Wellness Coach Cat Erickson helped me evolve from a muscle dude to someone genuinely aware of my own body, what I eat and my attitude towards Health
A big part of strength is having the courage to put your ego aside and learn from a new source.
A few months ago I was in a bit of a rut. I was training twice before noon five times a week. After my run in the morning and my three hour boxing workouts I was exhausted. I would take four to five hour “naps” in the middle of the day that would really throw off my sleep cycle. The strange hours began affecting my eating and I started to gain weight. I still had a six pack but I did not like the direction I was going in. My apartment was beginning to resemble my situation; cluttered and lacking focus. I had my dream and my ambitions what I needed was a better way to live.
I’d heard about the miracles Cat Erickson of World Redress has worked on people as a Wellness Coach. I reached out to her and she told me she was booked solid for a few months between New York City, Los Angeles and Atlanta. When I told her that I was an athlete and my issues she was became curious. She had only worked with ladies up until now and she saw working with someone like me as a major challenge. When she told me some time had become free I commissioned her services as a Wellness Coach.
She finally showed up at my door and my first reaction was ” What can this little lady do for me? ”
What Wellness Coaches do.
A wellness coach is someone who shows you how to live better. We are complex creatures so showing us a better way to live in a complex world is involved but Cat made it easy.
The first thing she did was use her skills at observation and to figure out exactly where I needed the most help. She is very empathic and knew exactly what pace of learning was most comfortable for me so I was always eager to learn more. Cat focused her energies and my own into the things that would give me the most benefit first and most quickly. This kept my willpower and enthusiasm high.
- Posture
- Respiratory System
- Digestive Tract Health
- Lack of Nutrition
- Adrenal Distress
- Eliminating Processed Foods
- Environment
Posture
How we hold our bodies in motion and at rest deeply affects our mood. If you ever feel down stop and look at your posture and facial expression. You will most likely be hunched over and have a frown or have a notched brow. Instead try sitting upright and smiling with your chin up. It is impossible to feel bad like that. I dare you to try it.
Cat knew the power of our physical state to effect our minds so she had me focus on my posture. Cat is only 5’2 so she always keeps good posture to try and seem as tall as possible. This has helped her maintain excellent health so she knows the value of it. She also knew that us tall guys have a bad habit of hunching over. She showed me picture of me walking normally and me walking with my posture super erect. I was shocked! I looked so sick and pathetic walking “normally” and I looked normal when I stood super erect, even though I always felt silly standing that way.
I literary got the picture and now I always walk tall. We as men must walk tall. Watch women just start to notice you more. Improving your posture and sticking with it is the single best thing you can do to improve how you appear to the world and your own mood as well. We are all connected. Cat always said that and now I see how it is true in a very practical way.
Respiratory
Breathing is important. We have all heard it. It has become so cliche. I always had my doubts. While I am still trying to find the best breathing patterns for me I am now officially on the path since Cat introduced me to the concept. I now pay attention to my breathing all the time. Even as I type this I am monitoring my breathing. The beautiful thing about it is that it helps me turn off the extra noise in my mind. I am far more productive now and I don’t need to rest as much when doing cerebral work.
Breathing during exercise coupled with visualization also helped me to go deeper into what I was doing. My focus in training improved. Just knowing that all I had to do was focus on my breathing and let the movement come took away alot of my guilt and hence my ego out of it. Even things like having a bowel movement are made so much easier by being aware of your breathing.
Masters know the power of proper breathing. It takes alot of experimentation to truly find what works for you. Cat held my hand gently as I experimented and nudged me just right.
Digestive GI Tract
This is a big one.
Many health authorities, from doctors in the 1600′s to the most noted specialists in nutrition and gastro intestinal health now believe that poor colon Health is the number one cause of illness. Cat is obviously one of them as she told me flat out that poor Colon health and lack of hydration are the two biggest problems with people in general and were even bigger issues with me. I did suffer from constipation and gas but other than that I thought I was very healthy. I am always excited about being better and stronger so when Cat suggested that a Colon Cleanse could help me get rid of the baggage in my colon that was slowing me down I was all for it.
I was pretty shocked when Cat came back with a 14 day all raw, all liquid cleanse. I was even more shocked when she told me about the Gall Bladder and Liver Flush involved. Then cat mentioned the enemas and I laughed to hide my shock and a bit of fear. I saw that everything else she had recommended was working so I made the decision to just go for it all.
Wellness Coach Cat Erickson lead me through an all natural Colon Cleanse that transformed my body and more importantly my outlook on Health.
I dropped 15 lbs in ten days. I felt like a new man. The cleanse was 14 days yet I only made it 10 before I darted off into the night and had solid foods. Cat was impressed I lasted 10 days for my first cleanse and even survived the enemas. I noticed an amazing boost in my energy levels. Even after my workouts I did not feel the need to go for my five hour naps. I was amazed by this. It totally changed my days and this alone made everything worth it. Many more benefits came of course such as a super defined six pack and a natural glow about my face that had the ladies really looking.
Lack of Nutrition
Being a big eater I always thought I got more than enough nutrition. Cat looked at my diet and saw a lack of real nutrition. I was not having enough fiber, greens and nearly everything I ate was cooked. Cat added Real living greens to my diet, showed me the importance of enzymes and gave me an education on raw food.
Cat does not believe in Dogma or fascist food lifestyles. While she is mostly Vegan and almost all Raw she does not consider herself a Vegan or Raw Foodist. She believes that natural Health is obtainable by all through a lifestyle that is fun and rewarding. The nutritional scores of all food that we see on labels are measured only after that food has been cooked. When food is cooked it loses much of its proteins, vitamins minerals and enzymes. When I added more raw food to my diet I noticed a huge increase in energy and mental clarity. I even started eating meat raw again. Cat introduced me to bison meat and the very best in food. We went way past organic and the benefits came to me in longer runs, more intensity and much less gas.
Adrenal Distress
Cat spoke about this alot but I still am not sure about the science of it. It seems the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) can really wreck havoc on your natural energy balance. The hormones that control this process are produced in the adrenal and thyroid glands. The unnatural chemicals and high amounts of sugar in processed foods can really change how they function over time. Cat made certain to watch my sugar intake and balance out my diet with foods that control sugar values. She said that doing this for a good month would be enough to reprogram my adrenal glands and detoxify my system of chemicals that were harming them. It obviously worked because my energy levels became steadier and higher overall.
Eliminating Processed Foods
Cat was very stern with me here. She showed me the research on things like MSG and High Fructose Corn Syrup and I started to see how devastating this was to our health. Things like the processed white flour in bread and pastas are basically fat going directly into our bodies. All the sugars in our foods and drinks were making us obese and quite frankly doping us up. She opened my eyes to seeing the difference between processed and natural. Just because something says “Organic” does not mean it is good for us.
My little Wellness Coach walked me through the supermarket and quizzed me on what was processed and what was not. I finally learned how to shop. Then she showed me how to prepare the food without relying on processed sauces, condiments or flavors. She even made me throw away my microwave because it contributed to the processed food lifestyle.
Environment
Cat’s final touch was to make sure that all these changes in my life would stick once she was gone. She showed me how to organize my space for Feng Shu, optimal air flow and light. She helped me clean up my work area, rearrange my bathroom and living room. Those changed really did help me feel like I was beginning something truly new and fresh. I thought all these things would just waste my time but instead it freed up my time. I became far more productive and slept better. I finally began enjoying quiet time at home with myself.
My kitchen was transformed. What was formerly just a stove, fridge with some left overs and a microwave became a fully stocked raw kitchen that was more like a little restaurant. She showed me what appliances to buy, that I needed and what I didn’t need. She went shopping with me and showed me how what to buy and for what reason. The end result was that I truly had a home base for a healthy life. I never had to turn to the junk sold outside because I always had delicious nutritious food ready and waiting. This ensured that all my progress would stick.
The Final Word on Wellness Coaching
Having just a day with a true Wellness Coach can change your life.
More people are starting to call themselves Wellness Coaches but the real ones are very rare. A true Wellness Coach will give you one on one undivided attention and show you how to truly live within your own home and be aware of your body. Wellness coaches must have amazing powers of observation, be emphatic, patient, giving with their knowledge and have a very diverse and wide store of knowledge on various subjects. Nutrition, psychology, holistic medicine, herbalism and even interior design are all required of a Wellness Coach.
Good luck finding a true Wellness coach one near you. Cat Erickson has done wellness coaching in New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta. Ladies, Cat has dealt mostly with women and she knows how to help ladies lose weight, keep it off and know why. Gentlemen, remember that behind the pretty face there is alot of knowledge that can benefit you and take her advice to action.
