What Erika Gained From Nutrition Coaching at Fit2Live

“Signing up for the nutrition coaching program has literally been one of the best things I have done for myself and my own health. Did I have any clue it would be such a game changer when I signed up? Absolutely not! At the time of signing up I was going through a challenging time in my life during which I had gained 30+ pounds. My concept of the nutritional coaching was thinking, “well, I must lose the weight somehow and it is clearly not working on my own”. However, what I could not have imagined or understood at the time, was that this journey through the past 5+ months of nutrition coaching has become so very much more than weight loss and numbers and measurements.

EJ has the professional acumen to coach on those things very effectively; but her unique qualities she brings to my nutritional coaching sessions are her immense empathy; her focus on the mental component; and the highest level of support for my whole being – beyond the physical aspect. She structured my programming in a way that lessened any overwhelming feelings of learning and re-learning in the journey of starting and maintaining a new lifestyle. Which is what this has become to me – a lifestyle that I do not think I can truly express my full appreciation for. In life, I have so often focused on social outings, celebrations, career and life stress, and advancements in other areas; that I have come to realize I really gave very little thought to the food I was putting into my body. Sure, I strived to be “healthy” for most of my life; but I did not have the foundation of what a truly healthy lifestyle looked like.

I grew up playing in all the athletic sports I could get my hands on; I managed to avoid the “freshman 15” in college; and I was going on with my post- college life just learning to dodge and recover from the new life stressors that only time allowed us to adjust for. I had found another local CrossFit gym around 4 years back that did not end up being a good fit, and did not offer nutritional information, support, reminders, or tips like Fit2Live does outside of the 1:1 nutritional coaching. Then, sadly, came the pandemic in 2020, and a stressful journey through a family member’s health crisis, and subsequent passing. All of which, was then met with comfort food galore and a mental health battle that I do not think I truly recognized or appreciated until I had the wake-up call of how much my physical health had taken a beating. I am sure this is not uncommon to many of you! Hard times in life test our coping mechanisms and habits in sometimes new, different, and certainly challenging ways.

The beauty of this 1:1 nutritional coaching is that while, I still deal with the mental battles or grief or just the stressors of life we can all face, EJ has given me the basics to fall back on. That is truly the wording I have heard from her time and time again – so now it has stuck! I have the basics to get through the tough things and still maintain some measure of healthy fuel and hydration for my body. I have gained greater knowledge and understanding of the qualities and components of the foods I put into my body. Maybe you all learned this in grade school?! But it seems I must have missed that class! So EJ has kindly taught me and re-taught me the best protein sources, carb sources, and healthy fats. I am now to the point where I ‘enjoy’ vegetables – who knew?! I sneak them into my smoothies (best tip ever, EJ, with the frozen cauliflower rice!); and I try to think creatively how else to sneak them in or find joy in new ways to prepare them. Truly foreign stuff for someone who grew up in a ‘meat and potatoes’ family – ha!

For anyone considering 1:1 coaching – go into it being teachable, be open about your knowledge gaps, listen and learn however many times it takes until it sticks, and honestly write down what EJ says! Most importantly, realize that this journey is not one simply focused on weight loss or muscle gain. Other nutritional programs may be similar and have similar focuses, however 1:1 coaching with EJ is unique due to her level of compassion, empathy, and mindfulness towards the personal needs of each of her clients. My testimony is this – be open to the ways new opportunities can change your life, for the better!”

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