Meet your Health Coach

“Hi, I am Sheetal”

“A mum of two boys…one a young adult and the other a teenager…” I am also a Health Coach” This introduction invariably leads to: “Seriously? You don’t look like the mum of two boys”. And “What does the Health Coach do? Is it like a Dietician or a Nutritionist?” Well, I did look like the mum of two boys many years ago. My younger son was just born and I had put on loads of weight. Often as young mothers do, I found it difficult to prioritise my own fitness needs over the needs of my family. This would have continued had I not reminded myself of my early life experience. At the age of 17, I lost my father after a long illness; a loss I took years to recover from. That gave me the belief that I needed to prioritise my own health not only for myself but also for my family. So, I joined a fitness club for the first time in my life. I expected to quickly fall off the wagon, as most people do who take up fitness later in life. However, much to my own surprise, I got hooked on to physical exercise and my new fitness regime became an integral part of my life. My weight fell away, my stamina increased and my overall well being improved significantly. As my interest in fitness deepened, I began to appreciate the role of nutrition in overall fitness and well being. That led me to acquire a formal accreditation from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, a USA based and world’s largest health coaching organisation. I had suffered a hormone imbalance due to my weight loss, an experience that led me subsequently to acquire additional specialization in Hormone Health from IIN. I firmly believe in doing work that has a positive impact on people. As a public speaker in wellness, I share my knowledge with audiences across the UAE; I have been a coordinator for a Toastmasters Club for youngsters for many years helping scores of youngsters in improving their communication and leadership skills; and I also act as a volunteer to support people of determination. My health coaching practice allows me to combine my interest in health with my passion for impacting people positively.

My Health Coaching Approach

A Health Coach and a Nutritionist / Dietician have a common goal: to help clients lead a healthier life. The approaches however differ: A Nutritionist / Dietician provides nutrition based guidelines, meal plans and supplements to address specific medical issues. A Health Coach, on the other hand, focuses on holistic health that includes nutrition awareness, other areas of life that can impact client’s wellbeing and adopts goal setting and accountability based approach.

Three Pillars of Health Coaching

Food and
Beyond

It’s not just the food we eat that affects our health, but all other factors present in our daily lives. I work with my clients to identify all aspects of their life that impact their health. For example:
– Does stress at your job or in your relationships cause you to overeat?
– Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising?

Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and spiritual practice are the ‘Primary Foods’ that support what we eat. I employ specific techniques from my Emotional Eating specialization to help you identify the factors that lead to your food choices.

Diet to
Nutrition

Each of us have unique food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food is another person’s poison; that’s why fad diets tend to fail in the long run.

Instead of prescribing a diet, I will work with you to explore the food that is right for your unique needs. I will introduce you to local produce, whole grains, high quality protein and healthy fats. I will make you aware of simple and easy to get health food that need not cost a lot of money. E.g. not all food needs to be organic and there are a number of inexpensive superfoods available.

By consuming food that is good for you, you will naturally have less room and desire for unhealthy food.

Advice to
Accountability

A unique role of a Health Coach is to support the client in identifying the specific steps to achieve their well-being goals. Once we have agreed the specific solutions, we will develop a plan to achieve the desired outcome.

As we know, change can be difficult; my job as a Health Coach is to help you to adhere to the change until it becomes a habit.

Nutrition + Lifestyle + Support = The New You

About my training

I graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition where I learned innovative coaching methods, practical lifestyle management techniques, and over 100 dietary theories – Ayurveda, gluten-free, Paleo, raw, vegan, macrobiotics, and everything in between. My education has equipped me with extensive, cutting-edge knowledge in holistic nutrition, health coaching, and prevention. Drawing on my expertise, I work with my clients to help make lifestyle changes and choose health-promoting ways that produce real and lasting results. You will develop a deeper understanding of food and lifestyle choices that work best for you, improving your energy, balance, health, and happiness. Each session will leave you feeling inspired and motivated. We will talk about things beyond food, seeking to bring balance to important elements of your life such as love and relationships as well as career and money. I will guide you to make simple, small changes to transform your life.