Author: Rodrigo H

I was 13 when I went on my first diet. I had been struggling with my weight for about six years, and my obsession with how I looked was starting to dominate my life. I only had two to three shirts that I felt comfortable in. The only thing that mattered was that they didn’t make me “feel fat.” Even those chosen shirts were always under my West 49 sweater, for extra coverage. The cherry on top of this presentation was my slouched shoulders—a defense mechanism to protect against exposing my “man boobs,” the body part that had dynastic reign…

Everyone needs a team. As a health coach, you can become an expert in multiple fields, including nutrition, behavioral change psychology, fitness and athletic performance, and stress management and recovery. However, no matter how many certifications you earn, you will always encounter clients with problems that hinder your progress and that you don’t have the skills, training, expertise, or legal rights to solve. Here’s the problem… You may not be an expert in repairing marriages, treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, or counseling people with eating disorders, but someone else is. This is where a healthy referral network comes into play. Connecting…

There’s been a growing shift in the fitness, health, and wellness industry. The promise of “immediate results” will probably never lose its sparkle. But, as a good portion of our population (hi, Boomers!) moves into their “silver” years, conversations around optimizing lifespan (how long you live) and healthspan (how long you live with a high quality of life) are also on the rise. People are more interested than ever in longevity, which, these days, means the combination of a long lifespan and a long healthspan. (Historically, longevity and lifespan were synonymous.) Trending too is the concept of biological age—essentially, how…

If you live in a larger body, sometimes it feels like you can’t win. If you don’t lose weight, people will criticize you for being “lazy,” “unhealthy,” or “lacking willpower.” But if you take medication to help you, you’ll be criticized for “cheating” or “taking the easy way out,” even if you’ve tried for decades to manage your weight through diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes (sometimes extreme ones). In this article, we’ll be talking about a highly contentious group of medicines—GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). And people have lots of opinions…

Reviewed by Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD We all make thousands of decisions every day, both big and small. What should I eat for breakfast? Whether or when to exercise. The first project you should tackle at work. Should I drink more coffee? It’s only natural that decision fatigue sets in after a while. Decision fatigue can happen to anyone, but it can be particularly confusing if you’re trying to change old habits and make new (and healthier) choices, but by 10 a.m. you’ve run out of steam. Masu. Let’s take a closer look at what decision fatigue is, its…

Reviewed by Brian St. Pierre, MS, RD Once you decide you want to work with a health coach, you need to find the right coach, more than just checking off a list of qualifications. How do you know if you’ve found the right health coach for you? Beyond the obvious qualifications, what are the qualities of a good coach? We have listed some characteristics to look for when choosing a health coach. Essentially, it all comes down to the “atmosphere” of the two of you. You need to find someone you get along with and trust, someone who really seems…