Health & Wellness
Health and physical wellness can be incredibly illusive. We know we need it. We know it feels good after we do it. Sometimes we even achieve it. Then life gets in the way and it can easily slip from our fingers. In addition to my passion for mental health, I am also passionate about physical health. For men in the LGBTQ+ community, appearances are oftentimes our motivators and goals, which isn’t a bad thing. But physical health is about so much more than just physique and image.
Creating certain habits and practices in our daily lives creates opportunities for greater longevity, optimal functioning, and even improved mental health. Diet and exercise are important, and so are things like getting proper rest, reducing sedentary patterns, and mitigating stress. No two people’s minds and bodies are the same, and therefore their plans for health and wellness shouldn’t be the same either.
With the internet becoming flooded with ambitious fitness influencers, fad diets, and unregulated suplements, fitness and nutrition specifically gets to be an overwhelming process when learning about it on our own. This isn’t to make it sound impossible, but to let you know that if you haven’t been able to get a grasp on physical health and wellness, there are a lot of valid reasons for that and you are definitely not alone.
Whether we want to lose 20 lbs of fat or gain 20 lbs of muscle, willpower on its own rarely helps us succeed in such goals. And if our biggest motivator is social-acceptance in our community, then we often fall short on a true sense of health for our flesh and bones, as well as how we mentally and emotionally relate to all of it. There are far better ways to approach our physical wellness that are more enjoyable and sustainable for each of us.
Coaching On Health:
Developing a healthy lifestyle
Figuring out current obstacles
Nutrition and mindful eating
Determining fitness goals
Building fitness routines
Creative fitness alternatives
Stress management and relaxation
Body positivity and neutrality
Sleep hygiene and restfulness
Because I have certifications in both holistic/integrative coaching and health/nutrition coaching, I approach physical health and wellness in what is called an “outside-in inside-out” model. The term “inside-out” is the notion on health and wellness solely from a mental health standpoint. The expectation is that once the mental/emotional issues are addressed on the inside, results will naturally occur with our bodies on the outisde. “Outside-in” means solely focusing on addressing the physical body with the expectations that the mental/health will naturally resolve themselves on the inside.
For instance, if a client is interested in fitness only for the purpose of gaining a certain physique, then that is an outside-in approach and a professional like a personal trainer would be a great option for them. But through my personal experience, and the experience of countless others in our community, acheiving a certain body type alone does not completely resolve issues with self-esteem, confidence, and other ways we relate to our bodies.
In my practice, I only use the “outside-in inside-out” model. By taking an educational and informative approach, my goal is to help clients understand the hows and whys of nutrition, exercise, and other types of wellness so that they can take their health into their own hands. This way, they are better equipped for long term success without being reliant on their trainers or coaches to do it for them. This mindful approach is truly acheivable for all of us.
