A Health Coach's Top Wellness Tips and Resources

A few weeks ago, I went to a lovely lunch hosted by the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, a health coach training program. We learned about the program from former students who are now successful health coaches and enjoyed a healthy meal. When they graciously offered that we go to a health coaching session to learn more about it, I immediately said yes. It was perfectly timed with my monthly challenge to Always Be Learning. I met with Lily Kunin, an Institute for Integrative Nutrition Certified Health Coach and founder of the website Clean Food Dirty City. We talked through my diet and exercise plan as well as my goals. Lily followed up with her favorite wellness resources and diet suggestions. This month I’ve been eating gluten-free and eliminated soy from my diet. I have so much more energy and my skin is so much clearer. I’ve also worked on adding more meditation, relaxation, and cardio into my daily routine. Good news if you’re thinking about seeing a health coach: The Institute of Integrative Nutrition is petitioning to have health coaching be covered similarly to other types of health-related appointments.

Here are a few of my top takeaways from meeting with Lily:

It takes 21 days for something to be eliminated from your system. If you are eliminating something (like soy or gluten) wait 21 days to see the impact. When you are doing any kind of elimination diet, write down how you feel along the way.
Start every day with filtered water and lemon.
Work towards one hour of relaxation a day.
Go to bed before 11 pm. Your cortisol levels increase after 11 pm making you more stressed…and less sleepy.
Make sure you are drinking plenty of water throughout the day – add lemon and a few pinches of Himalayan salt.
Sometimes you need to get the extra hour of sleep. Don’t stress too much if you don’t make it to the gym in the morning.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.
Set an alarm on your phone so you remember to go to bed on time!

And a few of Lily’s recommended yoga and meditation resources: