Wellness Coaching Session #1

If you follow me on YouTube, you can see my new video! I'm offering a series of Wellness Coaching sessions to help you reach your goals! Now, you can see how Wellness Coaching might be able to help you - for free!

If you watched the first video, you know that we talked about completing the Wellness Wheel. This exercise can help you determine where you are right now and where you want to be. This exercise can also help you decide what goals you might want to work on first. Here's a link to the Wellness Wheel document, so you can fill it out yourself!

Challenging the status quo

When was the last time you challenged the norm? So much of our days - and even years - consist of daily habits and rituals. When things stay the same, sometimes they get more and more difficult to change. We get used to things and accept them for what they are.

Usually when we think about making an impactful change, we think of something that takes planning and a long time to institute. We think of bigger things. But, the small changes can be impactful, too!

Today I made a really small, but impactful change!

For 18 years, I've had a desk job. I sit most of the day, which I'm totally against. I've even had this article and this photo hanging in my cubicle for years as my "dream" desk!

An "official" standing desk isn't readily available to me and I've often thought about how to fashion one myself. But, I could never figure it out - or rather - I didn't put in the energy or time to really figure it out. I settled for the status quo. Sitting at a desk for many years has been my norm and I lived with it.

The most simple thing happened today. A co-worker helped me discover a crank handle under my desk. I knew it was there, but I thought it only moved the desk a few inches. NOPE!!! I was able to crank it up a good foot! Then, I figured out how to extend my monitor and boost up my keyboard and mouse. Now, I finally  have a standing desk!

 

In the few short hours that I used it today, I already felt better. I'm more energized and I don't feel like I'm slouching at all like I do when I sit in my chair! 

 

The lesson learned: no matter how small or insignificant you think the impact will be, always challenge the norm! Small changes can make a big difference. Imagine if I'd done this 10 years ago. Would things be different? Would I feel more positive about my workspace? Would I have less back and neck strain? Would I weigh five pounds less than I do now?

 

What small change can you make today that will change your tomorrow? Challenge your status quo!



My "school nerd" ways at the 2015 National Wellness Conference

In January, I created my 2015 vision board, which included this image:

Last week, I made that vision come true! I attended the 40th Annual National Wellness Conference for the first time. I was so excited to attend, yet I had no idea what to expect when I arrived. 

The conference took place at the University of Minnesota, which lucky for me, is only a few miles from my home. I was amazed to learn that people traveled from all over the U.S. to attend this conference as well as South Africa, India and Australia. Amazing!

When I first walked in to receive my registration materials, I was so excited. The staff was helpful and I received a bunch of great swag from the sponsors of the event. My favorite item was provided by Real Balance. It was a journal to use for the week to document my conference notes, as well as room to write about my nutritional and mental well-being throughout the week. 

After registration, I headed over to the expo. It was packed full of people and vendors. The amount of wellness talent that surrounded me was both exciting and intimidating since I'm fairly new to coaching. I didn't know where to begin, but then I ran into one of my instructors from my Mayo Clinic wellness coaching course. Catching up with her helped my excitement overcome my feelings of intimidation!

The conference began with a keynote speaker and "motivation scientist", Dr. Michelle Segar, which took place in this large auditorium:

[Note: the following story has nothing to do with the conference content, yet I must share it!] 

One thing you may not know about me is that I'm a huge school nerd. My best friend and I (obnoxiously?) sat in the front row of our college French course. We always answered questions and received "A's". I did the same in some of my other courses as well. And, I've taken that habit with me throughout life as I've attended other classes and training sessions. This day was no exception. I sat in the center section in the very front row. And, no one joined me! As a side note, this was a fascinating social encounter, especially with such a large group of people that specialize in connecting with other people for a living! Not only was I the only one in the front row, but there were hardly any people in the first few rows. Everyone piled in the back. Luckily, the host asked everyone to move forward and all was well.

Moving back to Dr. Michelle Segar! She beautifully consolidated 20 years of research on motivation into an hour and a half of genius. My biggest takeaway was her strategies to help people find their "why". That is the starting point of reaching success with any goal!

Following Dr. Segar, I attended three breakout sessions. (And, yes, I sat in the front row for each session!) Here are the highlights:

• Susan Wilson, CWP, and Sandhya Rajagopal discussed Styles of Communication. I learned about different ways of communicating and which style I use. You can find out with a simple 10-question quiz that's very enlightening. 
• If you want to take the quiz, reach out to me and I'll send it to you.

• I really enjoyed the opportunity to hear Joshua Steinfeldt, PCC, CMC, CWHC, CEC because he's at the University of Pennsylvania attending courses with the founder of Positive Psychology, Dr. Martin Seligman *bows*. He's also had the opportunity to work with Dr. Arloski, who I'll discuss shortly. Steinfeldt's discussion focused on lonlieness. His stats were fascinating and solidified my choice to pursue wellness coaching:

• 25% of people say they don't have someone they can share a personal problem with.
• In 1980, 20% of people felt lonely. In 2010, that number moved to 40%.

• The fact that this group is so large - it's staggering. He taught us about coaching to create a connection with people and creating a space to help people overcome loneliness. 
• The activity that Steinfeldt asked us to do was also staggering. I'll share it with you. If you do this activity, please send me an email or private message and let me know your results. I'd love to discuss this with you!

1. Write down the people who you consider "high-quality" connections in your life. These are people who are always available to you. It's 3 a.m. and you can freely call them to bear your emotions.
2. Who is on your list?
3. What are the themes or patterns?
4. Who's not on your list?
5. What surprised you?

• The last session I attended was exciting because I was able to meet and work with Michael Arloski, PhD, PPC, CWP. I've read his book, Wellness Coaching for Lasting Lifestyle Change, and it's been very helpful to me. During his session, I was able to do a practice coaching session with a member of his team. She really gave me a run for my money! It was a challenging "session". I talked with Dr. Arloski afterwards and thanked him for his contributions to my learnings. It was a fabulous day!

If you want to reach out to me about these exercises, feel free to email me at mindovermayo@hotmail.com or send me a private message via my Facebook page, Mind Over Mayo Wellness Coaching.

Fit Fest 2015 Review

On Saturday I had the privilege of attending the first annual Fit Fest event in the Twin Cities sponsored by Mpls-St. Paul Magazine. Not only was it the first Fit Fest, but it was the first fitness event of its kind hosted here. This amazes me, since we are known as one of the fittest cities in America. I attended with my super fit and fun pal, Christina, from Four Season Fit. Check her out!

Here are the quick and dirty highlights of the event:

The speakers were legit. The keynote speaker and class instructor was Chris Freytag. Locals, you may know her from KARE 11's Motivation Monday. Her talk about healthy eating was direct and easy-to-follow. She is extremely knowledgeable, but keeps it real. 

I also heard Dr. Christina Meyer-Jax speak who discussed smart food hacks about how to make the best food choice the easy food choice. My favorite: grab some mason jars and put some hummus at the bottom. Top with cut up veggies and it makes an easy-to-grab snack!

My favorite speaker was Lori Schaefer of In the Equation, who you may have seen on The Biggest Loser. I'm not one for crying, but her story brought me to tears. If you need some inspiration, take a look at her story. It's amazing and motivating - and proves that you can do anything even if you've failed many times before. My favorite note from her talk: It's much easier to lose the weight than it is to keep it off. Amen, sister. Here I am at Lori's session!

The classes kicked ass. The event offered so many classes, but I selected a Turbo Kick class that was very fun, but alas, I got my ass kicked. That said, the expo at the event offered free massages, so it's all good now!

The venue was amazing. The new Recreation and Wellness facility at the University of Minnesota is ridiculous. State of the art and beautiful!

The folks who organized Fit Fest were amazing. The event itself was organized beautifully. Many friendly helpers were there to keep things running smoothly and made sure everyone knew where to go. A very special thanks to whoever ran across the street to fetch a turkey sandwich for me since I couldn't eat the peanut-laden lunch provided! That is truly an above-and-beyond move!! To top it off, the entire event only cost me $20 to attend. $20!!! WHAAAA???!!! I know, right? And, it took place on a beautiful day in Minneapolis, which is rare. Yet, the event was so good that it kept everyone captivated indoors all day!

Locals, be sure to watch for this event next year! I know similar events are also available nationally. Simply google "fit fest" to find an event near you!

Birchbox Review

My husband got me a subscription to Birchbox for Christmas. I didn't even know that he knew about Birchbox, so it was an impressive gift!

Overall, I love receiving Birchbox. It's great to be able to try so many samples and see what I like or don't like before I spend a lot of money on products. Surprisingly, I really like the fragrances I've been getting. Usually, you get way too many fragrances, but Birchbox does it right. My favorite so far is Ageless.

So, here are my reviews for the products I received this month:

COOLA - SPF 30 Matte Tint BB Cream:  At first, I thought it was too greasy. But, it's not. It's very light and easy to apply. Some BB creams I've tried are thick, but this is lovely. Great for light coverage.

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner: My first comment about this sample was, "This is a sample size?". It's seriously a full-sized eyeliner. I also consider myself very critical of liquid eyeliner. I've used it for years and years. I love a good cat eye and I always try to emulate the classics - Hepburn, Bardot, Loren. My favorite as of late has been Loreal Lineur Intense. It's a drugstore eyeliner, but still the best I've found for a great cat eye. The Eyeko is wonderful as well. Very easy to apply and great if you want a thicker cat eye. I would definitely buy this!

Klorane Dry Shampoo: I'm also very well-versed in the dry shampoo category! I have thick, coarse, curly hair. Dry shampoo is a must for me, because I only wash my hair every 4-5 days. I think this works great, but honestly no better or no worse that what I typically use.

Marcelle Make-up Remover: I really liked this quite a bit. It's not greasy and it removed my Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner perfectly! I typically use something a bit more moisturizing since I live in a cold, dry climate. But, I still liked this product.

Obliphica Professional Hair Serum: Again, another product I'm really familiar with is hair serum. Given my hair texture, I'm always looking for ways to control the frizz. I have been using Moroccan Oil religiously for a long time. I enjoyed this as well - it's a bit lighter and smelled fantastic. I don't think I'll deviate from my Moroccan Oil, but I'll definitely use this sample.

My advice isn't worth anything!

I started my weight-loss “journey” on Jan. 5, 2004. I reached my weight goal, learned new activities, led Weight Watchers meetings and became a Certified Personal Trainer. I reached a point where I had learned and changed so much. People asked for my advice a lot. And, I gave it to them. It even prompted me to write a book a few years back. I have written a whole entire book. Done. But, it’s full of MY advice. What worked for ME. Not what works for you or motivates you to change. It will likely remain unread on my flash drive forever. 

I finally realized that my advice wasn’t going to get anybody anywhere. There are zillions of people out there who’ve lost weight successfully and know about nutrition, health, workouts, etc. You can read any book you want about other people’s advice on these topics. But, it won’t necessarily work for you. I love this article because it explains why not everyone is an expert. For example, "I don't think someone who has been a passenger on a plane is automatically a credible source about how to fly one. I don't think anyone who has driven over a suspension bridge necessarily knows how best to build one. I don't think someone treated once by a neurosurgeon gets to offer expert commentary on the nuances of brain surgery."

This is why I decided to get into coaching. I love coaching because the focus is on YOU. I’m not the expert on you. I get to be a part of helping people create their own goals and succeed at them because they are making the rules. Not me. This change of perspective has been wonderful beyond words. Coaching isn’t a “thing” you do or buy or a pill you take – it’s an experience.

Do you know how a coach can help you? This is a great description from the Mayo Clinic where I was certified as a Wellness Coach: "Wellness coaches are experts in establishing relationships and practicing core coaching skills that assist the individual in identifying values and desires, transforming them into action, and maintaining lasting change over time. They partner in dynamic collaboration with individuals, respecting the client as the expert in his/her own life, using a strength-based focus and strong grounding in best practice." - Mayo Clinic   

I also enjoy this story from Dr. Michael Arloski that describes the relationship between a coach and a client: 

Mountain guides do not climb mountains for people. Nothing is accomplished, really if you hire me as your mountain guide and pay me merely to plant your flag on the summit while you sip martinis and observe me through a telescope down at the lodge.

As your guide, I help you plan the climb. We assess your readiness for the climb, examine what you have and what you need in equipment and resources. Together we determine a route to take. We plan how long the journey will take and allow for elements we can’t control, be it the weather or a family crisis. We examine what your personal goals are. Are you a peak-bagger, or more into the sheer experience of the high country? We get clear on what a successful and fulfilling climb will be for you.

Mountain guides do not make people climb mountains. The motivation for the climb has to be within the climber. During times of discouragement I may lend support, or even challenge you to reach a little deeper for strength I know you have. I also know that your chances of success are far greater if your motivation is internal. You WANT to climb this mountain! You are excited about it, and you anticipate that the journey will in itself be a large part of the pleasure of the experience. It works best when it is not fear-based motivation. You are not climbing the mountain because you are afraid what will happen if you don’t!

Most importantly, your chances of success are far greater just because you aren’t doing it alone. Knowing that I am there with you on the journey shifts your entire mental approach. You push through the temptation to turn back prematurely (as you may have done so often in the past) as you look over at me climbing beside you. You know I will hold you accountable to yourself to do what you said you have come to do. You also know that you retain your freedom, and if you choose to turn back you will not be criticized for it. When we do summit, it is your flag that is planted, not mine, for this was your journey. It was you and the mountain. Your coach was like a good solid rope – a support.  Wellness Coaching for Lasting Lifestyle Change – Michael Arloski, PhD, PCC

Is coaching for you? It may or may not be. 6 Signs You Need A Coach If you want to find out, feel free to reach out to me.

January 5 - A Day of Reflection....plus my 2015 Vision Board!

January 5 is always a day of reflection for me. And, a day of pride. On January 5, 2004, I took my OFFICIAL “before” picture – or “good-bye” picture, as I like to call it. It wasn’t the first time I’d done it. I’d done it at least the five years before that – if not more. However, this is the year that it stuck. It’s the year I really changed.

I eventually reached my weight goal in June 2006. I know that 2.5 years sounds like a long time to get to my goal. But, looking back now, I realized that’s the way it was supposed to be. In the years prior, I was in such a rush that I created an all-or-nothing mentality. I wanted to lose weight quickly and just be DONE!

But, now I know that I’m never going to be done. I took incredibly small baby steps to get to my weight goal. I slipped up. I gained weight. I lost it again. And, I still do that. I always have a short list of big goals I want to accomplish. But, my to-do list is full of ever-changing baby steps to get me there.

My “big” goals for 2014 were to complete my Wellness Coaching Certification at the Mayo Clinic (check!) and to get acclimated with my new environment since I’d just moved (check!). I also wanted to continue working on my hobbies of weight lifting, piano playing and writing (check, check, check!).

This year, my goals are to move forward with creating a fabulous Wellness Coaching practice of my own. I’d also like to get into a little better shape by improving what I eat, increasing my water intake and getting more sleep. (Part of acclimating to my new environment involved many tasty neighborhood restaurants available within walking distance!) I’m going to keep focusing on my hobbies and do some road races. I’d also like to do a bit of traveling and travel planning for the future. Let the baby steps begin!

Happy New Year!