My wife Sharon introduced me to health coaching. She’s works for the county and she’s been working with Mirabai for a while. I saw her health and stress level improve tremendously, so I was open to health coaching. I wanted to improve my health, so I don’t decline. I had an idea of what I needed to change, but Mirabai took my ideas and helped me find ways to make healthy changes without turning my life upside down. And the great thing is, I had a ready-made support team with Sharon and Mirabai.
Over the last several months Mirabai has worked with Sharon and I together because we share common goals. We combine our two sessions into one mega session so we get a lot of time with Mirabai to work on our goals.
Food is a good example. Sharon loves to cook and Mirabai has helped us both read food labels and make healthier choices. After a lot of discussion, we decided that a Mediterranean style diet worked best for both of us. I work in the grocery business, so now that we’re doing this together, I get a lot of texts from Sharon about what healthy stuff to bring home for dinner. Frozen foods are high profit items in the grocery business and some of them are very good, but you have to be careful and read those labels because a lot of them are processed and have all kinds of junk in them. We’ve put an emphasis on fresh food.
I’m 61 now and I’ve worked in groceries since I was 17. My job is physical. I’m lifting heavy boxes, 60-70 pounds off and on all day. When my 8-10-hour shift is over I really feel like having a beer or two. But it wasn’t good for my weight or my blood sugar. Diabetes runs in my family and between poor food choices and a couple of beers after work, my sugar was bordering on diabetic and my weight was up about 12 pounds. My blood pressure was high, too. Mirabai knew not to ask me to give up having a beer after a long day. She suggested I consciously cut down by an amount that I choose and not stop entirely. I was able to have one instead of two and eventually not do it every night. Not having a beer before I go to sleep actually helped me sleep better and wake up less lethargic.
Exercise, particularly stretching, has also helped me tremendously. I’m leaning over quite a bit at work and 40 years of that have taken a toll on my lower back. I’m on my feet a lot too and I’ve had issues with my knees. Mirabai suggested that stretching could help relieve both issues, so I tried it. Now I’m doing some back stretches even at work and I have less pain. Stretching with the latex band has given me some good relief for my knees too.
The combination of Mirabai’s coaching and Sharon’s support has helped me make a real difference in my health. I lost those 12 pounds, my BMI went from 26.4 to 25.7, my Blood Pressure went from 133/78 to 123/71, and my Glucose went from 112 to 96.
Mirabai, Sharon and I are a great tag team and our results prove it. If people are willing to change and have the right frame of mind, you can do it. I would recommend health coaching to help you find out how to focus on what you want to change and get it done.
Mark Tarman
YourChoice Member
