We are finishing up the first month of 2012 featuring client Janet Moore. If you need motivation to stick to those New Year’s resolutions, take a session with Janet. She’ll keep you energized and motivated!

Vera Fitness is a viable expression of who I am and what I love to do.

While on vacation with my family, my husband asked if I’d like to stay one more night away, my first thought was: “What?! I’ll miss Vera.” Really. I wasn’t paid to say that and I was having a wonderful time with my family. It’s just that Vera has become a part of my routine.

Community is of utmost importance to me. My family and friends build that community, and I work hard to take care of them and in turn, they take care of me. This is what drew me to Vera, the instructors are well taken care of by the Vera Wellness business model and therefore, they take great care of their clients. I love that the trainers are super happy and healthy. Being surrounded by that is contagious!

I value wellness, both in terms of physical, mental and environmental health in my life. Some of my current intentions to improve my wellness are to offer kindness freely and to intentionally be creative with people, time, money and art. I enjoy being active. When a friend calls to ask if I’d like to take a run or a walk with them, my answer is yes. Spending time with friends, my children, dedicated to my faith and creating art brings me joy.

My time at Vera has brought awareness and attention to my body. I love being pushed both mentally and physically. The trainers encourage me to improve and purposefully think about what I am doing, allowing me to arrive at those “ah-ha” moments. I look forward to going to Vera each day, knowing that I’ll be surrounded by kindness, both from instructors and clients, which creates a great setting for a super hard workout.

The Who I am and what I love to do campaign is all about celebrating the people that make the Vera community what it is. If you’d like to share your story, we’d love to hear it! Contact vickiw@verafitness.com.

Written by Mary Marmorstone, Wellness Consultant & Coach

Wellness coaching is, to quote W. Timothy Gallwy, “the art of creating an environment, through conversation and a way of being, that facilitates the process of which a person can move toward desired goals in a fullfilling manner” (2000). When those goals have to do with health, fitness, and wellness, coaching becomes a vehicle for assisting people to achieve a higher level of both physical and mental well-being.

Wellness coaches are collaborative and co-creative partners in their client’s journey’s to reach their vision and goals. The coach guides the client through a self discovery process which helps them to identify their strengths, to clarify their values, increase their awareness, set priorities, meet their challenges, to brainstorm possibilities, and to design positive actions. The coach is trained in the psychology of motivation, and uses multiple theories of behavior change to move clients forward towards their best selves. Successful coaching helps clients connect the dots between who they are and who they want to be, by getting to the source of their challenges and through building the self-efficacy needed to empower personal transformation.

Wellness coaches today are working in settings such as health and fitness centers, health care facilities, and even in home based practices. Coaches are often credentialed health, fitness, and mental health professionals such as personal trainers, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, dietitians, health educators, physical therapists, nurses, physicians, and behavior health therapists. Coaches are trained in the “one size does not fit all” theory and excel at providing personalized care in all areas of evidence-based wellness, such as physical activity, nutrition, weight, stress and life-satisfaction.

Wellness coaching is a growing profession that is sprouting up everywhere we look. Health care providers, insurance companies and even large corporations are realizing the value of the coach as a key player in the health care industry. Coaches are being hired as part of integrative health care teams, where the primary care physician, patient, and coach coordinate together to improve the health of the patient, decrease the risk of disease, and decrease overall health care costs. Companies such as the Mayo Clinic and United Health Group are hiring coaches to deliver one-on-one telephonic counseling to high and moderate risk clientele. With the use of modern technology, coaches can offer intervention services virtually using computer and phone access. Coaches can provide the long-term accountability patients need to produce lasting lifestyle change, reduce the risk of disease and help manage chronic illnesses, a relationship that most doctors can’t offer.

Wellness coaching may be part of the solution to our country’s health care reform. With rising health care costs, and 70% of costs related to preventable disease, we are due for a health care renaissance.  There is a demand for more primary care physicians, and the medical industry is looking for new ways to prevent and stop illness before they result in expensive procedures and hospitalizations. Some large corporations and investors are taking matters into their own hands and building Onsite Primary Care facilities to service their employees with better quality health care at lower costs. This progressive approach to health care uses health coaches as members of the provider team. The immersion of Onsite Primary Care clinics provides a new infrastructure and culture for health care, one which incentivizes doctors to keep employees healthy long term, and uses preventative education and lifestyle counseling in a team model to impact wellness.  Health and Wellness coaches are on the brink of changing health care, improving lives and making a positive difference for the well-being of our society.

If you are interested in working with a wellness coach, or if you would like to learn more about the possibilities for employment in this rewarding field, please explore our list of online resources. Feel free to contact any of our qualified Vera Wellness Coaches with additional questions.

Web article: Wellness Coaching is where the  employment is

Web article: Are you ready for Wellness Coaching

Web article: Wellness Coaching-The Market is Growing

Webnponline: Interview with the Nurse Practitioner Wellness Coaches

KevinMD.com: Why Primary Care is due for a Renaissance

Web article: Employers Solving Health Care Crisis, One Onsite Clinic at a Time

While the snow has meant many of us have been unable to get to work, school or our regular kinesis session, it also provides a rare opportunity to get outside and play in the snow. We’ve been spying a lot of Seattlites breaking out their winter gear for a little urban adventure. We’ve seen everything from kayaks to a surfboard used as a sled. Did you know that sledding can burn over 500 calories an hour? It’s a lot of work to climb back up those hills. Don’t have a sled? Use a yoga mat. Flip it over to the slick side and roll up one end for something to hold on to. We’ve also seen some great home finds like large tupperware lids, baking sheets, large signs and Vicki’s personal favorite built by two children: a moving box with a garbage bag taped to the bottom complete with paper plate eyes and mouth. We recommend Woodland Park or Gasworks. Both are close walks from the studios. Woodland Park has long windy runs while Gasworks has steep runs with some jumps. (Vicki has tested both).

Now that we’ve finally gotten some inches in the nearby mountains, here’s SELF Magazines guide to healthy fun in the snow.