¶ Lifestyle Disease Prevention
Welcome my Spoonie sisters to another episode . I'm so thrilled this is our special special guest . Hi , jessica , you are a certified health coach focusing on lifestyle disease prevention . Can you tell us a little bit about you and how you got into this Sure ?
can , and thank you so much for having me , jen . I just am excited to be here with you . I know it's been a while since we connected , so this is really exciting for me .
So , as you said , I am a lifestyle disease prevention coach , and so basically , what I'm doing now is supporting women who suffer from chronic lifestyle diseases those that can be addressed with lifestyle . Now , that , of course , includes even other types of diseases , because a lifestyle can certainly improve the quality of life , even if it can't cure a disease .
So I've been doing this almost 20 years , and I started off as a corporate trained , certified health coach , but then , about seven years ago going on seven years my sister , who was only 40 , passed away from a massive heart attack , and it was contributed to by her high blood pressure , and that is actually what her autopsy said , and we were just blown away
because she was on a health journey . She had actually lost about 90 pounds and still had some weight to lose , but she was doing really good .
She was , though , on medication for her blood pressure , so , even though she was considered to be managing it , this is what contributed to her massive heart attack , and so I have this passion now , especially since then to work specifically with women in midlife , because heart disease is still the leading cause of death among women , and so I support women not just
with their lifestyle and I know we're going to talk about what some of that involves but really just with hope that in many cases there are ways to at least improve quality of life , address some of those significant markers so that they can live a more healthy lifestyle .
Wow , that's an inspiring story , and such a critical one , I think as well . Critical one , I think as well . So , as a health coach , what strategies do you employ to help your clients make these ?
sustainable changes in their lives . It starts with making sure that it is sustainable , and so that means an individualized approach . As we've gotten a little more mature I won't say older , but I mean I'm in my fifties now and I was a victim of diet culture very early on .
But , because of the predispositions that I have for heart disease , high blood pressure , high cholesterol , all of those things , including diabetes , run very , very heavily on both sides of my family . So , with that in mind , I knew that I was going to need to do something for myself that was going to make things more sustainable .
So it started with again ditching diet culture , and so that's how I work with my clients . We're not going on a diet . We're most certainly going to talk about nutrition and the importance of moving your body every day if you can .
But that specific set of strategies that I use is also going to be based on them , their timeframe , where they might be in the menopausal journey , where they might be in relation to other illnesses or diseases like an autoimmune condition , because some things need to be approached a little differently , a little differently , but the strategy is to get you to your
healthiest self in a sustainable way , and we kind of go along this journey together . On what that ?
may look like , and you're touching on something that I want to point out to people . I hate that word diet . It gets so many people , especially women . It gets us stuck in this mindset of not feeling good enough and not working hard enough . And diet is not a cure . It needs to be a sustainable life change .
Yes , exactly Exactly . And since I have walked that talk , jen , of being a I call it a career dieter . I started dieting when I was a teenager because I was overweight then .
So you know I had gone back and forth all those years until I became a health coach 20 years ago and finally realized that all of these other things around your lifestyle needed to be supported , because even if you stuck to a quote , unquote diet 100% , 85 to 90% will still gain that weight back and never actually live a healthy lifestyle .
So , yes , I'm all about ditching diets and that diet mentality .
So do you mind explaining to people what it looks like to make a lifestyle change ? What kind of things do you look at ?
I'm looking at things like how you sleep . I'm looking at how you manage stress . Those are probably two of the biggest that women are overlooking when they're trying to either lose weight or address a disease .
And again , they could be following the letter of the law , but then if you're only getting five hours of sleep , they could be following the letter of the law , but then if you're only getting five hours of sleep , then you just will not have success .
There's all these different hormones that are involved in the sleep cycle , and so those affect hunger , very simply put . So that needs to be in check . And then , of course , if we're constantly in this heightened state of anxiety as women , sometimes our bodies are feeling that even when we feel like we're in control , so we've got to recognize that .
So those are two that I think are overlooked , and I think we'll talk more about it . But even self-care , because that can reduce stress . And then again the importance of finding a way to eat and to move your body that works Now , and I say that in the sense that I mean for me .
I love still cookies and candy , but I know that a steady diet of that doesn't work . So you know , we also have to address some mindset things , because we're not going to tell anybody what they can't have . You know , I just refuse to live that way .
It's about empowering women to take ownership of what they're putting in their bodies and how they're moving their bodies . But it's basically looking at your daily habits , from the time you wake up to the time you go to bed , that factor into whether or not you will be able to achieve a healthy lifestyle .
Absolutely , and probably the why as well .
Yes , yes , the mindset . That is typically where we start as the foundation . As a matter of fact , I have a membership and one of the first things that we address inside that membership community is the mind body connection .
What's interesting is that and I can relate to this , so I'm not being judgmental , because this is exactly how I used to feel that everyone kind of wants to skip ahead and they're like well , is there a meal plan here ?
But it's like if we can't start addressing that mind-body connection how you're viewing food , how you're viewing your own body , wherever you are in your journey if we can't address that , then it's a little hard to even move forward with some of the other lifestyle things . And so , inside of that , much to your point , we have to start talking about the why .
And if it's really a why or if it's just what sounds good , you know to be a why .
Well , and I think in our culture , you know , in your age group , my age group , I think we were kind of raised with the mindset that that there's always that easy fix , that that one magical pill or one magical thing that you have to do that's going to cure everything .
And I find that now all of us are getting into our forts and our 50s and we're looking around going . So that's not true Now what Now ?
what do I do ? I agree , I agree . And then I feel like if you're just searching on the internet or you're just on social media without knowing , having some knowledge , that lifestyle plays a role , it can be really overwhelming .
Because I do see a growing number of women in their 40s and 50s , even 60s , that talk about midlife women , and I mean they are themselves midlife women and they are grinding , and I admire that , you know . But I mean I've got to be realistic . I'm I probably won't have a six pack abs , but I'm not trying to do that .
I want to be healthy , Not to say that they're not . But when a woman looks at that , then again she feels very overwhelmed , Like well , I could never . How am I going to do that ? How am I going to live that way ? And then I think that becomes discouraging because it's like so there isn't just a magic pill , I'll never get it , I'll never accomplish it .
And that's how so many women start to feel .
Yeah , and you know , sometimes just because you look healthy on the outside doesn't mean what's going on on the inside matches that .
That's my thing with a lot of fitness gurus and they're sometimes aren't really sharing , sharing those important pieces of the puzzle , especially on the internet and social media .
Yeah , absolutely so . Okay , many people living with chronic illness . They face a unique challenge when it comes to adopting the healthy lifestyle habits . How do you tailor your coaching approach to address these challenges and support the individuals with each of their chronic conditions , whatever they may be ?
So that's a great question , which is why , you know , as coaches , our role is to really listen , listen , listen , listen versus talk , talk , talk and then give some guidance .
You know , and even with that guidance , you know , looking at even the difference between a coach and a teacher teachers just telling you what to do when a coach is kind of standing side by side with you which is what I love about coaching is to start to see what are their limitations .
You know , because the reality is is there are some limitations even with a healthy mindset . It's not just mind over matter , not if you're just aching , not if you cannot get out of bed . So we've got to start where you are , and that's my thing .
And so even someone , let's say , with an autoimmune disease that affects joints I've worked with clients that suffer , say , from lupus , fibromyalgia can't necessarily tell them the same thing that I would tell someone else whose biggest concern is I just need to lose weight and lower my cholesterol . The same fitness level doesn't necessarily apply .
So we start small and we take that into consideration , and since it's not a race , then it's about pacing . I think what makes one of the biggest differences is the accountability , because now you've got someone to hold you accountable .
So even if we're just starting off with , say , two times a week of just some chair exercises , that's what we do and the accountability is what starts to create the consistency . And as you get stronger and start feeling better , as you're also incorporating better nutrition and all of these other things your sleep , your managing stress then it success .
Some wins early . So we got to at least get started . But the pace of that a lot , a lot of times is up to them .
Absolutely , and I'm going to keep deviating a little bit from the questions that I gave you , but okay . So my next one is how does it look when someone comes to you and says okay , I need your help and I want to sign up ? Do you have a questionnaire ? Do you have a video console ? How does it work ? I have a questionnaire .
It is a . I call it a breakthrough . Well , first of all , I offer a free call . What I have ahead of that call is a questionnaire , and we call it the breakthrough call questionnaire . It helps me to see , and it helps them to see , if we're even a fit to get on the call .
And one of those questions on there is what has been your experience with dieting , in addition to what you know ? What are your goals ? What are you looking to achieve ? But what has been your experience when you've done things before ? Where do you find that you hit a wall ?
And so , with that in mind , it mind it helps them to see if they want to go further .
And you know , I've got a really good business coach and one of the things that he encouraged me to do it was a little uncomfortable at first because I hadn't done it this way was to just ask on that questionnaire are you prepared to make some type of investment into your health ?
And so that has been really helpful and beneficial for both of us , for me and for the prospective client , because what I enjoy the most working with is the woman who has tried everything else but also sees the wisdom in looking at things differently and addressing lifestyle , not just diets and medication . We try to go as holistic as we can .
Of course we need medicines and I'm a proponent of that , but the woman who wants to try something different ?
So that is how I pretty much even pre-screen my clients and if they move past that questionnaire then they get a free 45-minute session with me where we start talking strategy and look at ways on how I could benefit them further if they choose to work with me .
¶ Importance of Nutrition for Lifestyle Change
That sounds wonderful because , honestly , it is an investment and they need to look at it that way . And not only that , but they don't want to waste their own time and they don't want to waste your time as well . And if they're not ready to jump in full ahead , it's not worth moving forward , right .
I agree . So it's not just about even the money . It's exactly what you said .
If you're not ready for this , a lifestyle change , it doesn't benefit either of us for me to have to convince you the entire time that we're working together If you join my community , to have to convince you that you don't just have to have me hand you pages of a diet to be able to do this . You've got to be open to making some lifestyle changes .
Absolutely , and we need to just continue to get out of that mindset of the easy fix that doesn't work anymore . We need to realize , continue to get out of that mindset of the easy fix that doesn't work anymore . We need to realize that's not part of our lives . Move on , try something new .
So how important is nutrition in preventing and managing these chronic diseases , and what are some of the key dietary principles you advocate for in your coaching practice ?
Nutrition is very important , especially when it's discovered that certain foods maybe certain processed foods , certain sugars they're just not good for you and those are things that create inflammation .
So , especially if you're living with some type of autoimmune disease or some type of inflammation , which so many women have just chronic inflammation even though they have not been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder as of yet those things are not good for that . So there are still obviously some fundamentals Now inside of that .
As I mentioned earlier , I never want to just say , well , you can't have this , you can't have that . But when you start eating better and feeling better and by eating better I mean eating more plants just eat more plants , start there , you know , start adding plants and then we can start replacing .
We don't do that pulling things out right away , because I want it to be sustainable for them , but eating more to be sustainable for them , but eating more greens , more plants , more whole foods , making that a goal . And many women that have dieted before haven't actually done that .
They've just followed a program that may have reduced something for a short time , but then , once they got to their goal weight or close , then they went right back to the old way of doing things . So , again , it's about implementing things in a way that will be sustainable to them .
But those are my biggest principles and , interestingly enough , I know each coach is different and may have different ways that they implement what good nutrition looks like . Implement what good nutrition looks like . But lately what I've been encouraging my ladies to do is to think about how much they already know about what nutrition is .
Do you already know that vegetables are going to be better than sugary snacks ? Yes , do you already know the importance of green vegetables , even if you say I don't like green vegetables ? Yes . So a lot of this isn't brand new information .
Leading a healthy lifestyle and adopting good nutrition what I find is the eating more of the anti-inflammatory way , slash , even Mediterranean . Some of those principles are the ones I employ because , again , I don't give my clients a diet , but those are the principles . And , of course , lots of water .
You know hydration through water and foods is important and just start making , you know , better choices exactly better choices and realizing , too , how you , how you feel after you've started making better choices than when you introduce something that isn't so great . And women right away are like you know . I did over the weekend , went to a wedding .
I had the cake , it was great . I didn't feel that good , you know , the next morning . And then they're starting to see how food is really fuel for their bodies .
Okay . So I have another really important question how do you help someone that comes at you and says , oh well , I don't , I don't do vegetables , because you know , at the end of the day , there are people out there that think they absolutely hate vegetables . But there's gotta be something out there . Do you encourage them to ?
To try and focus on the ones that they enjoy and move from there ?
That's exactly what I do . But now I'm the vegetables . That's a non-negotiable for me . I keep saying it's what they want , what they want . But you have to have plants , you have to have vegetables , and so it is a matter of starting with what they like . I had a client years ago . All she liked was green beans .
So I'm like okay , if you want to eat green beans multiple servings a day , go for it , just go for it . I'm happy to help once they start telling me what some of those vegetables are that they do like . So , even if it's just three , then think outside the box on ways to prepare it .
I know in some cases we could get hung up on if something is canned versus frozen and then if it's frozen versus fresh produce . At this stage , in the beginning , I'm not so concerned with that . What I'm concerned with is getting something in and then we can kind of work our way to maybe more raw vegetables .
But usually there's something that they like and so we start with that and then gradually the palate starts to change .
When you start cutting back on sugar and I don't mean necessarily even doing a sugar detox when you start cutting back on sugar and eating more healthy , your body starts to crave more and then they start to see that , okay , I can start branching off into some broccoli or maybe even cauliflower or squash , and so a lot of the recipes and I'm not a cook , jen ,
I'm not a cook . So I tell people don't look to me to be your chef , I'm just not good at that . But , however , I do like to post recipes with different vegetables , how we make them enjoyable for our family .
I love that and I had to ask you that question because I mean , first of all , my high school years were in the nineties , and a lot of it was .
We'd go down to , uh , you know , the cafeteria or even the library , wherever they had machines or snacks or whatever lunch could be um , a cup of top ramen with a bag of Cheetos and a Mountain Dew and to that , to us that was normal . And you know my mom , she loved to cook vegetables and I would nitpick about which ones I wanted to eat .
And as I was getting older , I started to try more things and I started to notice that I liked more things . But even you know , in my thirties , I still had that mindset of you asparagus or you know , just other different vegetables .
And you know , here I am 44 years old and I've really expanded my palate , and I've forced myself to do that because , you know , I do have the inflammation problems and I'm married to a husband that doesn't like vegetables and so his perfect meal is meat and potatoes every night .
I'm in charge of the healthy stuff and , and you know , you got you gotta do what you gotta do , and so if you're married to a spouse like that , incorporate the healthy stuff for yourself , even if they are absolutely not interested . There's gotta be a way to take care of yourself as well , and expand your palate so great .
You said that because when you're not being supported at home and you didn't say your husband wasn't supporting you but when you've got these women , they are really trying so hard and I mean the husbands are like sabotaging , bringing crazy desserts home and they just refuse to eat certain things and all of that . My thing is quit forcing it .
You know , do what you need to do for you and , much to your point , have your own vegetables , have that . And so I actually cooked like that . Even I mean , over the years , I would cook like that . And my son , who's almost 17 , he loves vegetables . He was born into a healthy family .
I had already done all of these lifestyle changes , but even as a little person , he needed more , you know , more carbs and different things .
You know I don't believe in putting little kids on diets or anything , but I said all that to say that there would be times that I would , you know , cook , cook for them , add a vegetable for me , or cook for me , add a carb for them . I mean there were ways to make it work .
So even when women say , well , I don't want to have to cook two dinners , I never did that . You just have to find ways to make one meal fit what everybody else wants by adding a side , taking away a side , thinking outside the box . I mean at a point going back to the why , as you mentioned earlier , how bad do you want this to work ?
Because this is going to be , from now on , this . It can be done , done . It can't be done .
Absolutely . And I , you know , I think my family is a good example of that . My husband loves to do all the cooking but , like I said , he is primarily meat potatoes , bread , corn , that's pretty much it . And one day I was having some sweet potato fries and he reached over and was like , huh , I want to try one .
And he put one in his mouth and my jaw just went to the ground and I thought , you know , as long as I keep being the example of things and I keep trying the things , maybe it'll keep happening . You know , one day he tried a lettuce wrap with me . He hated it , he didn't like the lettuce but at least he tried it .
And so you know , like I said , he likes to do all the cooking At least he tried it . And so you know , like I said , he likes to do all the cooking . So I let him make all his meat and bread and potatoes and whatever , and then I make my salad and this crazy meal that no one else in the house wants to eat . It's not sustainable .
You're going to have your family complaining at you . Eventually you're going to give up and it's going to be pizza every night or something out of a can . I mean . That's just what happens . That's exactly how it plays out , all right .
So , moving on to the next thing , physical activity is often emphasized as a cornerstone of disease prevention , so can you discuss the role of exercise in promoting overall health and reducing the risk of the chronic illnesses ?
Exercise or movement , it's the same thing . But sometimes you know movement , when I say just move your body , it sounds a little more appealing . Say just move your body , it sounds a little more appealing . But really it's regular exercise , some type of regular physical activity . But then we don't have to beat the pavement like we used to think .
All of that cardio , that doesn't work and not only is it not sustainable but it doesn't work , especially when we enter into those midlife years . So I do encourage strength training but , going back to what we said earlier , it still depends on a person's level and how they feel . You know you've got to .
For instance , if you're , if you're lifting weights and you're starting with two pounds and then you work to five and then five gets really really easy with the arms , then yes , it may be time to up things , but not to a point where you're hurting yourself .
So that's the thing you want to respect the cues that your body is giving you , but find the balance between that and being consistent with some type movement .
¶ Creating Healthy Habits for Women
And then you know pointing out that there's a lot of activities that we can do that do fall in that category , like gardening . Gardening is one you can burn a lot of calories , doing a whole lot of bending and sweating doing gardening . So if you enjoy gardening , let that be your movement for that day .
I still enjoy , when my back allows washing my own car . I've washed my own car since I was a teenager and I enjoy that . Yes , I have a teenage son . I have to go behind him , though you missed a spot . You missed a spot . You didn't get my wheels shiny enough and , as I've done it over the past few years , it's like you know what this is a workout .
It is a workout but I enjoy it . I'm in a zone , it's just something I enjoy . So helping women to see that that does count starts to take some of that pressure off . But you do need to do something . So even if it's a few minutes of walking every day just to start start there and then we start working our way up .
Now , part of your question was in preventing or even addressing , you know , chronic illnesses . I go back to heart disease , you know being the leading cause of death even during COVID , even with all the cancers combined , still the leading cause of death . So we need some type of aerobic , of course , just for heart health .
But then the strength training , what it does for our bones , helping , you know , as osteoporosis can start setting in , which is very strong in my family . I mean , I've already lost about an inch , you know . So with those things in mind , it's important really to do something , and I think every woman should be committed to that .
You know , let's get up off the couch and move , but again balancing that with respecting our bodies when we don't feel well or , you know , just not pushing . And I think once you find that balance , it becomes like a little just easier and your body starts to create the movement . So that helps with making it sustainable .
Absolutely , and I think you're giving really good examples . You know , I'm even thinking of some of our Spoonie sisters that work on farms . You know feeding goats , baling hay , I mean , oh my gosh . You know even people mowing the lawn . I mean all of those things . Those are a workout .
You might not be thinking it is , but it's a workout , and so I would encourage people not to go overboard , pressuring themselves to hit a gym if they're already incorporating all of these healthy things to begin with . But it goes back to also what you were talking about with heart health , and it's such an epidemic for women .
And we need to recognize that and make the steps , even if it's starting out at five minutes a day do what we can .
I'm glad you mentioned that about the gym , because before the pandemic I did go to the gym , but I had only gone to the gym for a few years , but my health journey started years before that . Back then I just walked and lifted weights at home .
So the transition with the pandemic wasn't so difficult because I could see the vision of still having a good workout at home . So if it's water bottles , if it's cans of tomatoes , I mean there were ways even in the pandemic to keep things going and I actually I'd rather enjoy that . But women , some women enjoy going to the gym .
So if that's your thing , go , but if it's not , don't go . There's always a workaround to make sure that we get it in .
Absolutely , and you know what Dancing around your house counts too .
Yes , it does , doing some housework to some music and dancing , killing all those birds with one stone .
Absolutely and having fun along the way . Yes , okay , so I almost did . I skip that one . I hope not . Okay , here it is , I was about to skip it . So sleep plays a vital role in health and wellbeing , yet is often overlooked . So what advice do you have for improving the sleep quality and establishing healthy sleep ?
habits . So we have to sleep , as I said earlier . If we don't , we're not going to reach those health goals . And just the lack of focus that's created during the day , when you haven't had a good sleep and then you're cranky , I should say not , I mean me , I'm talking about myself .
When I haven't had a good night's sleep , you're not making good decisions when it comes to your eating , and then maybe you're too tired to do any type of movement . So it is important to have a good sleep routine . So I mean , it varies , but the things that I always throw out as suggestions is essential oils which are so beneficial for everything else .
So , whether you are putting them in a diffuser or using a rollerball on those temples , the neck and the pressure points under the feet , some type of essential oil to relax you . So I do that every night . There is a diffuser by my bed and I have my rollerball by my bed Turning off devices . You know that's a hard one .
And then and then I've I've been met with what I like to read at night . Ok , fine , read on the device , but turn the lights down on the device . If reading relaxes you , then that's fine . But you know , being on social media and all of that . These are choices that we make and I'm not going to tell you .
You shouldn't be scrolling after a late date and dim those lights and make that time for you .
So I mean , I don't care what's going on , with kids screaming and not getting in the bed , because that used to be one of my things where you know , staying up to make sure that my son , you know , went to bed at the time he was supposed to go to bed for school . I don't care anymore , I'm going at my time . He'll pay for it later if he stays up .
But it's really about just making it a priority . Journaling can help T-tapping , you know . I think we're going to talk more about that too but anything that can calm and relax , but it does require a routine .
You cannot do it haphazardly and to me it should come over time just as easily or consistently as your morning routine , where , if you get up and you're one to start off with your water and brush your teeth and then go have your coffee and then your breakfast , whatever , we tend to do the same things every day .
That it should be that understood , even with a nighttime routine , so that we can just set ourselves up for a good night's sleep .
I couldn't agree with you more . And it took me years and it and it took my my coach pointing out to me that that I needed to work on my sleep , and so I had to get in a better routine . And you know , nighttime was my creative time of staying up late and designing graphics and working on my social media , and that's not always healthy .
So I had to make those steps too , and so , you know , I came into this mindset of okay , we have all these massage devices , so sit in the recliner , put my feet in our little massage device whatever you call it for the feet , and then we even have one for the hands .
I wish you could do both hands at the same time , but I have to do one at a time . Always remember to take a ring off if you use one , cause that hurts . And I even have a mask that massages my temples , and so just do all the massage things . That helps my joints , that helps relax me and then turn on a good podcast to go to sleep .
There's some sleep story ones . There's a sound bath that I like to listen to . Anything relaxing .
And it worked , because I'm sure that's a difficult adjustment , especially if that is your creative time .
Yeah , you know , I've always been a night owl . I'm just like my dad . I could easily stay up till 2 am if you let me , but that means I'm always been a night owl . I'm just like my dad . I could easily stay up till 2am if you let me , but that means I'm going to want to sleep until 9am , and so now I'm trying to bump that up to more of a .
Let's go to bed at 11 . That's a lot . That's a lot better , that's easier for me and it's still giving me that creative time in the evening . Thanks for .
Thanks for sharing that .
Thanks ,
¶ Effective Stress Management Techniques
all right . So stress management , it's another critical component of our overall health . So what techniques or practices do you recommend for effectively managing stress and its impact ? A few things .
Breath work has always been very important , just to calm yourself . There's something about breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth . There's all these different forms of breath work you can do .
But even in the moment , just stopping and being aware of how the stress is making you feel and then breathing through it I mean you don't have to have any training just to stop and take some deep breaths , and then you know , things like journaling can help people .
Certain , you know certain personality types or however your mind works , because doing a brain dump on paper and putting a strategy , let's say , not only helps with stress but it can help with sleep .
But now that I'm a certified EFT practitioner , I use that with my coaching and it has helped clients manage stress and anxiety , as I always have done , but a little more quickly now with the EFT tapping .
And of course the premise of that is that as you go through the different meridian points , when you're tapping whether you're tapping with , in my case , with a client , or even on myself , or as I encourage them you can't break anything . Go ahead and start tapping .
You're giving your body permission to feel whatever this feeling of anxiety is that may be causing stress , the overwhelm the fear , because all of those things underneath can cause stress . Even just a slight fear of something , your body goes into this stress mode .
And so what we have found and the clinical studies have proven it , and I've seen the shifts , you know , while while you're at , while I'm actually tapping with someone is that once you give your body permission to feel the anxiety or the distance , you know , whatever's got them concerned , it just relieves the pressure around it and puts one in a better frame of
mind to address it . And so that is like a huge stress management technique that I use , because stress can for instance chronic stress can raise your blood pressure and you can have , you can develop chronic hypertension from chronic stress .
And again , as women , I think we are understressed , our body , we are understressed our bodies are understressed our minds , and we just kind of accept that this is what life is for us . I'm the one taking care of everybody and we've got kids on this side or grandkids , and then we've got older parents on this side . I mean , it's a lot .
And so just recognizing the stress is important , recognizing how it can impact your health and then taking the steps to do whatever it is to help de-stress .
Okay . So I've heard a lot about EFT lately . I'm not super familiar with it . I haven't actually tried it before . How ?
did you get into it ?
I had a client about a year and a half ago who had struggled with binge eating over the years , and so she and I were working together on the lifestyle piece not about dieting , this is about let's look at sleep and all of those things and in conversation on one of our sessions she asked me about it and I had heard of it but I wasn't very familiar .
So she ended up sharing a couple of profiles of folks that did , and one was a guy and I said I remember a friend telling me about him about two years ago and so I reached out to him because I was going to ask him some questions about it Not ever to become involved myself with some questions , even how you know if he would even be open to talking to my
client . I also wanted to maybe have him on my Instagram , maybe do a live , so he could explain EFT tapping . And by the end of that conversation I was like enrolled in his tapping program for coaches . It was like that was , that was a wrap for me and I laughed later like man , you just walked into that , jessica .
But he wasn't trying to sell me anything , he was explaining it and the more he talked , the more intrigued I became . So he was actually my coach , he and his business partner , a young lady out in California , and so I just graduated about a month and a half , two months ago , but I of course , was able to
¶ Emotional Wellbeing and Tapping Benefits
use it . But now I have my official certification , but I saw the shifts . It's just the most fascinating thing because it's considered a non-spiritual , cognitive , behavioral shift modality that's what it's considered , and to see the shifts in a session and then even days later , when clients are like , I actually did get to sleep .
I got to sleep that night after our session because I met recently with a former client who says I'm just I can't get to sleep . I mean , I've learned all these things , I know all the tools , but I'm struggling with sleep again . And so we did a tapping session on her getting to sleep and she said she slept like a baby .
Okay , I'm going to have to try it now . Amazing , I think I have a challenge for you too . I think you need to share yourself doing it on your socials , and I've done some .
I'll try to shoot you what I've shown , but yes , I plan to do more of it , especially now that I've got my certification , and I'll try to ask , even like has anybody heard of this ? And to my surprise , a handful have .
One of our mutual sisters , she said that she had heard of it because she used to be in the armed forces and that's really where tapping got its start and where a lot of the clinical studies were done , in that it helped soldiers with PTSD . So it's also effective for helping people get past traumas to be able to move forward .
So I always tell people I'm not a therapist , obviously , but it's amazing how a lot of the choices that we make or don't make in relation to our health go back to a trauma where maybe we were told not to trust doctors , or how we were fed by our parents and what their habits were , and so we've got to kind of get past some of that .
So we put it under stress management stress management , but it's also under mindset work to try to help , you know , make those shifts , which explains sometimes why we can say what our why is , but then our actions are not supporting our why . Tapping can help us kind of move through that .
I love it . I love it . Okay , I have to try . I have to try .
We'll have to do it . We'll have to do it and , yes , it's , just ask our sister . She's like Jess , you're doing tapping now . I said yes , I feel like that right now . So she encouraged me along the way . She says this is a good thing to add to your coaching and nice add-ons to it . That's wonderful .
And I know exactly who you're talking about , and I can just hear her cheering you on all along the way . All right , how do you approach the topic of mental and emotional wellbeing in your coaching practice , and what strategies do you suggest for fostering resilience and emotional health .
I've got to go back to the tapping , because if our emotional wellbeing isn't , if we're not on a healing journey I won't say healed , because there's going to be some things that we may not ever fully recover from but if we're not addressing that part of our health journey , our emotional well-being , even with sustainable changes physically , it's just not going to
last , because that mind is going to come back and there are just so many things that I think I didn't realize really affected the decisions that I make today regarding my health , regarding my body , and so giving permission to explore that is probably one of the biggest things .
And I say that because everything goes back to about when you were about six or seven years old . That's when these strong feelings and these morals and all of that start forming .
If you say , okay , it's time to open this up and go back to see why you're really struggling , then you could be maybe saying , okay , my parent wasn't a good parent or my parent was emotionally abusive , and those are things we're not ready to face . But there is a safe way . There's a safe way , of course .
Therapy is one , and I am a proponent of therapy if it is needed . And then , of course , eft tapping . Eft stands for emotional freedom technique , and it really is a safe way to explore those things so that we can be more emotionally sound . And when we're more emotionally sound , we can be more physically sound . So that's what .
Again , I talk about the mind-body connection very early on , because why jump to what I need to eat when , in reality , you hate yourself , you hate how you look , you hate how you talk , and this is because you were told X , y , z by your kindergarten teacher or by cousin Joe or whatever , and so moving through a lot of those emotional challenges is almost
necessary as part of a health journey . Actually , it is necessary .
I couldn't agree with you anymore . It's so true I could think of a health journey . Actually , it is necessary . I couldn't agree with you anymore . It's so true I could think of a thousand examples .
¶ Promoting Health Through Community Support
What role does social support and community engagement play in promoting health and preventing chronic illnesses , and how do you encourage your clients to build supportive networks ?
It is so important and I didn't realize how important it was until shifting my business pretty much online , which was a result of the pandemic .
I used to do a number of things in person and I would get referrals for clients , but I mean , as far as an online community , I just wasn't familiar with that until bringing the business online during the pandemic and I can't even I can't even tell you the game changer it was for me and my own health .
When I am watching my sisters which is what I call my spoony sisters , the chronic illness community , the lifestyle disease community I mean it really helps me know . Number one , I'm on the right track . Even as an experienced health coach , I learn from all of you all . And then there's this level of accountability .
Even if we haven't said okay , we're going to be accountability partners Because you know that folks are watching you , you're watching them . You want to set a good example and that's how I have wanted to be . I want to set a good example .
I know people are watching and just the camaraderie , like minded , a level of empathy with people that are going through similar things , I mean it is , it is critical and then , especially if we're getting no support at all Now , like , in your case , a husband who isn't that wild about vegetables . That's not no support .
I'm talking women who are getting zero support . They're actually even getting a little abuse that starts to fortify maybe some of the emotional traumas that they already had .
Cases especially , having a community , a support system , is so important , which is why you know this , this term of sisters , this sisterhood , is really that because your , your biological family , just may not be giving you the support you need , but finding that in a community is is key .
So I have a lifestyle reset community that I launched about two months ago and in there that platform they can support each other and I say they because I'm in there too but really , even though I may be doing the coaching , their shared life experiences are helping each other , and so no one is obligated to necessarily always comment or participate , and we know
how that is . Some women are very shy or very private to start . But one thing that I do share is that the more that you engage with others , the more that you're open and vulnerable . That's going to come back in a good way .
It's going to come back , and then there's a lot of satisfaction that they can get just from knowing they helped somebody else , so that's going to come back in a good way . It's going to come back , and then there's a lot of satisfaction that they can get just from knowing they helped somebody else .
So that's something I'm always doing is fostering that spirit of community , and a lot of you ladies are really what taught me what that looks like . So thank you .
Thank you , and you brought up so many good points . There are many , many people that don't feel like they're getting support at home and they could be getting emotional abuse as well , maybe even physical , for all we know , believe there's anything wrong with them and tell them to just get up and move more .
I mean , there's so many things that we hear all the time , and so having that community where you feel supported and encouraged , lifted up tips and tricks , it's so important , it's absolutely valuable to their care .
I'm thankful for the opportunity to have made this shift , even in my business , because doing corporate health coach training , the community was just . It was simply just other coaches and it was very difficult to actually bring clients into that community this way .
I mean we've got coaches and clients because in our communities now coaches are very open about their own struggles and it wasn't always that way for me back then . You just want to set the right example and you're not telling your client that even though I'm a health coach , I broke down over the weekend and ate a pint of ice cream .
Well , now , if that happens , I don't have a problem saying it , so it's just beneficial . You know , coming online which is primarily how I run my business that's been good for me and that's one of the biggest reasons is the community and support .
That's amazing . I love it . So how do people get involved with you if they want to join your community or look into getting your coaching expertise ? Follow me on .
Instagram , at I am underscore Jessica Mitchell .
I'm also on Facebook at I am Jessica Mitchell , and then my website is I am Jessica Mitchell dot com am jessicamitchellcom , and on all three of those platforms I have there highlighted where you can do a free break call with me , of which , of course , as we said , we'll start with some type of a questionnaire to pre-qualify us both .
And there's also a place where you can join my new Lifestyle Reset community , and I'm really proud of it , because I was just kind of nervous to even do something like that myself , but got a lot of encouragement . You know , like Jess , you can do this , you can do this .
And again , even though there's a lot of material in there to learn , what I am finding that the women there are most interested in is the community , that piece of it , that coming together when we have our group call , because it does just foster community . So , anyway , that's how you can find me and that's how you can work with me .
That's so wonderful . Oh my gosh , I am so glad that you came on here . Thank you for sharing , and also people she's over on TikTok too . I know I don't utilize it very much , it's there .
I'll throw things over there , but I need to . I need to actually look at the audience over there , because if there's somebody that I can help there on TikTok , I see it's my mindset that I've got to get past it . Tiktok is just for kids , but not at all . Not at all . I'm right there with you .
Mature midlife women are on there , and so I want to be able to help them too .
Yeah , many of our amazing sisters are over there , and if they can do it , we can do it . It's just I don't know , I have a roadblock in my mind that it's harder to do , which really it's not . It's pretty much the same as Instagram . It's fine . I just need
¶ Gratitude for Guest Appearance on Podcast
to get myself on that together . There you go . Okay , well , I will make sure that we have all your important links in your show notes for all of you to check out , but thank you so much for your time , and it was such a pleasure having you here .
I enjoyed spending this time with you here . I enjoyed spending this time with you today . I appreciate you even allowing me to speak to your audience . So thanks , Jen .
Oh , thank you . Okay , my Spoonie sisters , be sure to go check out Jessica Mitchell in all the places . Check out her in the show notes as well , and until next time , don't forget your spoon .