boomer jumping in lake

Every seven seconds a “Boomer” turns fifty. The American post-war “Boomer Generation” spends more on health care than their parents did.
They visit the doctor more, they consume more services, and aren’t afraid to use their $7 trillion in collective wealth to improve their quality of life. From physical therapy, to cosmetic surgery, to the latest in life-saving technology…

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Compassion

Over six thousand wellness coaches have been trained by The Real Balance Global Wellness Services that I founded. In the process of teaching these people how to become effective wellness coaches I have benefited, as all teachers do, by learning from my students. In reading over a thousand case studies, listening to hundreds of recordings, interacting in classes and hearing their

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relaxing lifestyle wine cheese

How trapped are we in the limitations of the culture we have experienced most of our lives? Greater travel and today’s technologically shrunken world has immensely increased our awareness of alternative ways of living. We do, in fact, have a world of lifestyle choices to draw upon. Let’s look at some cultural concepts and practices we might draw upon and…

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winter mountains

December’s darkness arrives at about 4:30 pm here in Colorado as we approach the longest night of the year later this month. It’s a time of hunkering down by a fireplace in the Northern Hemisphere and a good time to reflect on the past year with a hot cup of your favorite brew. It’s also a time when we yearn…

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earth hands

Its a ten and a half hour plane flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Chicago, and then two and a half more to Denver. Home for two days I’m finally catching up on some real rest, and also catching up with perspective. Our dream of taking wellness worldwide continues to happen.

brazil coaching group 2012Wellness & Health Coach Intensive, Sao Paulo, Brazil

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teach ballroom

Sometimes I find that the coaching I am doing with my  clients flows into a combination of elements in their lives, their own wellness, their businesses, their families and their leadership opportunities.  Such a client related a story today that unexpectedly led us into talking about what worked so well in our coaching relationship.  She had just recently attended a…

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line danc

I never did get the Cha Cha. It looks like line dancing is a lot of fun, but I’ve got two left feet that seem to always get in everyone’s way. Following prescribed steps in a precise way is just not how I like to dance. Now, fire up some swing, some impromptu, totally kicking it up blues or Telluride…

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Wellness Coaching: Bringing Light To Lifestyle Medicine

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”
Hippocrates 420 B.C – 370 B.C.

Healthcare providers have been prescribing lifestyle improvement for thousands of years. The evidence has been built from the observations of Hippocrates all the way…

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wine glasses on the beach

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” How long has it been since the words of that old song rang true? In response to the accelerated pace of life a conscious movement has emerged to help us slow down and reclaim our quality of life again.

In my last post I shared about Time Affluence (http://wp.me/pUi2y-hV) and how…

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various human emotions wood abstract

One of the first things we learn about in the fields of Wellness & Health Promotion and Health & Wellness Coaching, is that our lifestyle choices are a primary determinant of our health and wellbeing. It seems straightforward that making the right or healthy choice is a rational process based upon having the best information. We often then address…

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Effective coach training teaches about   the power of relationship, of person-to-person connection, not just because it’s warm and “nice”, but because all the evidence from coaching and psychotherapy says it works! We each need to feel truly heard by others that we are attempting to be in relationship with. When we share our lives, our experiences and our feelings we

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It’s time to cut a new trail…innovate wellness!

Attending Lifestyle Medicine 2013 (http://lifestylemedicine.org/lifestylemedicine2013) in the Washington, D.C. area this week I was heartened to be around so many enthusiastic people from the medical world who have embraced the realization of just how behavioral health is. The conference was “small but mighty” and had doubled in size since the previous year.

Dean Ornish (http://www.ornishspectrum.com

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Projection – A Freudian Classic

Our previous blog post: Getting Yourself Out Of The Way: The Self-Vigilant Coach – Part One (https://wp.me/pUi2y-mu)  explored the many ways in which the coach can interfere in the coaching process and “get in the way” of the client’s own coaching work. Our own agendas, attitudes, beliefs, prejudices, projections and unfinished emotional business can all impede the coaching…

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Chicken-fried steak

The rise of celebrity chefs and food programs has been phenomenal. True, there are some excellent shows that feature healthy cuisines, and more wellness-oriented content. However the alarming trend has been for more and more shows to do what television shows have learned works for ratings: to shock and to “give the public what they want.” I’m talking gluttony and…

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self awareness

Personal growth is a lifelong process, and for the wellness coach it is a key component of their professional development as well. I’ll be blunt. If you are afraid of personal growth and change you’re not ready to be a coach. Do your work. Do your healing if need be, and when you can lovingly embrace your own growth as…

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holiday weight gain scale

The fear of adding those holiday-midwinter pounds often drives people to the bookstore for yet another dieting best-seller. The desire for quick results is understandable and nothing delivers like a low-calorie diet. The infomercials promise miracles and we keep on seeking a solution that we know sounds too good to be true. Of course those same low-calorie diets are impossible…

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Rocky Mountain National Park, Glacier Gorge. Elevation at Trailhead 9,240 ft.  Photo by M. Arloski

Whether it’s a trek in the Alps or a time to be “Rocky Mountain High”, getting up in the mountains is a great way to be well physically, mentally and spiritually. Being well at higher altitude however requires some important knowledge and sometimes, some caution. The people a wellness coach works with may face some challenges at higher elevation…

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“In a way, what Motivational Interviewing was thought to do in the beginning was to help people become ready. In the addiction field we were blaming people for not getting better, saying ‘well, come back when you’re ready.’  Well, we don’t do that with cancer.  That’s not good enough.  So, what can you do if a person doesn’t seem to be ready?  Well, that’s

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answers

When faced with overwhelming, frightening and ultimately complex problems we tend to search for simplistic answers. Perhaps this is an adaptive attempt originating in the deep part of our brain known as the amygdala, where fear triggers our survival instincts (and our flight/fight/freeze response). In our ancestral days near our cave, taking action to freeze, run or fight like…

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linking hands

Suzanne Ballantyne, Wellness and Health Coach and Yoga Teacher, recently shared this piece below with me and her classmates from her Wellness Mapping 360° training course.

“I am taking more anatomy classes for my yoga teaching and Thursday the topic was breathing anatomy.  The first thing the teacher did was have us breathe – no big surprise there.  Anyway…

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Wellness Coaching News

Books by Dr. Michael

 

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Health Coaching Books

All books can be purchased through wholeperson.com or Amazon.com

 

Dr. Michael Arloski

Advancing the Craft of Health & Wellness Coaching

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