What is a Wellness Lifestyle Coach anyway?

by Liz Curran, Katz JCC’s Wellness Lifestyle Coach

I often get asked the question, what is a Wellness Lifestyle Coach and how do I know if I am ready to work with one?

Do any of these situations sound familiar…

• Have you struggled with weight challenges, your energy level, and overall temperament?
• Are you smart, seemingly capable of juggling 1000 things, look like you have it together, but deep down you’re secretly overwhelmed?
• Whatever you’ve tried, while it may have helped a little bit, the real problem is that nothing sticks, and you find yourself back at square one?

So, I ask the question…How did you get here?

I bet you’ve been trained to put everyone else front and center. And now you’re so capable that it’s become the norm to take on even more and ‘just keep swimming’.

And if that’s not enough, add on the current political climate, a family life, a relationship, and a demanding career. Let’s face it, you’ve got yourself the perfect recipe for putting yourself last every time.

How does all of this show up in your body?

The lack of sleep, weight gain, mental clutter, forgetfulness, physical exhaustion, and if it’s bad enough, feeling on edge and out of control.

In my coaching programs at the JCC, I start right where you are and customize action steps that fit YOU, your family, your time constraints, your preferences, your career and your personal life that help you get control over things. Together we create the tools to keep it that way.

What is a Wellness Lifestyle Coach anyway?

I like to describe it in simple terms… a Wellness Lifestyle Coach falls somewhere between a nutritionist and a therapist. While our academic backgrounds are different, I begin with my clients discussing nutrition and dietary habits, and at times, the conversation shifts to other areas of life where they may feel stuck, like career or relationships, that can result in creating obstacles that effect everything including our diet.

After obtaining two degrees in marketing and working in the corporate world, my passion for nutrition and health was born after dealing with some family health issues. During my one-year Nutrition Health Coaching certification program at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I learned over 100 different dietary theories and the pros and cons of each one. Everyone is different and there is no one size fits all diet.

Following my graduation, I began a private practice working with people who were seeking to combat every day anxiety through diet change. It is extremely powerful when we can make connections to our emotional state and our dietary patterns. Today one of the most useful connections my clients make is developing awareness of how their body is responding to their diet both physically and emotionally.

How can I work with Liz?

Currently, I am located in the Richard M. Klein Center for Wellness at Katz JCC where we offer a few options for Wellness Lifestyle Coaching programs to members, as well as the outside community including nutrition consultations (free to all JCC members), private and small group programs. For more information on these programs, please visit katzjcc.org/nutrition.

For more information about Wellness Lifestyle Coaching programs at the Katz JCC, please contact Liz at lcurran@jfedsnj.org or 856.424.4444 x1236.

[katz_pullquote color=”iris” align=”center” top_margin=”katz–section–margin-top–lg” bottom_margin=”katz–section–margin-bottom–lg”]“Before hiring Liz, I felt all over the place in my health goals. I felt like I was getting older and struggling more and more with my weight, sleep, making time to exercise and eat right and I desperately wanted to quit smoking. I didn’t know where to start, it was too overwhelming and all of this made me feel so anxious! By the end of working with her in a few short months, I’ve quit smoking, I now exercise regularly and I feel so much more positive and confident about taking on challenges and dealing with occasional diet slip ups.”[/katz_pullquote]