September 6, 2022

Hi Amy,

Happy September. Gosh, I can’t believe the summer has flown by! I usually like to keep these personal notes at the top of our newsletter light and that’s not the case for this one. I wouldn’t be being honest if I didn’t share the heavy parts of life as well.

This summer’s been a rainbow of fruit flavors for me. I’ve had a lot of transitions in my life both expected and unexpected, both planned and unplanned, both deeply satisfying and deeply hurtful. I’ve been in the midst of a transition that has had me solidly entrenched in grief.

And through that grief, I feel so overwhelmingly grateful for many things in my life that have brought me the full spectrum of color. I’m grateful for the pain that has me overwhelmingly eager to learn and move forward. I’m grateful for the solitude that has me reflecting and sitting in and with all the swirl of emotion. I’m grateful for the time of deepening my faith and branching out of my comfort zone; for new neighbors and old friends that I have learned to lean into for support.

Specifically, in the last 3 months I have:

Moved - twice
Established a morning routine of biking and greeting each person with a “good morning!” even if it meant yelling across the street
Established business connections across the state, and acquired my first interstate client! (isn’t Zoom grand?)
Attended counseling sessions, found support groups, and meditated as consistent self-care activities
Became a foster dog mom (he’s been adopted now!)
Competed in my first CrossFit competition in five years and finished in first place (what a way to come out of retirement!)

I have been so thoroughly supported by my business partner, Fran, my CrossFit partner, Taylor Keyes, my family, my “framily”, and most of all God, who I can find living right inside of me and inside of all of YOU!

I don’t know if this is how the rest of the year will be but it’s not too damn bad. Here’s to September!

Yours in health,
Amy

Healthy Living Coaching
HealthyLiving.coach

The Big Three

I was at the gym recently when a fellow gym-goer looked at me, exhausted, and said “Man, I just don’t know what’s up with me. That workout felt so tough today.”

Ever have one of those days? It’s like the bar is actually packed with more weight than you thought you put on or the bike is sludging through mud. You start looking for the reasons why it feels so challenging. Could it be the humidity? The heat? Just plain getting older?

When you recognize that you are having that “this is feeling A LOT harder than it usually does” kind of day (or month) here’s a pro tip of where to look FIRST:

The BIG THREE:

How am I sleeping?
What am I eating?
Am I exercising?

I often refer to these three as “living right”. For my friend who was struggling that morning at the box, after a short conversation, he realized that he had not slept well for the last few days. His young kids had a summer cold and his bed had been invaded by rolling toddlers!

Daily stresses can bump us out of our normal “living right” routine and can be so small that we may not recognize the impact at first. Of course, there can be other culprits for that lack of energy and decreased performance. Start with the BIG THREE - you’ll be surprised how much better you can feel just tweaking these behaviors.

Cool Tool, Tip or Resource

My new favorite podcast - OURS!

Announcing Healthy AF Podcast. Yes, we’ve done it. Fran and I have rolled Fran’s Creating Wellness podcast into OUR brand new podcast together.

Our goal for the show is to leave our listeners with one nugget (at least!) of new information, an idea, a strategy, etc. AND with a little more confidence knowing YOU ARE NOT ALONE in your health struggles. After all, YOU CAN DO THIS!

The current plan is to release shows every two weeks, alternating hosting guests for one show and the Healthy AF team solo for the next show. The first episode is live now and you can listen with the link below. 👇

Your health is multifaceted, which means we’ll be covering boatloads of different realms from finances to nutrition to healthy relationships.

Have a question? Want to hear about a specific topic? We’ll cover what might make a difference for you! Hit us up here.

Healthy AF Podcast

Welcome to Healthy AF

In this first-ever Healthy AF podcast, Fran and Amy introduce themselves and talk about their goals for this podcast. As you will learn, both Fran and Amy are health coaches, both are incredibly passionate about their work, and each comes to this work with a different perspective. Despite the fact that they might not always agree (health is complicated and individualized), you will no doubt be educated and entertained by their discussion.

Trying to get healthy and stay healthy is f-ing hard! Everybody struggles with some aspect of it, no matter what they look like or what they tell you. There is no magic formula – a healthy lifestyle is a choice we need to make daily. This podcast is here to support, inform and entertain you on your journey towards health.

👉 Listen to the podcast here

Upcoming Events

Healthy Living Group 8-week Program

When: Mondays, 5:30-7:00 pm, September 12 through October 31

Where: Healing for Life - 2436 N. Center Street, Hickory, NC 28601

Investment: $290 per person / space is limited to 8 people

Are you tired of feeling like:

your health is out of control?
you struggle daily with willpower?
you’ve lost your confidence?
you are the unhealthiest you’ve ever been?

Are you ready to:

feel in control of your health?
find healthier ways to eat and live?
believe in yourself and gain confidence?
find joy and connection with others?

Then this group is for you!

For more information and to register contact Fran: fran@healthyliving.coach, 919-602-1613

Healthy Living Group with Fran Paradine and Taylor Keyes

When: Monday, September 19, 2022, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm

Where: The Hub - 375 Main Avenue NE, Hickory

Investment: $30 per person / space is limited

If you're feeling:

overwhelmed with recent changes.
unsure of how to get back on track.
like you never have enough time for yourself.

THIS GROUP IS FOR YOU!

🌟 45 MINUTES OF EXERCISES YOU CAN DO ANYWHERE

🌟 45 MINUTES OF POSITIVE MINDSET WORK

For more information and to register contact Fran: fran@healthyliving.coach, 919-602-1613

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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