Get Fit and Stay Motivated: Why You Need a Coach for Your Weight Loss Journey in Nanaimo

by Veronique Rioux | Apr 1, 2023 | mindset

If you’re embarking on a weight loss journey or trying to tone your body, a coach can be an invaluable asset. Whether you’re new to fitness or have been working out for years, a coach can provide the support, guidance, and accountability you need to achieve your goals. In this post, we’ll explore why a coach is important on your weight loss journey and how a coach can help you achieve your desired body tone. We’ll also discuss the benefits of working with a coach in Vancouver Island and Nanaimo.

Support and motivation

One of the most important reasons to work with a coach on your weight loss journey is for the support and motivation they provide. Losing weight and toning your body can be challenging, and it’s easy to get discouraged along the way. A coach can provide the encouragement and support you need to stay on track and keep moving forward. They can help you set achievable goals, develop a personalized workout plan, and provide feedback and guidance throughout the process. A coach can also help you celebrate your progress and keep you motivated to reach your next milestone.

Accountability

Another benefit of working with a coach is the accountability they provide. When you work with a coach, you have someone to answer to and keep you accountable for your progress. This can be especially helpful if you tend to procrastinate or make excuses for why you’re not sticking to your workout routine or healthy eating plan. Knowing that you have to report back to your coach can help keep you on track and motivated to make progress.

Expert guidance and knowledge

A coach can also provide expert guidance and knowledge about exercise and nutrition. They can help you develop a workout plan that’s tailored to your specific needs and goals, and they can provide advice on the best exercises and techniques to help you achieve your desired body tone. They can also provide guidance on nutrition and help you develop a healthy eating plan that will support your weight loss goals. With their knowledge and expertise, a coach can help you avoid common mistakes and make progress more quickly and efficiently.

Personalization

Another benefit of working with a coach is the personalized attention you receive. A coach can develop a workout plan and nutrition plan that’s tailored to your specific needs and goals. They can also provide feedback and adjust your plan as needed based on your progress. With a personalized approach, you’re more likely to achieve your desired body tone and see results more quickly.

Safety

Working with a coach can also help ensure your safety while you’re working out. A coach can teach you proper form and technique for exercises, which can help prevent injuries. They can also provide modifications or alternative exercises if you have any physical limitations or injuries. With a coach’s guidance, you can feel confident that you’re working out safely and effectively.

In summary, working with a coach can be extremely beneficial for weight loss and body toning. A coach can provide the support, motivation, and accountability you need to stay on track and make progress. They can also provide expert guidance, personalization, and ensure your safety while you’re working out. If you’re looking to lose weight or tone your body, consider working with a coach in Vancouver Island or Nanaimo to help you achieve your goals.

If you’re interested in working with a coach for weight loss or body toning, there are many options available in Vancouver Island and Nanaimo. Look for a coach with experience and credentials in fitness and nutrition, and be sure to discuss your goals and any health concerns or limitations you may have. With the right coach by your side, you can achieve your desired body tone and improve your overall health and well-being.

Transform Your Life in 2019: Choosing Core Desire Feelings and Intentions

by Veronique Rioux | Dec 28, 2018 | mindset

Wow, can you believe that 2018 is almost over? It seems like it just flew by! As we near the end of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished and what we still hope to achieve. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: how do you want to feel in 2019?

For me, I want 2019 to be a transformational year. As many of you know, I am currently enrolled in a three-year Practitioners Training program to become a Therapeutic Counselor with Clearmind. Throughout this program, I’m learning to peel off layers of myself and look at my beliefs and the different ideas I’ve created about myself throughout my life. My goal for this first year of the program is to remain peaceful and centered, no matter what challenges come my way.

New Year’s resolutions are a great opportunity to write down intentions and goals for the upcoming year. I love making resolutions, and every year I refine my process a little bit more. Last year, I discovered the Core Desire Feeling program by Danielle Laporte, which really inspired me. Danielle taught me that “knowing how you actually want to feel is the most potent form of clarity that you can have.”

If you don’t know where to start, try picking the three areas of your life that are most important to you (for example: relationship, work, health) and then pick a feeling for each area of life. These will be your three Core Desired Feelings for the new year.

Taking the time to choose your Core Desired Feelings helps you align with how you want to feel. Setting this intention is powerful and important to have a clear direction of where you want to go in your life. Choose how you want to feel and move in the direction of it. You can also set your goals around your Core Desired Feeling. I also like to remind myself of my Core Desired Feeling on a daily basis, like a mantra. It can help you make clearer decisions and return to your center.

My three Core Desired Feelings for 2019 are:

Acceptance: Accepting the present moment and what’s happening without attempting to change it or protest it; seeing the positive and choosing a peaceful state of mind; instead of fighting against it, be miserable, and struggle against the universe. Choosing not to judge what happens to you. Instead, believe that everything happens for a reason, and that better things will always follow. That’s the beginning of true acceptance.
Light-Hearted: To feel free, happy, and playful. Being easygoing, cheerful, optimistic, and hopeful.
Love: Feeling affection and tenderness. The act of love is when you care about other people’s happiness, safety, and health, because you truly want the best for them. Love is a very selfless act.

And let’s not forget one more: Vibrant and Alive! To be filled with energy, glowing, and healthy.

After I chose my Core Desired Feelings, I wrote down my intentions. These are intentions for what I want more of in my life in 2019. This list serves as a reminder to guide me throughout the year:

Dream
Meditate
Be present
Be in nature
Be generous
Rest, relax, read
Practice gratitude
Be calm, joyful, and centered
Have faith and trust the process
Love what I see in the mirror
Complete the Course of Miracles
Be feminine, romantic, and sensual
Meet new people and make new friends
Buy less, choose well, embrace simplicity
Embrace a mindset of abundance

I hope this inspires you to think about your own Core Desired Feel

Positive Body Image: Learning to Value Your Body Beyond Appearance

by Veronique Rioux | Jul 6, 2017 | mindset

Body image can have a powerful influence on how we feel about ourselves. In a culture that constantly promotes narrow ideas about what bodies should look like, it can be easy to believe that happiness, confidence or worth will come once we lose weight, change shape or finally look “good enough.”

One of the ideas that has stayed with me from the documentary Embrace is that our bodies deserve to be valued for much more than appearance. For me, that means shifting the focus toward strength, health, movement, experience and what our bodies allow us to do.

When Weight and Health Are Not the Same Thing

Working in health and fitness has shown me how often people assume that a smaller body automatically means a healthier or happier person. My own life taught me otherwise.

When I was 19, I was seriously injured in a car accident and lost weight while recovering. People commented on how good I looked even though I was physically weaker and recovering from significant injuries. Later, I witnessed someone going through cancer treatment receive similar compliments about weight loss while she was dealing with serious illness.

Those experiences reinforced something important for me: a person’s weight does not tell us the whole story about their health, strength or well-being.

Fitness Does Not Have to Be About Fixing Your Body

Exercise can easily become another way to criticize ourselves: burn more calories, shrink this body part, get rid of that one, or earn the food we eat.

I prefer a different question:

What do I want my body to be able to do?

Maybe you want to feel stronger, hike farther, dance, lift your children, improve your balance, move with less fear, learn a new skill or simply have more energy for your life. Those goals can create a much more supportive relationship with movement.

You may also enjoy Body Composition 101: Why Muscle Matters More Than the Number on the Scale if you want another perspective on measuring fitness progress beyond body weight.

Body Acceptance Does Not Mean Giving Up on Goals

Accepting your body today does not mean you cannot want to become stronger, improve your health or change certain habits.

It simply means you do not have to hate yourself into changing.

You can care for your body because it matters to you rather than because you believe it is unacceptable as it is. Goals built from self-respect often feel very different from goals built from shame.

Questions to Explore

If you notice yourself being very critical of your body, try becoming curious about the voice behind that criticism.

You might ask yourself:

How could I speak to myself with more kindness?
What do I appreciate about what my body can do?
Which beliefs about beauty or body size have I absorbed from other people?
What kinds of movement genuinely make me feel good?
What would taking care of myself look like if punishment were not part of it?
What qualities do I value in myself that have nothing to do with appearance?
How would I treat my body differently if I believed it deserved care right now?

There is no need to force yourself to suddenly “love everything” about your body. Sometimes moving from criticism toward neutrality, respect or gratitude is already meaningful progress.

Body Diversity Is Normal

Human bodies naturally come in different shapes, sizes, proportions and abilities. Genetics, age, hormones, pregnancy, injury, illness, lifestyle and many other factors influence how a body looks and changes over time.

Fitness culture has not always done a good job of acknowledging that diversity. Before-and-after photos and messages about earning a certain body can make people feel as though fitness is only successful if it changes their appearance.

Strength, mobility, endurance, confidence, energy and enjoyment are also forms of progress.

Choose2be Strong, Healthy and Happy

The philosophy behind Choose2be has evolved over the years, but this idea remains important to me: health should support your life rather than become another standard you constantly fail to meet.

Movement can be challenging and still be enjoyable. You can become stronger without trying to punish your body. You can work toward goals while also appreciating where you are today.

If you would like support building strength and confidence through movement, learn more about Personal Training in Nanaimo. If your goals include broader habits around movement, nutrition and well-being, you can also explore Health & Lifestyle Coaching.

When Body Image Goes Deeper

Sometimes body-image struggles are connected to shame, perfectionism, relationships, past experiences or deeply held beliefs about worth. Fitness coaching can support movement and healthy habits, but deeper emotional work belongs in a counselling setting.

For that side of the conversation, you can read Building the Life You Want: Finding Pleasure, Satisfaction, and Meaning on Vancouver Island Holistic Counselling.

Your Body Is More Than Something to Look At

Your body carries you through your life. It adapts, learns, heals, changes and allows you to experience the world.

You do not have to wait until your body looks different before you begin treating it with respect. Becoming stronger and healthier can be meaningful goals, but so can learning to appreciate yourself along the way.