You have to start somewhere

by Kate A. Griffith

Director of Education

I wondered how to help my father for years. I gently offered advice, sharing ideas for replacement foods for some of his favorite indulgences. Nothing I said mattered. Then he got dual diagnoses of hypertension (high blood pressure) and Type 2 diabetes. Frankly, he still didn’t want to hear what I had to say. Instead he took nutrition classes, and, in a classic case of “outside expert syndrome,” he was suddenly repeating back to me the things I had been trying to suggest to him for years.

We hear it in the aisles of Freshlife almost daily – our regular customers lament that they wish someone who is important to them would agree to take advantage of our 30 years of experience and partake of the wealth of knowledge available through our wellness services. Others lament that someone they know and love could benefit from a wellness consultation, but doubt that the person would ever consent to sit down for an hour with a wellness coach.

Again, I’ll point back to my father. Heck, I can point to myself when I say this – everyone starts somewhere. I know that walking through the doors at Freshlife can be intimidating when you’re new to the store. There are aisles upon aisles of bottles that contain things you’ve never even heard of. That is, of course, one of the many reasons our Wellness Coaches are trained to the point that they have earned their monikers – so they can guide you toward the supplements and natural medicines that can best address your needs.

If the need is larger than the average, run-of-the mill, “Which multivitamin should I take?” variety, you, or the one you love, may need that hour-long consultation.

First, I’d like you to think about the last time your doctor spent an hour with you talking about your health challenges and what you could do to overcome those challenges without taking more prescription medications.

Now, consider the benefits of filling out a full health history for our Wellness Coaches. The wellness team holds a brainstorming session each week, devoted to discussing your health concerns and developing a plan that helps you to embrace your best health. At that meeting, you are assigned to the Wellness Coach who will best fit your needs. Your coach will partner with you in examining your health concerns and helping you to understand how the choices you are making in all areas of your life are either promoting or depleting your health.

Some of our clients come to the consultation alone. Many bring a friend or family member. For your undecided loved one, maybe the offer to come along would be just the encouragement she needs. Maybe the offer to sit down and help him fill out the paperwork would be the emotional support that makes the difference. Maybe I’m talking to you here. If you’ve been following a “hit or miss” plan when it comes to your own health, there’s no better time than right now to set a new course to better days ahead. Maybe a change of lifestyle could eliminate your dependence on that drug with the troublesome side effects. Maybe, with June just 3 months away, you’d like to discuss a safe and healthy way to drop 15 –20 pounds before the season of short pants and short sleeves is here. Remember, we all start somewhere.

The purpose of a consultation is not to tell you what you “have to do” to be healthier. Freshlife Wellness Coaches strive to empower you to see that the choices you make are always with consequence and that new choices and changed outcomes are always possible. By sharing their knowledge, they can enlighten you on the many ways to create vitality, long life, freedom from disease and joy.

Wherever you may be on the health continuum, you can benefit from a wellness consultation It’s a good place to start.