As a health coach, what is the thing that you think I hear most often?

If you guessed “I am overwhelmed!” – You are correct!

My job is to help you be less overwhelmed. There is so much information out there – on google, social media, podcasts, emails, etc. It’s only natural that we have difficulty following through or effectively making decisions on what’s right for us! This is sometimes called analysis paralysis… Or my new favorite word, “infobesity”.

We often end up taking in SO MUCH information, that we don’t even know where to start when it comes to our health. And even when we DO take action, if it isn’t working immediately, we give up because we feel like it just isn’t working the way it should be. This has become so common, especially because most of us are online taking in new information every single day.

My main goal as a health coach for fellow midlife women is to help them get clear, feel confident in their decisions, and learn how to self-lead with ease. I really want you to be able to ask yourself the hard questions, and follow through with the things that are going to provide you with optimal health.

I understand that middle age is THE MOST stressful time of our lives.

No. It’s not just in your head. The drop in estrogen and progesterone at this time in your life often leads to you feeling even more anxious, and less resilient to dealing with stress. To add to that, we are often dealing with aging parents, empty nesting, grief, and marital stress. These things are all standing in the way of optimal health, and you have to learn to navigate your way through it.

Health is way more than the size of your pants, or the number on the scale. By focusing only on these things, you may be hurting your progress EVEN MORE! Your habits could be bringing on unnecessary stress, which will only harm your health, ESPECIALLY in midlife. Click here to read more about why your stress could be stopping you from losing weight.

If you would like to learn how to feel less overwhelmed, gain confidence in your decisions, and be able to self-lead your way to optimal health, here are a few steps you can start taking:

Get clear on what “health” means to you

There are multiple different dimensions to health, but most people don’t think about health holistically. We think about wanting to lose weight, or have more energy, or feel stronger in our body. We get fixated on these narrow goals, and wonder why we aren’t reaching them when we simply eat less, or exercise more!

The truth is, there are so many different aspects of health. You need to get clear on what you are wanting in EVERY area of health (mental, physical, spiritual, etc.). This will give you a better understanding of what you are REALLY wanting, and where you are at now in each different area of your health.

Take ownership of your health

Once you are clear on what health means to you, you must then take ownership of your own health. No more blaming other people or situations for where you are at today. Simply understand that health is a choice, and every decision you make is a decision for or against your health.

When you take ownership, you feel more confident making decisions that benefit your health. You no longer feel the need to say “I just didn’t have enough time” or “I couldn’t do it because I didn’t have the resources.” Instead, you will learn how to MAKE the time or get RESOURCEFUL when it comes to your health! You have the power to control your outcomes, and understanding that gets you one step closer to optimal health.

Keep your promises to yourself

Now, this can be HARD. It takes a lot of practice, and time looking inward. There are many potential reasons why you are not currently keeping your promises to yourself, and as a health coach, I help my clients discover these reasons so that they can address them properly.

Once you learn how to keep your promises to yourself, you will feel a STRONG sense of trust in yourself! You will trust in your abilities to get things done, and feel much more confident setting and reaching your true health goals.

BONUS: Meditate!

Morning meditations can bring a deep sense of calm to your mind, and reduce needless worry and habitual thought patterns. Starting your day with a clear and still mind will minimize creating excess worry and monkey-mind thoughts throughout the rest of your day.

A study in Consciousness and Cognition revealed that participants who meditated for 20 minutes for four days showed lowered stress levels as well as significant improvements in memory and cognition. Those who meditated also scored as much as 10 times better on a working memory task.

Challenging ourselves to new things is beneficial to our longevity and mental health. It creates new pathways in the brain, which strengthens your cognitive skills ie. memory, concentration, problem solving and attention to detail.

Resources

With all of that being said, I want to leave you with a few resources that will help you get started on your journey toward feeling less overwhelmed, and achieving optimal health in midlife!

On Sunday, April 16th I will be hosting a FREE workshop called “Get Clear!” This will be an in-depth workshop that will give you all of the education and tools you need to get clear on what health means to you, take ownership of your health, and learn to keep your promises to yourself. Click here to register for this completely free workshop.

On top of that, I will be hosting a 30-day meditation challenge starting May 1st! We are calling this “Mindful May.” With spring approaching, it’s so easy to feel overwhelmed. Meditation has been proven as an excellent tool to bring you back to the present moment, and make you more self-aware. Now is your chance to try out meditation, or get back into the habit of it! All meditations will last no more than 15 minutes. You get to set your goals. If you have never meditated before, setting this goal of 30 days might be more of a challenge. But challenging yourself is how you grow! Interested in joining us? Click here to register for the free May Meditation Challenge!

Looking for more 1:1 support with reaching your health goals? Consider 1:1 health coaching! I offer obligation-free consultation calls for anyone interested in learning more about if health coaching is right for them. Click here to book your free call.