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Posts by Coach Beth Pruessner:

Coach Beth Book Recommendations

Fair Play, a must read.

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Let’s be honest. If you’ve been on social media at all since Christmas, it’s filled with memes and jokes about Moms/women not knowing what day it is, feeling exhausted from the holidays, just DONE. 

Much of the work that I do as a coach revolves around helping my clients to do their own internal work. Assessing and shifting thoughts, beliefs, habits and actions. Here’s the thing, while internal work is important, we also have to take into account the big picture of the environment that we live in. 

You can do all of the work in the world on yourself… and if your circumstances dictate that you are unbalanced in the responsibilities that you carry in your marriage or partnership, well, then – you can only get so far. 

You’ve probably heard some of these terms. Mental load, second shift, emotional labor, invisible work. All terms that try to describe the work that you do outside of your paid career (I’m including stay at home Moms). Things that cause the middle of the night panic, all of the school forms, doctors appointments, social schedules, bills, household maintenance, lets add in holiday planning, gift purchasing, decorating and on, and on, and on. 

In her book “Fair Play” Eve Rodsky validates all of this unseen labor and pulls back the layers on the many ways that it takes a toll on our lives. 

Eve’s evaluation is not a blame game. Regardless of if you have a super supportive and helpful partner or spouse, same-sex or heterosexual relationship, you still have likely fallen into a pattern that is unbalanced and leaving each of you in a place of unawareness, not fully understanding the responsibilities of the other. 

What does Eve suggest? She brilliantly uses her experience as a lawyer, wife and mother to evaluate everything, and I mean EVERYTHING as a process. 

The reason why we say, “it’s just easier to do it myself” is because each task is more than just a task. What Eve highlights is that each task is made up of three parts: conception, planning and execution. And it often is easier to just do the execution part yourself when you’ve already taken care of the conception and planning. (You’re not wrong).

In “Fair Play” Eve evaluates all of the family responsibilities and shows you how to structure conversations (on the regular) with your spouse/partner. She even ensures that you set ground rules/expectations (she calls it Minimum Standards of Care) for what needs to happen around each task.

This book is a game changer.

We all fall into patterns. The beautiful thing about Eves’ recommendations – is not that you have to try to make everything 50/50… that’s not the goal. Instead it provides the language and the framework for having these challenging conversations in a nuanced way with the love of your life. 

Eve’s book will help you take a discerning look at the everyday habits of your relationship and then decide as a couple how you’d like to shift those responsibilities until you decide to re-balance again. (See earlier reference to regular conversations).

If you’re interested in ordering – I’ll link to a few of my favorite Iowa City bookstores – Sidekick Coffee and Books and Prairie Lights. Enjoy!

Looking for more support around having these kinds of conversations? I can help! You and your relationships require regular care and maintenance. How often are you falling back on old habits or working on autopilot? Contact me if you’d like more information about my next program.

Coach Beth

It happens to me too.

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As I wrote these words a few short weeks ago, I was preparing to be photographed for updated headshots.

A mess of feelings have come up over the last several weeks. Feelings of inadequacy, fear, need to control. My face, my body – it doesn’t look the same in the year 2023 as it did in the year 2018, the last time I had professional photographs. 

5 years have come with a lot, and my body has lived it. A pandemic (aka anxiety, isolation, uncertainty), political strife, racial justice, physical injuries, family evolution – illnesses, growth and lots of change; MENOPAUSE (sorry, did I scream that?) I have said a few times over the past few years that it has felt as though my body has been revolting against me.

All of the same insecurities surface for me – even though professionally, I live in this world of body neutrality and intuitive eating. I literally coach other people on this very issue. I am not immune.

So how have I fought off those voices? 

The Judge that says that I am not enough, the Controller that says that maybe I should just do a couple more spin classes this week, the Stickler who tells me that I need to be a perfect version of myself in this specific situation, the Victim who says that if all of these aforementioned “issues” wouldn’t have happened I would be in such a better place. 

I practice every day, multiple times per day – catching those negative thoughts, intercepting them. I get out of my head and into my body. And then I choose differently. I choose empathy for myself and others. I choose to look at all of the gifts that I have been given through each of these changes. I CHOOSE to present the most authentic version of myself. No apologies, no shame, with pride and excitement for what I bring to the world. 

This authentic version? She still colors her hair and wears makeup (most of the time). She also stays in her PJ’s till 5 some days and doesn’t worry about it. She has moved into a space that listens to and respects her “right now” body. She eats bagels and sandwiches and whatever else and moves in a way that feels best for her body. She bought new clothes that fit her “right now” body. She goes to therapy, does things that scare her every week, and connects with her family and friends. She is so much more than a body or a face. She is empowered to be a force – live life to the fullest and be THAT example. 

Coach Beth Iowa City It's Time to Flip the Script

It’s Time to Flip the Script

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It’s time to flip the script, friends. Negative self-talk, body shaming and food shaming is bad for you and everyone else around you. 

Are you talkin’ to me?

This is a message to parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, friends and family. If you can’t do this work for yourself please consider doing it for someone else. There is likely a child, teen or another person in your life who is suffering from body shame right now. Consider your daily inner body and food critic. Now think about that same critic while using those same words towards your children and grandchildren, friends and colleagues. Ouch. 

It is not enough for you to tell those around you one thing (love and respect your body) while you say and do the opposite with your own. They notice how you call yourself fat or ugly and then internalize that these two things are synonymous. They watch as you restrict food or shame yourself when you “overeat.” They pay attention when you obsess over every calorie consumed and every pound lost or gained. 

In the last week alone I have had conversations with 5 separate people on 5 occasions – hearing about their children/teens suffering with body shame and disordered eating. It is devastating. The good news is that we have an opportunity to support and teach them in leading by example. 

Where do we start?

It can feel really overwhelming. Where do you even begin? I’ve got a few recommendations. Before proceeding, I want you to promise yourself to practice curiosity and compassion (no judgment, shame or guilt)

Start with self awareness. Notice every single time that you are critical of your body or make comments (in your head or out loud) about your food choices. Then start to make a change for yourself. For every critical/negative thought or comment make three positive or respectful comments about your body and/or food choices.

Notice your relationship with food. Bring in your curious anthropologist to observe your behavior. Are you mindful when eating (for the most part)? Are you eating while doing 10 other things? Are you really enjoying your food? Are you trying to ignore the hunger cues and pushing through your busy work day in an effort to curb calories?

Notice with curiosity, not judgment. Real life example: Right before sitting down to write this I was literally sitting at my computer, searching for online files, doing a virtual chat with an online credit card assistant while listening with earbuds to a zoom webinar and eating kettle corn. DON’T JUDGE. There’s a lot for my anthropologist to make note of!

You’ve got this!

This is where we begin. We start small and we start with ourselves. Email me to tell me about what you’ve noticed this week. I want to hear about your wins and your challenges. Next week we’ll explore next steps that you can use. You have an opportunity to be the change for yourself and for others around you. I’m gonna help you get there!

XOXO,

Coach Beth

Anticipating Unwanted Comments

Anticipating and Responding to Unwanted Comments

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Most of us are happy to be able to gather with family and friends this year, and also there is an anticipation and anxiety around unwanted, unrequested and inappropriate comments. Comments about your looks, your body, your food choices.

While we can’t control what others say to us, we do have control over how we choose to respond. There is no right or wrong way – it’s really based on what feels right for you.

First let’s talk about your response to the person who is making  the unwanted comment.

  • You may choose to ignore the comment and meet them with a blank stare (this can be a great tool for making them realize their mistake without you having to say a word).
  • You may choose to walk away without addressing the comment.
  • You may be more direct in acknowledging their comment and setting boundaries.
  • If the person continues, especially if they defend their comment as being “concerned about your health” you have the right to reinforce your boundaries or walk away.
  • You are the ONLY person who knows your hunger, fullness and satisfaction levels. You can choose to eat if you are hungry, and you can choose to eat if you’re full. Either way, it is your choice.

Next let’s talk about your own emotional response to their comments.

  • If you can, take a minute to write down or think about some of the hurtful comments that have been made to you. Take some time to acknowledge the pain, anxiety or any other feeling that came up as a result of the comments.
  • What was your response in the past? Did you tend to rebel and eat more out of anger and resentment? Did you set a boundary that worked for you? Was it all that you could do to just leave the situation?
  • Take a minute to think about how you would like to respond if/when this happens again. How do you want to feel?

I know that this is hard to think about and even harder to do. It may be worth writing out a letter – especially if there is one person who constantly makes inappropriate and unwanted comments. As you consider how you want to handle this, I have no doubt that you will come up with your own best way to set boundaries for yourself and in turn teach others how to do so for themselves. You don’t have to be bullied. You can trust yourself to make your own best choices around your food and your body. You’ve got this.

With Gratitude,
Coach Beth

On Fire

It’s Getting Hot In Here

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Let’s talk menopause and perimenopause. It’s a hot topic (I KNOW, I couldn’t refuse). And it’s waaaay more than just hot flashes. 

I am not an expert on this. This is me sharing my experience, and inviting you to take a compassionate look at what may be happening within your body. If you are in your mid to late 40’s or early 50’s you may be starting to experience some things that feel “off” to you. My hope is that once you start to identify these things as a normal change, you’ll be able to better listen to your body and stop trying to fight it. 

For me, this started a few years ago. I found myself feeling like my body was literally rebelling against me and I had no idea why. It turns out that I was experiencing all sorts of common symptoms related to perimenopause. I went from everything going swimmingly, not taking any medication to holy shit, what in the hell is happening?! 

All of these things can be related to peri-menopause. I am certain that I didn’t learn about this in nursing school and I also know that I didn’t get the rundown of what to expect when I first started asking my doctor about this. Here’s a short list of what you might expect:

Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, insomnia (hello 3 am wake-up for no apparent reason), constipation, urinary urgency, urinary leakage when sneezing or coughing (as a woman who has never given birth I could NOT figure out why this was happening to me), constipation (I would have loved a heads up on this one), mood swings (let’s talk about rage – oof), fatigue, lower sex drive, vaginal dryness or discomfort during sex, oh and did I mention hot flashes and night sweats – like soak through all of your clothes, have to change your sheets kind of night sweats. I’m going to go ahead and add joint mobility issues – which I can’t find much data on but am pretty sure are related to all of these changes. And the big one that everyone fights – weight gain. 

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list – and every person’s experience is different. You may experience some, none or all of these things. Also note that they generally come at a time when you’re at the height of your professional career (or at least IN it), you may have snarky and moody teens and your parents may be aging and needing more support. So if you feel overwhelmed, exhausted and frustrated please remember that you have every right to feel that way!

What can you do?

  • Seek out professional guidance from your healthcare provider. Advocate for yourself until you find something that works. There are prescription and over the counter medications that can help alleviate many of these symptoms.
  • Listen to your body. If you were up all night you likely need more sleep. Take the sleep. Other things can wait. 
  • Wear layers during the day and invest in a ceiling fan above your bed. Ok the ceiling fan is optional but super helpful.
  • If you can afford it, buy clothes that fit your right-now-body better. Find things that you feel comfortable in and stop trying to squeeze your body into clothes that don’t fit and aren’t comfortable. 
  • Take it easy on yourself. Find things that bring you a little peace and joy and see if you can figure out a way to sprinkle them into your daily life.
  • Read, listen to podcasts and talk to friends! This blog post was brought to you by my book club recommendation ‘What Fresh Hell Is This?’ by Heather Corinna Click here for the Amazon link. I also have been listening to “The Midlife Feast” podcast Click here for a link to the Podcast homepage which addresses all things menopause/perimenopause with the host who is also an Intuitive Eating Counselor. 

Be kind to yourself, adjust routines and treatments as needed. Share this and other information with your friends and remind them that they are normal and there are treatments for many of these new and unpleasant symptoms. 

All my sweaty, moody best – XOXO,

Coach Beth

Weight Neutral Health Care

Weight Neutral Healthcare

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You have the right to healthcare without being shamed regardless of your body shape, size or weight.

Have you ever had the experience of going to your doctor with a health concern and then instead of addressing the health concern that you’re there to address, the health care professional confronts you about your weight? If this has happened to you, you are not alone. You may have believed that this was acceptable, that you were to blame, that you needed the prodding to lose weight. Wrongola. Not true. It’s what you have been led to believe via diet culture and the weight bias that is built into our health care. ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health) explains this well, “health exists on a continuum that varies with time and circumstance for each individual. Health should be conceived as a resource or capacity available to all regardless of health condition or ability level, and not as an outcome or objective of living.” I invite you to read more about this on their website. https://asdah.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach/ Additionally, if you’d like to learn more about weight neutral approach to various chronic diseases, check out these HAES Health Sheets https://haeshealthsheets.com/the-health-sheet-library/

How many of you have neglected going to the doctor because you didn’t want to be shamed about your weight? I’m sorry to say that I have heard this many times from my clients. It doesn’t have to be this way. You have the right to receive care wherever you are on the health continuum and regardless of your weight. You have the right to ask to not be weighed and to have health care goals that are not based around weight or weight loss. Take a look at these printable resources to take to your next appointment https://haeshealthsheets.com/resources/

Research supports health goals that are not weight based to improve your health. This can be things like improving sleep, spending time in nature, taking steps to decrease your stress. This type of care is based on the principle of Health at Every Size (or HAES) https://asdah.org/health-at-every-size-haes-approach/ 

To everyone out there who has lived this, I am so sorry that you’ve had to experience this. Your worth is not dependent on your weight. I will continue to advocate for you – to connect you with HAES aligned providers and to push back, educate and work to reform the healthcare system to a weight neutral system.

If you have questions or want to talk more about this, please reach out! Send me an email, contact me via my website. You are worth it. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many awesome clients. Hoping that this brings you support and/or something to think about in a way that might be new for you. Here are some additional resources:

Books:

‘Anti-Diet’ by Christy Harrison

‘The Obesity Paradox’ by Carl Lavie and Kristin Loberg

‘Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fatphobia’ by Sabrina Strings

‘Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight’ by Lindo Bacon 

Podcasts:

The Eatfluencer Podcast

The Midlife Feast

What the Actual Fork

Food Psych 

Maintenance Phase

 

XOXO,

Coach Beth

Body-Respect-Blog_Coach-Beth-Iowa-City

Body Respect

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I was talking with friends recently about planning for vacation. Someone asked if I was worried about not being in the best shape to be able to take photos (or only take them from the chest up). I’m certain that this wasn’t said with hurtful intent – it’s just what we hear as the “diet culture” undertones in our day to day conversation. Still, it caught me off guard. I have been working so hard on my own body acceptance over the past several years. My first thought in response to that question was no – I’m not worried about how my body will look in photos or in swimsuits. I am thinking about the memories that my family will make while taking the first family vacation that we will have had in years. I’m thinking that this will be our last family vacation before my son goes off to college.  I am not at all worried about what I’ll eat, if I’ll gain weight on vacation, or if I’ll feel comfortable in my suit. 

I have been working at practicing what I preach. (Or at least what I coach). If you don’t know me personally you may not know that I have had one injury after another over the past few years. My habits changed significantly. Pre-pandemic I was a person who was super active. But when the pandemic hit I started having injuries. I could no longer exercise – or it would be intermittent and infrequent. Often the most I could do was my PT exercises and stretching. Needless to say – my body changed! I gained some weight and my body just overall changed shape.

Additionally, I am in the throes of midlife hormonal changes – which means hot flashes, night sweats and not a lot of sleep. Add that to a pandemic, some significant life challenges (illnesses, traumatic injury and deaths of family members and close friends), parenting two teens, and the general angst surrounding the social injustices and the state of the world – and you have a body that is under a lot of stress! 

Luckily – this is my jam. This is what I talk to people about each day. Body respect. Though it has not always been easy, I followed my own advice. I haven’t weighed myself since I don’t know when. I put away clothes that didn’t fit me and bought a few clothing items that I really liked that fit and compliment my “right now” body. I stopped “body checking” – looking at myself in the mirror and wishing for something else or negatively commenting on what I saw. I made the decision to continue to trust my body – to eat when hungry, eat the food that was satisfying for me and to stop when full (most of the time). I decided that if I was going to look in the mirror I would only allow kind and respectful self-comments. 

I finally (knock on wood) have been able to consistently get back to doing some of the exercise that I was doing pre-injury and it feels so good. Plus I am just generally a nicer person and I sleep better when moving my body regularly. I have a newfound appreciation for my body and its ability to adapt and change. I have respect for the body that carried me through the challenging past couple of years. 

Let me ask you a question. Do you expect your life to be the same next year? How about in three months? Is your life the same as it was 10 years ago? No? Then why would you expect that your body would look the same over time, not age, not change size or shape over time?

So many of us have this fight with our body – expecting it to stay the same (or pushing for it to not change) as we go through transitions in our lives. It doesn’t have to be that way.

If you are struggling with accepting your “right now” body, here are some things that you can do to stop the shame and judgment and replace it with respect and kindness.

  1. Stop body checking. Pay attention to how often you look at your reflection in the mirror or a window and make negative comments about yourself.
  2. Put away or donate clothes that don’t fit your “right now” body. If they aren’t comfortable and you don’t feel confident in them – put them away somewhere that you aren’t looking at them every day. 
  3. If you have the financial means – buy a few items of clothing that feel comfortable and make you feel confident. One of the best tips from Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, author’s of Intuitive Eating, is to try on clothes facing away from the mirror. Move around in them, sit down, decide if you like how they feel. If they feel comfortable, then turn around and take a look at yourself in the mirror and decide if you like how they look. 
  4. Put away your scale. (I know, I heard you gasp). It is not helping you! It’s causing further disconnect from your own body cues – AND you don’t need it. You won’t all of the sudden gain a ton of weight if you don’t watch the numbers every day.
  5. Do you hear that self-critical voice in your head? Start paying attention to how loud that voice is. Just notice how often you are critical and judgmental of yourself. Once you get good at noticing that voice, start to challenge it – even saying “STOP” out loud if you have to. If you can’t yet replace it with kind or positive things – at least transition to body-neutral comments. 
  6. Check your diet-culture influences. Un-follow them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, podcasts or wherever else you linger. Then start finding body-positive influencers.

If you are struggling with respecting your body – contact me! Send me a message through my website, message me on Facebook or Instagram. I want to help you get to a place of peace and respect for your body. 

XOXO,

Coach Beth

My-Why-with-Beth-Pruessner_Coach-Beth-Iowa-City-Coaching-Blog

My “Why”

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January always feels exciting to me. I think of all of my goals and I get really excited for my work with you. It is truly my pleasure to be by your side as you learn about Intuitive Eating and how to practice it in your life.  

In my practice as a nurse I have a background in oncology and hospice. If you learn one thing in that line of work – it’s that we cannot take our health – or our time on earth – for granted.

As a health coach, prior to practicing Intuitive Eating I just felt this rub. I felt like people were coming to confession to tell me about what they did right or wrong, asking for forgiveness and feeling guilty if they got “off track.” No fault to them mind you – that is the model that is traditionally set up around health coaching- which I followed. Then one day I listened to a podcast featuring Evelyn Tribole, one of the authors of the Intuitive Eating book. It instantly clicked for me. 

After lots of research and continuing education (as well as my own questioning of everything that I know about health and nutrition – let’s not forget that small point) I learned that we have all been duped by diet culture. We are told that if we eat a certain way and exercise like crazy that our bodies will change – and the weight will come off. Well, surprise, your body is smarter than that. When we restrict our food intake we are biologically driven to eat. AND our body recognizes that food was restricted and so it stores extra calories as a protective measure in case that restriction happens again. So in effect you may lose weight but you will likely gain it all back and more.

The good news is that when you practice Intuitive Eating – really listening to your own body, acknowledging and dismissing the unhelpful diet culture and food police voices in your head – you are able to really free up space to live your life. Let me say that again. You get to LIVE your life.  And this – for me – is where it comes full circle. You can make peace with food. You can learn how to respect and accept your “right now” body. Your weight will eventually normalize to what is right for you. Think about it. What would you do with that extra time and energy?

Life is too precious to obsess and worry about every little thing that you eat, how much you weigh, and if you got the exact right amount of exercise. You have other options and I’m here to help you figure it out! 

For more information about Intuitive Eating please visit www.intuitiveeating.org. Or you can check out the book or audiobook from your local library. 

Coach Beth Pruessner Iowa City Lets Talk Goals

Girl Scout Cookies and “Never Have I Ever”

It was Friday night. I was making a quick stop at the grocery store to pick up some odds and ends for dinner. It was a run in and run out kind of trip.

I walked through the front door and was greeted by two Girl Scouts and their mothers who were selling Girl Scout cookies. You can imagine my delight as I had JUST been lamenting the fact that I had not bought any Girl Scout cookies this year. Usually we know someone who is selling them. But not this year. I proceeded to buy six boxes of my favorite cookies, three boxes of Thin Mints (best eaten after they’ve been frozen for a few hours; you’re welcome) and three boxes of Samoas (you know, those chocolate, carmel, coconut bites of deliciousness). I finished up grabbing my groceries and headed home.

Once home, we ate dinner. After dinner we got up to clear the table and put everything away. My son who is sixteen and just finished his first week of track popped open a box of Samoas (see earlier reference to chocolate, carmel, coconut bites of deliciousness). He proceeded to eat at least four of them in about 2 bites. I continued to put away the dishes, noticing that I was full from dinner and not at all interested in having a Girl Scout cookie.

This is the part where I say, “Never Have I Ever” been around an open box of Girl Scout cookies and not eaten at least three or probably more like six or eight of them. I mean really. For my entire life I  have had dinner immediately followed by dessert. But on Friday night, even after the entire kitchen was clean and I sat down to watch a movie, I was full and satisfied. I knew that there were plenty of cookies and that I could eat one or two or six or eight later if and when I really wanted to.

What changed for me? I have been practicing Intuitive Eating for a little over a year now. I practice Intuitive Eating just like I practice yoga. Some days I am able to eat intuitively-honoring my hunger and feeling my fullness. Some days I eat past the point of fullness and I don’t do so well at listening to my own body cues. In my yoga practice, some days my breath and body movements are in alignment and some days it all feels like a struggle.

My experience both personally and professionally is that one of the most difficult pieces of Intuitive Eating is learning how to be patient with yourself. It is hard to learn how to listen to your own body cues and be compassionate rather than judgmental. You can intellectually understand the ten principles of Intuitive Eating – that part is pretty easy. Getting your body to believe that you actually can have the Girl Scout cookie whenever you want comes with days, weeks, months, even years of allowing yourself to eat according to your own body, palate and satisfaction.

My new normal? I eat a cookie or two or three if I want to. It still takes  work to feel my fullness rather than eating until my plate is clean. I practice listening to my body and eating according to my own hunger, fullness and satisfaction. I no longer restrict what I eat. I exercise because I feel great and love it – not because I am working off calories. In fact I don’t even look at calories anymore. If this sounds impossible to you, I understand. You and I have been immersed in a diet culture that tells us that we can’t trust our own bodies. I have data and lived experience to say otherwise.

If you are tired of the same old cycle of restricting followed by overeating; of shaming yourself for eating too much or not exercising enough; if you feel like you are not enough and you are a failure – you’re wrong. You are enough. You haven’t failed. Diet culture has failed you. If you are ready to make the change, give me a call, send me an email, send me a text. Whatever works for you. I will help teach you the tools of Intuitive Eating. Together we’ll work through how to implement them in your life. You are worth it.

XOXO,

Coach Beth

Coach Beth Pruessner Iowa City Change Is Coming

Change Is Coming

When life gets crazy, there are some people who want to talk it all out and then there are some people who get introspective and maybe don’t have much to say at all.

I am the latter.

Over the past six months, I have been busy studying, listening, and reading. During this time, I have been fortunate to have continued employment and my family has remained healthy. My heart is heavy for those suffering in our country and in the world as a result of the pandemic.

But it turns out, I do have something that I’m ready to say.

What I would like to tell you is that in this tiny corner of the world, change is coming.

Change is coming to my practice as a health and life coach. I am on a path to become a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and I cannot wait to teach you all that I have learned.

Intuitive Eating is a dynamic, mind-body integration of instinct, emotion, and rational thought. It is a personal process of honoring your health by paying attention to the messages of your body and meeting your physical and emotional needs. 

Let me simplify the message of Intuitive Eating even further: Intuitive Eating is about listening to and trusting yourself and your body.

The concept behind Intuitive Eating resonates with me. Everything about this way of life makes sense to me as a coach, as a nurse, as a woman, and as a human being, which is why I am so excited to incorporate this new approach to health into my work as a coach.

If you are shaking your head right now and saying there is no way that you can be trusted around the bread and the cookies and the insert-your-most-feared-food-here, I am here to tell you that you can.

Here’s why.

The idea that we all need to eat a certain way and exercise a certain amount? The notion that we have to look a certain way in order to be healthy? It’s wrong. All of it.

Diet culture is deeply embedded in our society, in research, and in the information that is put forward in the name of science. I don’t have to tell you about all of the different diets that are out there. Even things that may sound benign such as “clean eating” are actually diet culture in disguise.

By contrast, Intuitive Eating is an evidenced-based approach to health guided by 10 Principles geared towards self-care. Intuitive Eating has a validated assessment tool that is HAES (Health At Every Size) aligned and is supported by over 125 studies that reflect its benefit. The 10 Principles are just that. They aren’t rules; they are principles designed to guide you with curiosity and compassion.

Join me and re-learn how to listen to and respect your body. Let’s work together so that you can find balance and enjoyment in eating and in movement. I want to work with you to help you accept yourself and your body. Let’s stop trying to change or shame ourselves into being something we aren’t.

Stay tuned for changes to the website. In the meantime, I continue to meet virtually with clients and would love to talk with you about how and why Intuitive Eating can be part of your life.

As Oprah says, “When you know better, you do better.” That is what I know we can do!

XOXO,

Coach Beth

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