first step in changing our relationship to food is awareness. Take some time to notice, without judgment, the answers to the above questions. If you would like help with small changes that can make a big difference in why, when, what, how, and how much you eat and where your energy goes… message me for a coaching session. Are you ready for something new?

Cravings and emotional eating go hand in hand. What causes Cravings?

Please check this list for what you see causes your cravings and leave it in the comments below. I will respond with a personalized tip for you via messenger, as a gift to you!

Hunger
Stress
Associations
Memories
Deprivation

How do you Handle Cravings?

Pause: Notice what’s going on when you are craving a particular food.

Body: Notice your physical hunger, thirst, fatigue, discomfort, or pain.

Mind: Notice your thoughts. What are you thinking about, other than the food.

Heart: Notice your emotions. What are you feeling at the moment?

For complimentary, personalized tips on what to do next, message me with what causes your cravings, and what you notice when you have them.

Many people struggle with emotional eating. What they may not be aware of is that emotional eating is the result of unrecognized beliefs, thoughts, and feelings that drive these impulses. Mindful eating helps to develop awareness about why they do what they do in the first place so they can address it at a root cause level.

What is Mindful Eating?

• Eating with the intention of caring for yourself.
• Eating with the attention necessary for noticing food and its effects on your body.

As a health coach, I provide structure for learning how to apply mindfulness to all aspects of eating, beginning with why you eat in the first place, all the way through understanding where you invest the energy you consume.

While mindful eating is valuable for anyone who wants to change the way they eat, it is especially powerful for those who are ready to address emotional eating.

Message me today to begin the process of finally conquering emotional eating, once and for all. (All at a special New Year’s pricing!)

Would you like to have help letting go of the "Busy" in your life? Visit my website: ideallifehealthcoaching.com to sign up for a free consultation . Let's unlock what's keeping you from having your Ideal Life!

Have you ever been feeling so great about yourself that it felt like you were floating on a cloud and nothing could bring you down? But then someone else came along and ruined it all with one careless comment or their negative attitude? In that moment, did you have the brief thought, "How dare they?"

With all the love I have and complete humility, I ask, "How dare you?" Try this on for size:

Often, once we make a decision to embrace the change we want to make in our lives, we suddenly become judgmental and impatient with ourselves because the change we desire is not instantaneous. I invite you to honor the process of change; become curious about it.

Does it ever seem like nothing ever goes your way with work, plans, or friends? Try this little trick... at night, before bed, take a moment to choose what you want to attract the next day. As you do so, think about what that would look like, and try to embody those things yourself. Be curious and watch what opens up for you.

In the past, I would pretty much do whatever the people around me were doing... if the menu was junk food, I'd eat it. If my workout partner cancelled, I'd skip my workout too. If my friends were in a rut of complaining, it wasn't hard for me to find something to complain about. I found this little gem, and it changed my life. Any thoughts on how it can change yours??

Acknowledging our small advances is so important! I believe it is what keeps us going. What can you embrace as a"win"... No matter how small it may seem?