The Health Coach Manifesto

For those who live in the Western world we can count ourselves lucky.  We probably aren’t in a conflict zone, we have enough to eat, have decent education and health care, access to good sanitation, most likely a job - I could go on.

But for those of us who find ourselves in this fortunate position, are we healthy, brimming with vitality and at the top of our game?  I would suggest that many of us are not.  

Statistics show that whilst life expectancy has increased dramatically in the past 100 years, many of those years (approximately 20% for men and 23% for women) are spent in poor health.  8.3 million adults in Britain are prescribed anti-depressants and rates of anxiety and depression in young people are unprecedented, exacerbated of course by the Covid pandemic.

As Brits we have immense pride in our National Health Service, which we fight hard to preserve. However, whilst our incredible health professionals work hard day in and day out to save lives and keep us healthy, the NHS is financially on its knees.  

Yes, it needs more funding, but what if there is also another way to help ease the pressure on the NHS?  A way which not only is beneficial for our health service, but crucially will allow so many of us to lead happier and healthier lives?

One reason the NHS is under strain is because of the overwhelming increase in chronic disease, but many of these illnesses are not inevitable. 

What if we could learn how to optimise our health and help avoid some of these life limiting conditions by living in a different way?  For as the saying goes “genes load the gun, but diet and lifestyle pulls the trigger”.

According to analysis, healthier food choices almost always benefit the planet as well, so if we take steps to become healthier, we help the health service, the planet and ourselves. It is a win win win situation.

There are many reasons why people don’t lead healthy lives and our fast moving and often overwhelming world doesn’t make it easy.  Surrounded by unhealthy food choices which are easy to prepare and cheap, is it our fault that we are getting sick?

Many of the ‘foods’ we buy at supermarkets are ultra-processed, full of sugar and additives which play havoc with our gut microbiome. Meat is pumped with hormones, fruit and veg sprayed with pesticides, putting further strain on the systems of the body.

Humans are hard-wired to eat sweet foods, since as hunter-gatherers we needed to fatten up in the summer to get through long hard winters. The huge conglomerates who control much of our food production know this; they know that humans crave these foods and that it is hard to say no once addicted.

We work hard in offices, hunched over computers emitting harmful blue light, which make us sick. We sit for hours on end, eating lunch at our desks, without the breaks that we really need. 

Humans are not designed for this. We are meant to move and to move often. Moving not only keeps us physically fit, but is crucial for our mental health too. We need space to rest and to breathe, to do nothing every now and again so we can recharge our often over-taxed brains.

Back home in the evening we slouch exhausted on sofas, watching television or playing video games to help us relax, then go to bed to find we can’t sleep and spend half the night tossing and turning, our overactive minds in overdrive.

Life doesn’t have to be like this; there are ways we can feel better which don’t have to be difficult, complicated or expensive.

We at the Healthy Londoner are passionate about empowering people to live happy, healthy lives and to be honest, who amongst us doesn’t want to feel their best?  We believe in health made simple and that by implementing small daily habits you can change your life and radically change your health.

We take inspiration from the centenarians who live in the 5 Blue Zones (Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Ikaria, Greece, and Loma Linda, California ).  These folk eat unprocessed whole foods and plants. They don’t sweat it out in gyms, but instead move continuously through the day. They have purpose and prioritise family and community. They lead long lives and importantly almost all their years are spent in full health. We can learn much from these people.

So, for those of you reading this who know that you want to make a change, but maybe find the idea overwhelming and have no idea where to start, then you are why we are here.

A health coach is here to support you on your health journey. It can be tough making changes on your own.  Our role is to support, to inform and to help you create a plan that is simple and straightforward, so that you can start changing your life and your health for the better.

For more information about health coaching and the services and packages we offer then please get in touch. We would love to hear from you and we are here to support you.