We’ve all seen the athletic coaches on TV, crouched on the field, attention on the players, ready to leap up if needed, rushing out on the field, shouting encouragement and definitely being there for the athletes. The coaches are vital to the success of the individual players and the team.
I have had the good fortune to work with our Health Coach Mirabai Holland.
While it is totally believable to picture Mirabai wearing a cap out on the field ready to come to my aid, our meetings have been on the phone or at the Fitness Center.
My initial reasons for working with Mirabai were nutrition, exercise and weight loss. I knew I needed to exercise regularly, eat better and lose weight, but I was confused about how to do this. With Mirabai’s help, I learned to set small, achievable goals that I could integrate into my lifestyle.I am better able to break down large problems into these smaller parts and successfully deal with the problem one step at a time. Not only did this help me achieve my goals, but it also reduced my stress by making my problems manageable.
Some of my goals were to schedule regular workouts on my recumbent bicycle for a set number of days per week. Gradually, I built my time from 10-minute workouts to 45 minutes or more, and from an easy pace to one more challenging. I now bike an average of 45 minutes at a time 5-6 days a week. I no longer have to make myself do this. I just get up and hop on the bike with a book and start pedaling. Thanks to regular exercise, I have lost about 2 dress sizes.
Then, we tackled the Fit Nuts challenge and set up a program of exercise based on the skills at the beginning and end of the program. Mirabai worked with me and with her encouragement I was able to significantly improve my scores and it felt wonderful to meet this goals-I had lost both weight and inches and was more limber.
I enjoy making different soups and we made that into a goal as a way to integrate more vegetables into my diet. Starting the week with a big pot of soup also provided me with several dinners and lunches that were delicious, satisfying and healthy.
During our time working together, I never doubted Mirabai’s support. Whether I met my goals or not, she was never discouraging or disappointed in me. She always is confident in my ability to succeed and is willing and able to adjust the goals or even change to entirely new goals if that is what is best for me. She helps me feel confident about myself.
Mirabai continues to amaze me with the range of her knowledge. Her background in exercise, nutrition, movement, psychology and in the inner workings of the body is extensive and what she doesn’t know, she is enthusiastic about finding more about. It truly is a win/win situation to work with Mirabai. She not only has the skills and knowledge to be helpful but she is also a warm and caring individual whose support is unwavering and unconditional.
Judy Mullen
Librarian, Braden River Library
