Are you confused about what to eat and what not to eat? It seems like everyday I hear conflicting messages coming from the media about which foods are healthy and which foods aren't. As your health coach, I will help you sort out these confusing messages and help you to listen to your body and your inner knowing rather than that latest media scare. I will also help you find the non-food things in life that can nourish you and give you energy, creating greater happiness and well being. Curious to learn more?
We all have a fascinating web of food and mood connections
We all have a fascinating web of food and mood experiences that goes back to before we were born. We know that the foods that a mother eats can flavor amniotic fluid and breast milk, and that this can influence taste and food preferences in babies. We also know that when our mothers were in our grandmother's womb, they already had ova in their ovaries. So, a grandmother's nutrition or lack of nutrition during pregnancy could potentially have an effect not only on the development of her baby, but on the development of her grandchild a generation later. Fascinating, isn't it?
Then from birth on, food becomes a huge part of our life story. It is needed for survival. It builds our cells, bones and tissue. It gives us energy. It gets connected to our emotions and physiological sensations and chemical reactions in our bodies. We develop favorite foods as well as foods we don't like. Memories about our food become a part of our story. We are described by our caretakers as things like: a good eater, a finicky eater, a skinny baby, a "chunker monker." Maybe we are taught to share food or maybe we are taught that it is scarce, and we should hoard it, or eat it fast before someone else does. We can get into power struggles around food, when our parents want us to eat something we don't want to eat, or when we want to eat something that our patents don't want us to. As we get older, we become influenced by commercials and foods that our friends eat or what's available to us in the college dorm or the vending machine. Our foods become connected to table conversations, memories, family traditions, stress, happy feelings, sad feelings or angry feelings. Over time, all kinds of patterns can develop and become a web of thoughts, feelings and behaviors around food.
As a health coach, I help people figure out their patterns. I also them to become reconnected to how food feels in their body, so that they can eat more of the foods that give them energy and that they like and enjoy, rather than eat the foods that someone along the way told them to eat. Once people unlearn and untangle some of their old connections to food, they develop a new love of food, a new love for their body, and sometimes even a new love for cooking or growing food. They begin to enjoy cooking and eating. They begin to feel better physically and emotionally. Their love of food and themselves leads to a renewed sense of freedom and happiness. Are you ready to start getting untangled from your web and start creating a healthier, happier you? E-mail me here and we'll schedule your session.
There's more to life than food. Food is just one thing in life that nourishes us and keeps us healthy. Finding balance among career, family, exercise, play time, sleep, stress management and overall life satisfaction can have a big impact on our energy level. As your health coach we'll explore how to create greater life balance and find emotional and spiritual nourishment in other areas of your life.
Then from birth on, food becomes a huge part of our life story. It is needed for survival. It builds our cells, bones and tissue. It gives us energy. It gets connected to our emotions and physiological sensations and chemical reactions in our bodies. We develop favorite foods as well as foods we don't like. Memories about our food become a part of our story. We are described by our caretakers as things like: a good eater, a finicky eater, a skinny baby, a "chunker monker." Maybe we are taught to share food or maybe we are taught that it is scarce, and we should hoard it, or eat it fast before someone else does. We can get into power struggles around food, when our parents want us to eat something we don't want to eat, or when we want to eat something that our patents don't want us to. As we get older, we become influenced by commercials and foods that our friends eat or what's available to us in the college dorm or the vending machine. Our foods become connected to table conversations, memories, family traditions, stress, happy feelings, sad feelings or angry feelings. Over time, all kinds of patterns can develop and become a web of thoughts, feelings and behaviors around food.
As a health coach, I help people figure out their patterns. I also them to become reconnected to how food feels in their body, so that they can eat more of the foods that give them energy and that they like and enjoy, rather than eat the foods that someone along the way told them to eat. Once people unlearn and untangle some of their old connections to food, they develop a new love of food, a new love for their body, and sometimes even a new love for cooking or growing food. They begin to enjoy cooking and eating. They begin to feel better physically and emotionally. Their love of food and themselves leads to a renewed sense of freedom and happiness. Are you ready to start getting untangled from your web and start creating a healthier, happier you? E-mail me here and we'll schedule your session.
There's more to life than food. Food is just one thing in life that nourishes us and keeps us healthy. Finding balance among career, family, exercise, play time, sleep, stress management and overall life satisfaction can have a big impact on our energy level. As your health coach we'll explore how to create greater life balance and find emotional and spiritual nourishment in other areas of your life.
Certified Brain Health Professional
The brain is an amazing organ. It is the master of our nervous system. It influences our moods, is in charge of our thinking, learning, memory and movement. In 2021, I completed Dr. Daniel Amen's Certified Brain Health Professional's Course. Dr. Amen is a cutting edge leader in the field of psychiatry and brain health. I've combined what I've learned from his course along with my mental health counseling background and biodynamic craniosacral therapy work to provide what I call Boost Your Brain Power Sessions. These sessions are designed to get an idea of what areas of your brain need a little extra love and nurturance. I'll gather a thorough history and you'll receive a written summary of guidance, brain boosting strategies, food recommendations, recipes and activities to nourish and nurture your brain.
Who Can Benefit:
Anyone who is feeling moody, cranky, irritable, fatigued or stuck.
Anyone who has been experiencing brain fog, headaches, worry, anxiety, trouble thinking, trouble remembering, trouble sleeping.
Anyone who has had a concussion, trauma or family history of neurodegenerative disease like dementia or Alzheimer's.
Who Can Benefit:
Anyone who is feeling moody, cranky, irritable, fatigued or stuck.
Anyone who has been experiencing brain fog, headaches, worry, anxiety, trouble thinking, trouble remembering, trouble sleeping.
Anyone who has had a concussion, trauma or family history of neurodegenerative disease like dementia or Alzheimer's.
What people are saying:
“I heartily recommend Joan Bender as a health coach. Since working with her, I have developed nutritional strategies for maintaining health while dealing with a thyroid condition and arthritis. She taught me about inflammatory foods and I am changing my diet! Joan’s coaching style is clear and informative. She shared information with me and listened carefully to my self-assessment before offering advice! Her coaching comes from a place of personal experience and professional balance. By working with Joan as a health coach, I was able to have insights into my own behavior and changes seem possible, preferable and enjoyable! Joan also coached me to set wellness goals which have energized me to take better care of myself. I have learned personalized stress reduction techniques and that has helped me to function more calmly in my deadline driven line of work.” - L.W., Foraging Free-Lance Writer
"Working with Joan as an integrated health coach has been such an eye opening experience! She has allowed me to see for myself, through her guidance and very tailored information, how my career goals and personal goals mimic each other. After six months with Joan, I have much better clarity for how to use the knowledge that I already had and how to integrate that with the very relevant concepts that she has made me aware of. In an unexpected, and therefore non-predictable and never boring way, I have found myself better able to take steps I want toward living with more health, clarity and love than ever before." -M.T., Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Loving Mom and Wife
“I heartily recommend Joan Bender as a health coach. Since working with her, I have developed nutritional strategies for maintaining health while dealing with a thyroid condition and arthritis. She taught me about inflammatory foods and I am changing my diet! Joan’s coaching style is clear and informative. She shared information with me and listened carefully to my self-assessment before offering advice! Her coaching comes from a place of personal experience and professional balance. By working with Joan as a health coach, I was able to have insights into my own behavior and changes seem possible, preferable and enjoyable! Joan also coached me to set wellness goals which have energized me to take better care of myself. I have learned personalized stress reduction techniques and that has helped me to function more calmly in my deadline driven line of work.” - L.W., Foraging Free-Lance Writer
"Working with Joan as an integrated health coach has been such an eye opening experience! She has allowed me to see for myself, through her guidance and very tailored information, how my career goals and personal goals mimic each other. After six months with Joan, I have much better clarity for how to use the knowledge that I already had and how to integrate that with the very relevant concepts that she has made me aware of. In an unexpected, and therefore non-predictable and never boring way, I have found myself better able to take steps I want toward living with more health, clarity and love than ever before." -M.T., Entrepreneur, Business Owner, Loving Mom and Wife
