Focusing inwards

Believe it or not, self-care is a constant struggle for Health Coaches but is something that is tremendously important. How can you help others if you're out of balance yourself? What lessons can you share from personal experience to inspire and motivate the people around you if you haven't overcome your own struggles?

It is great that you've taken the bold step to try Dr. Amy Myers' protocol. It will help you further tune in to your body, listen to your thyroid, experiment more with cooking, and explore how you respond to dietary discipline. 

One thing I forgot to ask, did you have a blood test before embarking on this 30 day journey? In addition to simply seeing how you feel, it would be a good idea to compare your blood test results before and after this experiment to see if there is a change that affects your Hashimotos.

Don't forget self care

Great things are happening!

It's so wonderful to see you making such great progress, in both maintaining your own health and launching your business! Not only are you starting to work with clients but I can really hear your confidence growing as you go through this process. Just you watch, you're going to have to turn clients away because you're so busy!

For the next couple of weeks continue working with your practice clients and allow that process to guide your learning. Take gradual steps to make those website updates as well, and stay active on social media - not so much that it rules your life of course, but enough to stay at the forefront of people's minds that this is what you're passionate about.

Since it sounds like you're moving at a great pace and don't need additional resources at this time, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite books in the health/wellness/inspiration realm. 

You're a fellow book-lover like myself so I thought you'd appreciate these (sorry if you've already read them!).

Inspirational/spiritual:

• The Desire Map
• E-Squared
• The Book of Awakening
• You Can Heal Your Life
• Frequency
• The 7 Spiritual Laws of Success 
• The Power of Kindness
• The Untethered Soul
• Daring Greatly

Mental health:

Almost open for business

Nicole, after meeting you I'm even more certain that you have everything it takes to make an incredible Health Coach. Honestly, you are doing everything right and it's just a matter of gaining the confidence and experience of helping others explore their own journey towards wellness, so you're definitely on the right track!

Let's start with the health component of your goals. It's great to hear that you're staying committed with avoiding gluten. As I thought back on how I said that it took me months of easing in to being gluten-free I realized that there is one big difference between me at that point and you now, which is that I didn't have a Health Coach! At the time, I was trying to navigate this on my own and didn't have a lot of support or inspiration to guide me through so it simply took longer, which is ok. But I hope that having the motivation and guidance of a wellness partner, as well as the friends you've made in the IIN community and your own wonderfully accepting friends and family are all making it much more manageable. So let's keep it up and kick gluten to the curb.

Here are some of the foods where it could be unexpectedly hiding, so be extra careful with these foods:

• Soy sauce (unless it is gluten-free, but either way it's soy so I would avoid it entirely - coconut aminos are a good substitute though)
• Worcestershire sauce - often used in cooking beef, stews, steak, and other meat dishes
• Other sauces and marinades - definitely be careful in restaurants and ask!
• Seitan - considered a vegan/vegetarian protein, this is literally pure gluten
• Processed meat - things like sausage, hot dogs, salami, deli meats use gluten as fillers
• Hydrolyzed plant protein or textured vegan protein - this doesn't even sound like real food but just in case you encounter such things, avoid them
• Creamy soups - these often contain flour to make them so creamy
• Things that are "wheat-free" - this does not mean the same as gluten-free
• Vitamins - sometimes, as always just read the labels carefully

Here are some of the other food-related things we talked about:

Fresh start for a new year

Hi Nicole, it is so great to see you progressing with avoiding gluten and getting your blog started. I think 2015 is going to be a great year for you!

Gluten

Continue with avoiding gluten as much as possible and, if you have to, go out of your way to avoid it. Meaning if you're going out to eat with friends then check ahead to make sure the restaurant has gluten-free options. Ask the waiters if you're not sure and change your menu choice if there's any uncertainty. Also be sure to read labels when shopping and look for the words gluten-free on the label for anything that's packaged. Most of the time being gluten-free isn't too hard these days but it does take persistence and motivation to maintain it. Imagine your thyroid smiling and saying thank you when you eat a meal you're 100% certain is gluten free!

The app I mentioned that shows you gluten-free restaurants wherever you are is called Find Me Gluten Free, looks like it's only for iPhone but that's their website so you can still check it on the go or from home.

Nuts