Your Questions, Answered

While there is no “healthiest” way to lose weight, there are a variety of ways to go about losing weight in a healthy manner. The most tried and true approach is through a whole foods-based diet, while following the guideline of “burn more calories than you consume”.

Everyone is different, and we all have different definitions of “safety” as it pertains to your individual health. This is why it’s important to work with a licensed health coach after speaking with a medical professional to gauge where your health baseline is at now.

This can be frustrating. It seems like you’re doing everything right but not seeing results. Often times, people fail to look at the whole picture. They cross off nutrition, but they don’t check the boxes when it comes to monitoring physical activity, stress, and sleep. This is why it can benefit you to work with a licensed coach to uncover those obstacles you may be overlooking.

To properly answer this question, we need to identify a diet as the more commonly used “crash diet” approach. These crash diets are usually centered around losing weight quickly. They will often work, but they are not typically sustainable or “healthy”. The best diet is the one you can do consistently and honors your body’s nutritional needs.

Well, that question is a lot like trying to live paycheck to paycheck without a budget. You can try to wing it, but ultimately if you want to see sustainable results, you’ll need to figure out where your baseline is at the start. And the best way to do that is by counting your calories…

Weight loss is a very general term and we often associate it with always being healthy. In reality, you can lose weight eating pretty much anything, as long as you burn more calories than you consume. You may not end up with the body composition you desire or be in the best health, but you will see weight drop.

You don’t want to handcuff yourself by limiting everything “unhealthy” when trying to lose weight, but there are foods that are definitely not conducive to losing weight. Those foods are usually grouped into the “high-energy, ultra-palatable” food category. Those are foods with high calories, low nutrient density, and feel good in your mouth when you eat them. Think of things like chips, candy, pretzels, boxed crackers. Typically, these foods are high in trans fats to preserve shelf life, and are scientifically engineered to taste good.

This is another broad question, and the number varies based upon many individual factors. Protein is the most important macronutrient to “get right”. When losing weight, it’s important to preserve muscle and maintain your body’s natural processes in order to function, and protein is key. Work with a licensed coach to help you determine your individual number.

The short answer is yes. However, you may not look or feel the way you want to, and your health may decline because of it. Burn more calories than you consume and you will lose weight. But exercise is so important to your health that any movement you can do will benefit your health tremendously.

We all eat emotionally, believe it or not. We eat when we’re happy, sad, bored, angry, you name it. The first step is recognition. Understand your cravings and the feelings associated with it. It helps to work with a health coach to track these feelings and see if you’re going through something many others have also gone through. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists, and if you feel you need that support, you need to reach out accordingly.

A balanced diet may look different for everyone. Precision Nutrition uses hand-sized guides to assess what portions look like and how many to incorporate onto your plate. For example, a portion of protein is the size of your palm, a portion of vegetables is the size of your fist, a portion of carbs is the amount in your cupped hand, and a portion of fats is the size of your thumb. A “healthy” meal may consist of 1-2 palms of protein, 1-2 cupped handfuls of carbs, 1-2 fists of vegetables, and 1-2 thumbs of healthy fats.

Whole foods are foods that have been minimally processed. “Processing” is this sense is altering the food in any way from its original source. Think things like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Lean meat, while technically “processed” (as it’s been cut from the animal and potentially frozen to store or transport") is an example of a minimally processed food that may be essential to a well-rounded, whole foods diet.

Processed foods typically will contain things like added sodium, sugars, or trans fats to promote shelf life. These things, in turn, make the food more palatable and cost effective, driving us to buy and consume more of these, leading to empty calories and nutrient deficiencies. Whole foods are more nutrient-dense, meaning your body gets more of what it needs from the calories you consume.

The amount depends on various factors like age, activity, climate, etc., but most healthy adults will need anywhere from 11.5-15.5 cups (2.7 to 3.7 liters) of water per day.

Mindful eating can be many things. It can mean paying attention to your feelings while you’re eating, to understand how you feel before, during, and after each bite. It can also mean setting your fork down between bites to emphasize eating slowly instead of shoveling food in as fast as you can. It can also mean eating until you’re 80% full, not stuffed, as your body’s signals for satiety can take time to kick in.

Some of the best ways to eat healthier on a budget would be to prep meals in advance by buying whole grains and meat in bulk, cooking, portioning, and freezing for later, and planning out meals in advance.

The key to this is planning, preparation, and portioning. Utilize snack containers, ziploc bags, and other means of storage for quick grab and go snacks like nuts, dried fruit, or prepped, refrigerated lunches.

Try to opt for whole foods items like fruits, nuts, and seeds. They may not be as appealing as grabbing that quick bag of goldfish crackers, but they are far more nutrient-dense and your body will thank you.

This is a highly individualized question. Work with a licensed health coach to help you determine what your schedule is like, what your energy needs are, and what your budget looks like.

It depends on who you ask. Again, this is a very individualized question that can have many different answers. Work with a licensed health coach to determine your energy needs and your satiety levels throughout the day.

This often depends on your age, sex, and activity level throughout the day. What are your goals? Are you trying to lose weight, lose fat, gain weight, gain muscle, or maintain your weight and muscle? Work with a licensed health coach to figure out where you need to be.

The best sources of protein are the ones you can sustainably and consistently eat. For me, I prefer lean meats like chicken and turkey, and red meats like beef. There are many sources of protein including nuts, seeds, dairy products, and even protein powder supplements.

Of course. Protein powder is a supplement, meaning its use is for filling protein gaps in your diet. You can source your protein from foods entirely and build muscle.

Too much of anything can be bad for you. If you’re not watching your protein intake and you consume far more than your body needs, you’ll often have quite a bit of digestive discomfort and weight gain, since protein still contains calories. If you’re finding it difficult to track, work with a licensed health coach to figure out where you need to be according to your goals.

This is extremely dependent on your age and activity level. Work with a health coach to determine what your goals are and where you need to be at to achieve those goals. Remember, losing weight is different from losing fat and gaining weight is different than gaining muscle.

This is extremely dependent on your age and activity level. Work with a health coach to determine what your goals are and where you need to be at to achieve those goals. Remember, losing weight is different from losing fat and gaining weight is different than gaining muscle.

There could be a multitude of factors at play here. It’s possible to sleep 8 hours and not have quality sleep. It’s possible that other aspects of your life are causing your fatigue to increase, such as physical activity, stress, mental load, or your physical environment. Consult with a licensed health coach for guidance, or a medical professional for diagnosis or treatment.

According to the CDC, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep a night. But needs vary based on age, sex, and level of activity.

One of the most impactful influencers on our sleep quality is our screen time. It’s nearly impossible to eliminate screens, but limiting and even stopping screen time an hour before bed can be a good option to improve sleep quality. There are other ways as well, so it’s a good idea to work with a licensed health coach to help you out.

It can be frustrating to wake up frequently throughout the night. It happens to me quite often. There are many disruptions at play here, ranging from phone notifications to light changes, and sometimes our kids and spouses waking us up. Work with a health coach for a proper sleep environment evaluation.

Everyone is different, but low stimulation activities before bed like reading, journaling, stretching, or meditating can help prepare your body for shut-down mode.

A healthy bedtime routine is one that you can do consistently and sustainably and leaves you feeling refreshed the next day. People will typically stop screen time an hour or so before bed, meditate, stretch, read, or journal, and spend meaningful time with their partners or spouses.

Although it can be difficult, and I am bad at doing this too, yes, it can be very beneficial to limit or stop screen time before bed. The earlier the better, but try to stop screen time an hour before bed.

Yes, significantly. I love caffeine and there’s nothing better than a morning (or mid-afternoon) coffee to get your energy up. Complete elimination of caffeine in your bloodstream can take 10-12 hours, meaning if you go to bed at 10pm, you may have needed to stop your caffeine intake before noon. Caffeine affects total sleep time and sleep quality.

Sometimes alcohol can help you fall asleep quicker, but the downside comes when the alcohol is metabolized and causes a “rebound effect” that fragments sleep, increases awakenings, and shifts the body into lighter sleep stages, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Your REM sleep, in turn, is affected, which is essential for memory, learning, emotional regulation, and feeling rested.

Exercise can regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety, which are two of the main factors that negatively influence sleep time and quality.

Yes. Lack of sleep can cause us to feel more impulsive and more sensitive to hunger. This can lead to grabbing the bag of treats or chips out of the cupboard and eating without thinking. It can also cause us to be less focused on our goals and more focused on surviving the day, which leads to short-term thinking and a tendency to lean towards instant gratification.

Yes! Feeling more refreshed can cause us to feel more focused on our long-term goals. It’s also reflected in our body’s signaling for hunger and satiety. Sleeping longer and better allows your body to enhance its reset and recover processes.

Convenience, impulsivity, and stress. When we’re tired, we rely on external factors to make us feel better and awake. Our body signals that we’re hungry and we need calories and energy to survive, so we go for the most caloric dense foods, which often times are your boxed or bagged treats that you can eat endlessly without getting full.

Believe it or not, but stress can be a good thing. But chronic stress is not. And chronic stress can manifest itself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Many times, people will have poor sleep quality, digestive problems, persistent fatigue, mood swings, physical aches, trouble concentrating, social withdrawal, and increased substance use. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists, so often times chronic stress can mean underlying issues that need to be worked through with a professional.

Absolutely. Stress can cause emotional eating and poor sleep, which can catch you in a vicious loop of "bad” habits. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Definitely. One of the signs of chronic stress is digestive issues. Stress hormones can disrupt normal digestive processes. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Stress and anxiety can affect total sleep time and sleep quality. It can make it harder to fall asleep and increase your likelihood of waking up. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

There are many ways to reduce stress, and a lot of it will be determined by your schedule and environment. Exercise, meditation, stretching, breathing exercises, journaling, and many other similar activities have shown to be effective ways to reduce stress. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Doing things like exercising, meditating, journaling, stretching, and making dedicated time for stressful and anxious thoughts can help you manage your stress. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Exercise helps reset your natural sleep-wake cycles, which can improve your sleep time and quality, in turn, helping reduce stress. Exercise is also good for your mood, as it can be a healthy distraction, improve your self-esteem, confidence, and resilience, and trigger the release of endorphins to elevate your mood. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Sometimes life has its way of kicking us while we’re down and it’s common to feel overwhelmed. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

Recovery can mean your body’s ability to repair and rebuild muscles after exercise, restore energy levels, and complete its natural reset process through sleep. Mentally, recovery can mean one’s ability to process, handle, and manage stress, anxiety, and overwhelming feelings, instead of pushing them aside.

There is no progress without recovery. You can’t get stronger without rebuilding muscle. You can’t keep exercising without restoring your energy levels. You can’t keep trudging forward mentally without addressing your stressful and anxious thoughts and feelings.

Physical signs of poor recovery can include increased soreness, aches and pains, consistent fatigue, and frequent sickness. Mental signs of poor recovery can include bad moods, irritability, cognitive fog, and lack of motivation.

Sleep! Resting is essential to recover physically and mentally. You also need to take care to replenish your body with essential nutrients. Identifying stressors, making social connections, and learning healthy coping strategies can help you recover mentally. Work with a health coach to identify your stressors and strategies to work through them. Consult a medical professional or a therapist if you are looking for a diagnosis or treatment. Health coaches are not medical professionals or therapists.

I get it, you’re busy. We all are. So, the best ways to recover are to handle the big ones: sleep, diet, exercise, and mental flexibility. Often times it can be too much to handle on your own, that’s why health coaches exist.

Active recovery is considered low-intensity movement. Some of the benefits of this include improved circulation, joint mobility and flexibility, stress reduction, and injury prevention. Active recovery activities include walking, swimming, yoga, or stretching, all at a low intensity.

When is the last time you evaluated your sleep quality, diet, activity level, mental load, or physical environment? Chances are that your answer is lying somewhere in there. Work with a health coach to help identify those obstacles and roadblocks to feeling refreshed.

We live in an age of stress and convenience. We want something quick, cheap, and easy. Oftentimes, the bad foods we eat or the bad habits we start, are just a coping mechanism to solve a problem. We feel bad, so we fill our void with food that tastes good (which is usually highly palatable, but low in nutrients and high in calories). We numb our social anxieties with substances so it isn’t as painful to endure a new, awkward interaction. It’s quick and easy and solves our problem, temporarily. Healthy habits are often inconvenient, expensive, and can cause you to stand out from others coping through unhealthy habits. Health coaches can help you along your journey and connect you with people who are in a similar transitional period in their lives.

The common misconception is that people wait for motivation to get started and take action. The reality is small actions create motivation, and more importantly, momentum. Daily small actions keep you progressing towards your goal.

Easier said than done but find people who can hold you accountable and promote healthy habits. A friend, a partner, a spouse, a health coach. These are all people who can be there every step of the way as you move through this transition in life.

The short answer: you’re trying to do too much. People feel this inclination to change their lives, so they change everything they can and go all out for a week or two, then fall back into the same rhythm. This is usually unsustainable. Small actions create momentum. Figure out what your goal is and make one small change that can help you achieve it. Once that has become ingrained in your life, make another small change, and repeat the process.

That’s where a health coach comes in. This is their job. They can help you assess and evaluate every aspect of your busy life in order to help create a routine that works for you and is sustainable.

One. Small. Action. Daily. - Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Do one thing today that promotes your health. You don’t have to wake up at 4am, go to the gym, eat 200g of protein, read a book, journal your feelings, cut out all junk food, cut out screen time, and kick your snoring spouse out of bed all in a day. Maybe today, instead of taking ten minutes to scroll on your phone, you use that ten minutes to start a book, or stretch on the floor, or sit and think about your feelings and decompress for the day.

A health coach is someone who is licensed and educated in the subject of deep health. Deep health includes your physical, emotional, environmental, relational, existential, and mental health. They are your guide and your go-to resource for change. They are licensed and trained to help you identify roadblocks, uncover successes, and ultimately achieve your goals.

A health coach helps you identify your goals, create action plans, uncover obstacles, hold you accountable, encourage you, and teach you the fundamentals of deep health. Deep health includes your physical, emotional, mental, relational, existential, and environmental health.

You’re here, aren’t you? Clearly, you care enough about taking action to the point of doing your research. All the information is out there. There are no secrets here, yet millions of people coast through life without the slightest clue on how to change. Only you can really judge whether or not hiring a health coach is worth it, but people who invest their money and time are far more likely to achieve their goals than those who don’t.

A health coach helps you identify your goals, create action plans, uncover obstacles, hold you accountable, encourage you, and teach you the fundamentals of deep health. Deep health includes your physical, emotional, mental, relational, existential, and environmental health.

A nutritionist mainly specializes in assessing dietary habits, developing personalized meal plans and providing education on healthy eating choices. A health coach is going to focus on nutrition, as well as all the other elements of deep health, including your physical, emotional, mental, relational, existential, and environmental health.

A personal trainer is mainly focused on the exercise portion of health. They’ll work with you to ensure proper form, sequence, and routines when it comes to exercise. A health coach is going to focus on all elements surrounding deep health, which includes your physical, emotional, mental, relational, existential, and environmental health. A health coach may be knowledgeable in the exercise portion of health but may not be certified to be a personal trainer.

You should hire a health coach if you are ready, willing, and able to make a change in your life, but you don’t have all the information, motivation, or habits you need to get started. A coach will help you clarify your goals, come up with an action plan, and work with you to implement the changes necessary to get where you want to go. A coach will act as your guide and your rock through your journey, advising you along the way and keeping you on track to meet your goals.

This varies based off the client’s individual preferences and schedule. At minimum, a coaching session should be occurring weekly. These should be structured check ins where we assess the time period in between now and the prior check in and where we work together to continue or modify our path forward. What’s working? What isn’t working? Where are you excelling? Where do you need help? What’s next?

This varies based on the client’s individual goals and expectations. Sometimes, a client has a specific event they’re training for. Sometimes a client just needs help establishing the fundamentals before they can go off on their own. Sometimes a client needs consistent support and guidance to keep them going in perpetuity. You will never know until you try it out.

Yes! One of the main priorities of new clients is losing weight. A health coach can help you find what exactly works for you.

Yes! Although I may not be able to stay outside your room all night to ward off distractions and disruptions, I can still help you identify your stressors and develop a routine that works for you to improve your sleep duration and quality.

Results are ultimately dependent on the client’s readiness, willingness, and ability to change. What you can expect from a health coach is a professional who is dedicated to helping you change to achieve your goal. Skills necessary in a health coach are technical knowledge of nutrition, stress, sleep, and recovery, emotional intelligence, and persistence in progressing the client to their goal in a healthy and sustainable way.

Of course! A health coach can’t always be at your side 24/7. But virtually, health coaches can be available at the touch of a button. What’s important is the relationship between coach and client and the mutual understanding of the goals, roles, and responsibilities between the two. Being virtual does not limit that interaction.

Absolutely not. What you need is an understanding of the fundamentals of nutrition and how to implement them in order to live your healthiest life. A meal plan doesn’t allow for the client to make their own decisions, which is ultimately the goal…to be a catalyst for your own change. Now, there is a time and a place for a meal plan, but it may not work or be sustainable for everyone.

A typical initial health coaching consultation helps establish our baseline for where you are and where you want to be. We analyze and evaluate every aspect of your health: physical, emotional, mental, relational, existential, and environmental. We talk through what you’ve tried in the past, what’s worked, what hasn’t worked, and why. We talk about what achieving your goals means to you.

Look no further than right here. I handle clients both in-person and virtually. Sometimes people prefer to have coaching sessions one on one at a coffee shop or at a gym. That’s okay! I can be reached via email at lnelson@hammerheadwellness.com or you can schedule a consultation straight from the homepage of this website!

Look for someone who is emotionally intelligent, technically knowledgeable, and a great communicator. Goals vary by client, but no coach can be successful without emotional intelligence, knowledge, and communication skills. Ask for credentials and what organization they’re licensed through.

This is dependent and variable based off of the service. I do one on one coaching, corporate coaching, and small group coaching. If you have questions, send me an email or schedule a free consultation. It doesn’t cost you anything to make the first move, that’s why it’s free!

Before you hire a health coach, you should consult your primary care provider and undergo the necessary health screenings. Health coaches are not medical professionals and cannot treat or diagnose you medically.

A local health coach has a great working knowledge of the area, including grocery and health foods stores, parks, trails, local clubs, gyms, and other physical places that can help aid your health goals. They also have a great understanding of the climate, weather, socioeconomic status, and other environmental factors that influence our health.