Target Market??

As part of the IIN program there are scheduled “Coaching Calls” once or twice a month where seven
students are paired up with a practicing Health Coach so we can get real-world guidance from an actual practicing Health Coach. It's not a requirement to attend every call and this week I was the only student to call in. It was a great one-on-one session with my Coach.

The topic for this call was Target Markets. My response so far to this idea has been, "Ugh! What?! Do I really need one?! It seems to me that almost everyone needs a Health Coach so why do I need to Target a specific group or market?" The answers to these questions are:

1. Yes, I do indeed need to know what my target market is. 
2. Without one I will be floundering around and not attracting any clients at all. 
3. Not every person who needs a Health Coach will be a good fit for my coaching style.

So, for the past five months I've been struggling to figure out what my target market is. The few ideas even worth writing down didn't resonate with me or get me excited, and when I started thinking about how to market to these groups I completely drew a blank. I was feeling frustrated!

During my call with my Coach she was able to give me seven questions that I can ask myself to help me figure out what my target market is:

1. What types of people are in need of Health Coaching?
2. What types of people do I relate to the most?
3. What am I most passionate about?
4. What do I already know? – What motivates me?
5. Who do I already know?
6. Where do I find these people?
7. How do I create a message directed to these people?

I was surprised to find that after answering these questions, the three target markets I had been struggling with were either not specific enough or were targeting types of people that I don’t actually relate to or agree with. Your target market should be people you relate to and enjoy spending time with, otherwise your clients will drain you of energy and joy and you will not be excited to practice. 

I think this exercise applies to our personal relationships as well. Are the people in your life people you relate to? Are they passionate about the same things you are? Do you enjoy spending time with them?

When I was thinking about my answer to question #3, I realized that the things I am most passionate about are not things that I have been actively engaging in lately. Why is that? Could that be the reason for the nagging feelings of un-fulfillment? Ask yourself this question and think about whether or not you are spending time doing things you love. This is Primary Food and incredibly important!

I haven’t finished working through the seven questions yet and I still don't have a target market, but I now have a way to move forward with choosing one and a new perspective on my life as a whole. Whether or not you are working on your target market, I encourage you to consider and contemplate questions #2 and #3 and think about how it applies to your life as it is right now.

Wishing you fulfillment in your passionate pursuits!

Primary Foods: Career

Wow, this is a huge one for so many people and definitely a big one for me! I have been struggling with dissatisfaction at my job for about 4 years now. The past two years being the hardest. While I am on the path to changing my career with my schooling at IIN, the level of stress and negative energy that comes from working at my job has gotten to a perilous level.

Two days ago I came home from work in a state of such anger, sadness and resentment that it oozed out of me and right into my husband. It was so palpable I could almost see the actual bad energy being absorbed by him. This sent him into a state of extreme stress and he closed himself off. For anyone who knows my husband you know that closing off is a stark contrast from his usual demeanor and a cause for high concern. While he had been dealing with his own stressors at the time, I do believe that what I brought into the house with me that day was the last straw and completely overwhelmed him.

So there we were both feeling terrible and there was happy-go-lucky Asa not having a clue as to what just happened. The rest of the night was shrouded in negative energy. We all went to bed. In the morning I felt better and Asa was happily oblivious still, but when Aaron got up it was clear that he did not feel better. By the middle of the day, after a few cajoling texts from me, he finally texted me to say that he was sorry he was feeling extremely stressed and didn’t know where it was coming from… I knew where it had come from and I felt awful! I told him I thought it was mostly because of my bad mojo and I was sorry for bringing it into the house.

It was at this point that I made a decision. This crappy job has got to go! The money and security is absolutely not worth the hardship it causes me and my family. I started writing a proposal to my boss to figure out the best scenario for me and my family that will also benefit the company. I have worked out three different scenarios, two in which I will work part-time and either get paid as an employee or as a contractor, in both the company saves money and I get more time to pursue my passions. The third scenario is I give a one –month notice and resign. While I am hoping for one of the first two scenarios I am fully prepared to accept that they may just let me resign without offering me anything to stay. If I do have to resign I will look for another job, but rest assured I will be enjoying the hell out of the time off!

I have needed to practice self-care for the last 10 years. When my best friend died ten years ago I needed a break. I was working full time during the day and going to school full-time at night. I stuck it out and paid the price five years later when I was diagnosed with cancer. I needed a break then as well. The diagnosis surgery and subsequent radiation treatments were overwhelming to say the least, but I pushed through and did not take a break. Through all of this I continued to work in a job that created high levels of stress and dissatisfaction. Today, I am 100 lbs over-weight, stressed to the max, my body is in constant pain everyday and I have a hard time doing any of the physical activities I enjoy. I am at a point now where I feel if I don't make drastic changes soon I will be setting myself up for another health disaster.

Witnessing how my stress level affected those I cherish and how my suffering every day affects my husband was the last straw for me. Money does not buy happiness, doing it for the money or the stability is a piss poor excuse for not taking care of myself. It is not an excuse I will be using anymore!

Now is the time to take care of myself! Life is now, it does not happen yesterday or tomorrow, it is now in every single moment we are alive and breathing, life is now and now is the time to live life authentically and to our fullest potential.  

Wishing you a fulfilling and authentic life!

Tis the season for soup!

Left: Spicy Black Bean / Right: Root Vegetable

Fall is my favorite time of year, I love the cooler weather, the pretty colors on the trees, the clean smell in the air and hot soups to warm me up.

I love soups! Pretty much every kind of soup is a friend to me, so I was very happy yesterday when I spent time turning those wonderful veggies in the photo into soothing soups for the week.

Here are my tops six favorite things about soups:

1. They are easy to prepare.
2. You can throw in almost any ingredient, which is great when you have leftovers or a lot of veggies you don't know what to do with.
3. They are great as a lunch or dinner. 
4. You can make them light or hearty depending on whether or not you want them to be the main attraction or a side dish.
5. They only require simple tools and techniques so that anyone can prepare them.
6. Soups are a great way to add more veggies into your diet.

Yesterday I used the veggies and beans in the picture above to make two different soups. One soup I made in a crock pot and the other I cooked in a pot on the stove. Crock pots are great if you really don't want to do anything. You just add your ingredients and turn it on, 4 - 6 hours later you have hot and yummy soup! Cooking soup on the stove is great if you want is to be done sooner. You can make it in about 30 minutes on the stove depending on what you want in your soup.

Here are some basic tools and ingredients to make your own yummy soups:

Kitchen Tools and Appliances:

• Large pot with a lid.
• Bowls with lids(can be glass or plastic)
• Measuring cup for liquids(2 cup measure).
• Soup Ladle
• Mixing spoon or spatula
• Good kitchen knife for chopping, slicing etc.
• Measuring spoons for Tablespoon and Teaspoon.
• Vegetable Peeler
• Cutting board

Basic Ingredients:

• Canned Diced Tomatoes
• Canned or boxed Vegetable Broth
• Water
• Brown Rice or other whole grain
• Beans - any kind
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Spices you enjoy. 

I found this basic and easy vegetable soup recipe on www.chow.com.This recipe allows you to easily substitute any vegetables, grains or beans you want to use:

Basic Vegetable Soup Recipe

INGREDIENTS

·         4 teaspoons olive oil

·         1 medium onion, medium dice

·         Kosher salt

·         Freshly ground black pepper

·         2 medium carrots, medium dice

·         2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

·         1 celery stalk, medium dice

·         2 cups additional vegetables of your choice (such as red pepper, cabbage, asparagus, mushrooms, fennel, or peas), medium dice

·         1 bay leaf (optional)

·         1 pinch dried thyme (optional)

·         1 quart low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

·         1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, medium dice

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large cooking pot over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the celery and, if using, any hearty vegetables (such as cabbage and fennel) and the bay leaf and thyme. Season again with salt and pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.
4.    Add the broth, potatoes, and any quicker-cooking vegetables (such as asparagus and peas). Let the soup come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork, about 15 to 25 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

 Happy Soup Making!

All you need is Love

Today is my 33^rd Birthday. When I came downstairs this morning to get ready for work there was a large vase of beautiful yellow roses and lilies, a giant over-sized card that my step-son Asa made for me himself and a prettily wrapped box from my husband Aaron and Asa.  My Mom called me this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday. There was a card in the mail box from my Mother-in-Law and her Husband and I received many well wishes from friends and family on Facebook and through text messages.  All  acts of love and kindness.

I believe the purest love a person can experience is the love of a child. There is something that pulls at the deepest level of your heart when you know you're loved by a child.  The love of my step-son Asa is even more meaningful to me. We do not have the same kind of parent-child bond that he has with his Mom and Dad, but we have built our relationship over the past five years and have grown to love and respect each other very much.

Asa called me from his Mom’s house this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday, to tell me he loves me and he hopes I have a good Birthday. This expression of his love moved me to tears of joy. I am a very fortunate person to have earned his love and I am grateful for it.

I realized after my phone call with Asa just how much of an impact a small act of love can have. It was three minutes out of his day but it meant the world to me.

In reflecting on my life today I asked myself “So what have I learned in 33 years of living?”. I came to the conclusion that the one most important thing I have learned is that The Beatles were right… All you need is love and love is all you need. Giving and receiving love is paramount to any other activity of life; without love babies fail to thrive and grow, without love elderly and sick people die sooner, without love no human is happy and fulfilled. Love is all we need and love is all around.

Please spend five minutes every day, starting today, thinking about what you are grateful for, the people you love and those who love you. Commit one small act of kindness and love everyday and see what fulfillment comes into your life.

Wishing you much love, health and wellness!

Primary Foods: Social Life

I have no social life to speak of outside my household. I work all day in a cubicle by myself, then I spend my nights and weekends with my Husband and Step-Son, whom I love very much and enjoy spending time with. However, everyone needs to disconnect from their life sometimes, to socialize with someone who is outside your immediate circle and to talk about your struggles with people who are experiencing the same things.

What better way is there to improve this Primary Food than to start a weight-loss support group? This will be addressing two Primary Foods at the same time; Social Life and Health. I have weight loss goals of my own to reach and going it alone is proving to be ineffective. I have used weight-loss support groups in the past and they were very effective. This group will be more intimate and will  focus on bio-individuality to help members achieve their goals. 

In one of our modules for IIN we watched a lecture from Dr. Mark Hyman, author of the "Blood Sugar Solution" and many other books. He spoke about a plan he created called the Daniel Plan. To implement this plan he approached a church community of 14 thousand people and had all these people agree to enroll in the Daniel Plan. They met in small groups for six weeks and in that time they lost a total of 160,000 pounds! In the lecture Dr. Hyman states that our social networks determine our behavior, for example;  if your social network is a community of like minded people with similar goals to your own, you are more likely to reach your goals and vice versa. I agree with Dr. Hyman wholeheartedly, it is much easier to make permanent healthy changes when you have support from people who are doing the same thing. 

In the right Weight-Loss Support group you can:

• Find a solid support system.
• Stick to your goals for your health and weight.
• Learn from your fellow members, and figure out what works for your body and lifestyle.
• Have Fun and Socialize!

If you are trying to lose weight I urge you not to go it alone, look for a weight-loss support group in your area or start one of your own. If you live in my area and are looking for a support group to help you achieve your weight-loss goals please consider joining mine! My Flyer is below.

Wishing you whole health and happiness!

Going Dry

Last weekend on the drive home from our semi-weekly shopping trip, my husband and I discussed how much money we have been spending on alcohol in the past few months and as result how much we have been consuming.

While my husband does not believe that our consumption of alcohol is having any negative effects on us, I suggested that we try to go "dry" for a length of time; in this case stop purchasing and drinking alcohol for a month, maybe two. My theory is that our consumption of alcohol affects us on three levels;
1. Money - we spend money on wine, beer and tequila on a pretty regular basis. 2. Poor Eating - when we drink we make extra trips to the store to buy the alcohol, while there we usually decide we want junk food to go with our alcohol, so we spend more money to eat junk food and don't use the good food we have in the house. 3. Unwanted Habits - drinking on a regular basis the way we do encourages us to sit in front of the t.v. for a couple of hours every night instead of doing all the other things we are always saying we want to do; i.e. exercise, read interesting books, work on our respective businesses we're starting, etc..

My husband has agreed to stop consuming alcohol as long as I track our expenses so we can compare this next month of no alcohol to our previous month of drinking alcohol and see if we really do save money. I already do this tracking on a regular basis as part of our budgeting so it will be no problem to track it going forward. We agreed last Sunday that once the alcohol in the house was gone we would not purchase anymore for a month and I would start tracking. Today starts our first week of alcohol free living and I am very interested to see how it affects our daily lives as well as our bank account.

Ten good reasons to reduce your consumption of alcohol:

1. Extremely Diuretic: causing dehydration; and as a result other health problems.
2. Highly Addictive
3. Weakens the immune system
4. Increases risk of cancers: mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and breast.
5. Liver Damage: Fibrosis, Cirrhosis, Steatosis (Fatty Liver)
6. Heart damage: Cardiomyopathy, Stroke, High Blood Pressure
7. Expensive: alcohol can be a monetary burden due to high costs and repeated expenditure.
8. Drowsiness
9. Lethargy
10. Weight gain – calories from alcohol have no nutritional value for the body,can cause cravings for fatty and sugary foods and mindless eating. 

Just in case you were wondering exactly how many calories you are drinking, here are a few examples:

Tequila: 1.5 ounces = 100 cal =
3 1/4 cups of broccoli.
Hoegaarden Beer: 1 bottle = 176 cal =
25 cups of spinach.
Red Wine: 4 ounce glass = 100 cal =
3 3/4 cups of cherry tomatoes.

That is an incredible amount of veggies for three drinks! I don't think I could eat 25 cups of spinach in a day, but I know that I definitely have consumed three or more bottles of beer in less than six hours.

This week try to substitute one of your alcoholic drinks for a calming herbal tea, a glass of water, or a couple of giant salads!

Wishing you whole health and happiness!

Water - The Magic Elixir

I noticed the other day that I have, for some reason unknown to me, almost completely stopped drinking water in the past two-weeks. Sometimes when we are running through our busy day it is really hard to remember to eat lunch, say nothing about remembering to drink the amount of water our body needs! So I wanted to post a friendly reminder about how important it is to drink water and what it does for our bodies.

Nine reasons water is important:

1.       The human body is made up of 75% water and the human brain is 85% water.

2.       Water is in every cell, tissue and organ in our body.

3.       Without adequate water the body cannot be healthy and is at higher risk for disease and illness.

4.       Water is the foundation of life

5.       Water generates life on the planet

6.       Water helps your body keep a normal temperature

7.       Water lubricates and cushions your joints

8.       Water protects your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues

9.       Water gets rid of wastes through urination, perspiration and bowel movements

Here are some signs that you may not be getting enough water:

·         Backaches

·         Headaches

·         Digestive problems

·         Fatigue

·         Hunger

·         Sugar cravings

·         Confusion.

There is no substitute for water; Coffee, tea, soda, alcohol and energy drinks are not water!  They contain water, but they also contain dehydrating agents. These drinks will not replenish the water supply your body needs.

In your travels today try drinking a glass of water when you feel hungry, tired, have a headaches or a sugar craving. Have an 8oz glass of water first, before you eat, take a pain reliever or go for another cup of coffee, see how it makes you feel… I think you will be pleasantly surprised.