What is “Health & Fitness Coaching”?

My business cards say, “Health & Fitness Coaching.” But, what exactly does that mean? What do I really do?

The services I provide are Individual Design Coaching programs, One-on-One Training, and At-Home Training. That just tells you what’s on the menu, though, it doesn’t really tell you what I DO. In order to understand that, I’m going to need to break down some concepts for you.

Smart, Fit, and Clean = An Ideal

First of all, the name Smart, Fit, and Clean represents an ideal state. The vision is for you as a human being to be smart (mentally acute, intelligent, rational) as well as being fit (physically healthy, capable, resilient) and clean (spiritually at ease, grounded, fulfilled). This is my triadic fitness concept that encompasses mind, body, and spirit.

The goal is for you to value and develop all of these areas. Specifically, this work is done through the practices of Lifestyle Coaching, Nutrition Coaching, and Exercise Coaching.

Lifestyle Coaching = the BLGs

Lifestyle is the foundation of our health and fitness. Lifestyle Coaching is a process of guidance to help you establish and sustain healthy behaviors that lead to greater mental clarity, improved physiological function, and a heightened sense of well-being.

The essence of a healthy lifestyle is represented by the Basic Lifestyle Guidelines:

• Balance
• Purpose
• Hydration
• Sleep
• Energy
• Rhythm
• Recovery
• Digestion

So, Lifestyle Coaching is a process of inquiring into these elements of your lifestyle and developing strategies to improve upon each of them.

Nutrition Coaching = Personalized Nutrition

Nutrition is the house that you build on top of your healthy lifestyle foundation. This is literally what you are made of, as your body utilizes the nutrients from your food to grow and repair the tissues in your body. This is also what you run on, as your body uses the nutrients from your food to fuel all your activities.

In Nutrition Coaching, I utilize an approach known as Personalized Nutrition. This process centers you as a person, rather than an idealized ‘diet’ as the beacon of perfection. A personalized nutrition approach takes into account your current state of eating, the physical state of your body and performance, as well as your overall goals.

Personalized Nutrition develops skills and habits relating to:

• Protein
• Hydration
• Meal Timing & Frequency
• Food Hygiene
• Food Intolerances
• Carbohydrates
• Fats
• Stressors
• Supplements
• Fasting
• Pre/Post Workout Nutrition
• Competition Fueling

Exercise Coaching = Workout Programs

This is the fun stuff, but it goes at the top of the house (as the roof) because–while it is critical to keeping the house together and functioning as a shelter–it is the last thing you build, not the first.

As with lifestyle and nutrition prescriptions, I base exercise programs on assessment. Assessment is truth. These simple tests tell us what you are capable of and where you need to go. Considering your goals, history, and the current state of ability shown through assessments, I am able to design a tailored fitness program to get you where you need to go.

My workout programs focus on developing three qualities:

• Movement Ability
• Work Capacity
• Strength

What is “Health & Fitness Coaching?”

Health & Fitness Coaching, as I practice it, means putting the basic lifestyle guidelines together with a personalized nutrition plan and a tailored exercise program. The goal of all of these being to help you be smarter, fitter, and cleaner on the inside as well as the outside.

Lifestyle Coaching + Nutrition Coaching + Exercise Coaching = Smart, Fit, and Clean