I have been debating exactly how I would write this blog for over a week. It hit me half way through my honeymoon (yes I am newly married!) that what I want to teach my clients ultimately has very little to do with nutrition. Until today; I didn’t know how to go about explaining this point.

I took a Kundalini yoga class this morning. I have taken Kundalini yoga many times before but never had an instructor teach the purpose of Kundalini yoga. Some need to take yoga to quiet their minds, some to stretch their body, some to strengthen their body, some to rehab an injury, but ALL of us take yoga to CONNECT with ourselves. This is what our instructor spoke on today. This is intuition. Intuition is the ability to check in with our bodies to understand what we need to feel our best. We can only do that if we honor what we need in that moment and allow those needs to constantly evolve.

To develop intuition, we must quiet the buzz that surrounds us constantly. I am going to speak on intuition in regards to health and our body primarily because that is my passion:)

We are always being bombarded with new studies- low carb diets versus low fat diets versus Paleo to eat right, CrossFit training versus yoga versus running versus old school weights and cardio to get in your best shape,  foam rolling versus stretching versus massage versus chiropractics versus rest days to help you recover. NO WONDER WE ARE CONFUSED!!!! I have heard my clients say “I was doing it all wrong before I met Kate and then she taught me that x y and z were not good to eat and x,y and z were not good for me to do for workouts to get in better shape.  While I am thankful that I have helped these individuals; I have failed as a teacher. Low fat diets are not wrong, low carb diets are not wrong, endurance training is not wrong, massage is great for some of my clients, stretching and mobilizing is better for others. I have cut or restricted these modalities of training and/or macronutrients in many of your plans WHEN YOU NEEDED IT. I have put it back in or increased frequency WHEN YOU HAVE NEEDED IT BACK IN.  The truth is, all of these types of training and eating are effective in achieving goals. It is critical to know what you need yourself to reach your own specific goals.

What I do in a nutshell is get to know you, to understand what you need based on how you are living your life now, how you have lived in the past, and what your specific goals are. What I didn’t tell most of you (but I am starting to do now) is that I did much of this based off of an intuition of what you needed physically, emotionally, and spiritually to be successful.

Now you must understand that science is KING in determining the final plan. If a client’s RMR is 1800 cal/day and they want to lose weight. I use this information to determine their daily macronutrient needs. Especially in the first month science is extremely important because 90% of my clients come to me not knowing what their body needs. They are in a spot they don’t want to be in but don’t know how to get out. I have a broad spectrum of clients….athletes wanting to gain muscle, athletes wanting to lose weight, older adults wanting to get in shape to be healthy, and then your typical client who just wants to look great on the beach. (we all do btw!:)

There is not a right and wrong method to this madness. There a right for you right now and a wrong for you right now. Many of the women I work with need to back off on volume to allow their bodies to recover if they want to get leaner. I also have had many women do the exact opposite to achieve the same goal. Both plans were what the clients needed to do to achieve their goal. It was me using my intuition to determine what their body needed to get them to their goals. I have developed by coaching many clients in the past, working out and eating right myself, and listening closely to their needs. You can learn to do the same for yourself even better than I can if you can take the nutritional and exercise science I teach you and use it to determine what you need in the future.

So what is the main point to drive home here? I have not done my job if you need to come to me every month for the next 10 years to know what to eat. I have made you dependent on me like an overprotected parent. Kids won’t be successful if their parents don’t allow them to think on their own. You will not be successful long term if I do not gradually allow you to make decisions on what your body needs. My success is not in getting a client to lose 30 lbs or improve their Cross Fit performance dramatically. My success is determined by my clients maintaining their success while staying healthy and leading full lives with thriving relationships. Health is mental, emotional, and spiritual. Some days we mentally need a beat down heavy loaded CrossFit workout and some days we need yoga and a bike ride. Some weeks we need to scale back on our workouts, drink a little wine and enjoy good meals because it is important family or friend time . I have done my job when you are able to tell the difference.