October 4, 2022

Hi Amy,

It has taken me a really long time to realize that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. I like to feel strong and powerful, and I like to be perceived as capable and self-sufficient, and this can often lead to the idea that I should “tough it out” or figure it out on my own. But, as someone who has been involved with team sports my whole life, I should be very familiar with the concept of teamwork! Unfortunately, we can know something intellectually and still struggle to put it into practice. Sometimes it takes a huge dose of humble pie to make us look at our assumptions!

This time, with this health coaching business, I’m doing things differently. I’m learning that there is infinite power in collaboration. I’m learning to listen with an open mind, to ask questions when I don’t understand, and to give myself grace when I get things wrong. 

Nothing could set me up to learn these lessons more powerfully than a brainstorming weekend with my HLC partner, Amy Chang! We are spit-balling ideas, questioning each other’s assumptions, asking the hard questions, respecting opinions, and, together, we are creating a Healthy Living Coaching practice that will go beyond what either of us could do individually. I can’t wait for you guys to see what we come up with!

Standing for your very best health,
Fran

Healthy Living Coaching
HealthyLiving.coach

It Goes Beyond the Field: Two Lessons Learned from Playing Sports

Playing team sports teaches us so many lessons that are applicable to life in general. These two focus on the importance of the individual as part of the team. 

Desire to improve. Any player who feels compelled to improve their game is an asset to their team. A continuing desire to better one’s skills, knowledge base, and endurance serves to make the whole team better. Putting in the work to improve anything we do is difficult and often tedious. However, any successful team player knows that there is no better way to improve the fundamentals of their sport than repetition of the basic skills. It’s not a ton of fun, it’s not exciting, and it’s not glamorous. It is work that is done on one’s own in the self-motivated striving to improve a skill.  No one can simply pick up a sport and become a star on the field, just like no one can walk into a job and rise to the top without putting in the work on fundamentals. This takes commitment. Commitment to the job, commitment to the team, commitment to the coach/boss, and most importantly commitment to oneself and the process.

Managing emotions effectively. This is a big one as it impacts everything we do. Strong emotions are a necessary by-product of caring. When one cares about something, when one puts his/her time and energy into improvement, he/she is naturally invested in the outcome. But, just as emotions are in everything we do, mistakes and disappointment are a part of every learning process. One major key to success is learning appropriate ways to manage disappointments and setbacks. To play a sport well, to be effective on the field, does not require one to play perfectly - that is impossible. It requires one to learn to stay focused on the bigger picture when mistakes are made, to work effectively under pressure and to cope with the disappointments and losses that are a frequent and natural part of playing a sport. 

The emotion management skills learned in sports can be applied to every aspect of our lives. There is not a job in the world or an important relationship in our lives that does not stir up emotions, be it disappointment, frustration, sadness, anxiety, joy, pride, excitement, etc. When we have the skills to recognize these emotions and express them appropriately, we are able to connect with others to work toward solutions when possible and to share in a sense of camaraderie. 

Sports push players to be vulnerable. They practice a set of skills and then step on a field, usually in front of people they care about, to be tested. This takes courage. Then they get feedback, ideally from coaches, but often from parents and teammates as well. In order to improve, one needs to be able to hear the feedback, manage the sting of his/her mistakes being pointed out to him/her, and work to implement the necessary changes. This is hard and it takes many skills, and it is what makes them better. This same set of skills is utilized in the working world as well as in all important relationships.

Cool Tool, Tip or Resource 

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown is an incredible book that teaches the beauty of our imperfections and the value in being vulnerable.

The Gifts of Imperfection Book Club starts October 20th! See "Upcoming  Events" below for more information.

Healthy AF Podcast

Katrina Belmont

Join Fran and Amy as they talk with Katrina Belmont, LCAS, LCMHC. Not only does Katrina have over 15 years of experience as a mental health practitioner (Resilience Therapy), but she has just opened a wellness studio as well (C7 Fitness Studio)! As the discussion weaves its way through all aspects of health, you will learn how Katrina has created a fitness studio that reaches beyond physical health and touches many other aspects of life.

👉 Listen to the podcast here

Intermittent Fasting

In this episode of the Healthy AF Podcast, Amy and Fran explore the topic of intermittent fasting. They talk about what IF is, the possible benefits of this way of eating, the difficulties some people face when starting IF, and the recognition that health is individualized so no one way of eating works for everyone. Join Amy & Fran as they share their personal experiences with IF and learn from each other!

👉 Listen to the podcast here

Upcoming Events

The Gifts of Imperfection Book Club

When: Thursdays at 7 pm, October 20 - November 10 (4 weeks)

Register by October 13 for an added bonus. 

Interested? Click here to schedule time with Amy to hear more about it. 

Veg-Out Wilmington Festival 

When:  Saturday, October 22, 11 am - 4 pm. 

Come on by! Amy will be there as a speaker on what is sure to be an informative, fun day! 

Click here for more information.

Amy’s Group Coaching (for active and past clients)

When: Thursdays at 7 pm, starting October 6

This is an ongoing monthly group. Email amy@healthyliving.coach for more information.

Coach Amy Chang

Amy Chang, MS, RN, NBC-HWC is a health coach who works with people struggling to lose weight, have enough energy, and choose better health to create healthy bodies, feeling more confident and empowered with peacefulness and ease.

Amy knows that people can accomplish more than they think they can, and with a little coaching people can have the health they really want to do all the stuff they want to do with all the people they love.

Amy is a board-certified health and wellness coach through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching

Coach Fran Paradine

Fran Paradine, LCSW is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach who partners with women and men to overcome the mental and emotional roadblocks that stop them from reaching their optimal health. 

She has counseled hundreds of individuals, mentored many more, and has created a podcast focused on the multi-faceted world of wellness called Creating Wellness.  

Fran has a Master of Social Work degree and a Certification in Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching. 

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