ABOUT JENNIFER
Health and Wellness Coach
Meet Jennifer!
Jennifer is a health and wellness consultant and coach.
I am a doctorate level educated family nurse practitioner with 20 years in nursing. I have a passion for helping people feel their best and to reach the most optimal state of wellness they can achieve. As a practitioner in a traditional health system, I have been increasingly frustrated with the limitations that hinder me from helping people be healthy! I began my career to help people be well in body, mind and spirit. However, traditional healthcare forces me to prioritize my time, skills and attention on sickness, medications, and crisis management. So many of the health issues I treat everyday could be prevented, reversed or well managed with successful lifestyle management. The impact of good nutrition, daily movement, proper hydration, restorative sleep, and stress management are highly underrated, under advertised and lacking in the majority of American households. This has led me to health coaching. I want to support people to live healthy, have more energy, be comfortable in their bodies, spend more time doing things they enjoy, and be happy.
I want to be your personal ‘travel guide’ on your trip to a healthier you. I am a firm believer that you are the driver of your health journey and my role is to help guide you to the best information, help you avoid pitfalls and misinformation, and make the changes easier for you. Let me help plan your ‘health journey’ so you can navigate the process and have a successful, enjoyable experience.
On a personal note, my main passion is my family. I have been married for 22 years and have two amazing children. My son has a chronic medical condition that is greatly influenced by lifestyle and we have lots of experience adapting our current culture and lifestyle to maximize his health. Part of helping my son’s health meant that I needed to role model healthy lifestyle behaviors. Thank you for being here with me and letting me be part of your transformation!
It all started when I was walking up some stairs with my son. He asked me “Do you hear that noise, that squeaking noise?” That squeaky noise…was my knees as I climbed the stairs. I was not setting good examples of health to my children. I had gained weight with a busy lifestyle, eating quick convenient foods, working long hours and not prioritizing my own health. At my highest weight, 199 lbs., I was having daily knee and back pain that was affecting my activities. I found it difficult to participate in practices while I was coaching volleyball and would avoid certain physical activities at family gatherings. I began struggling with mental clarity, optimal work performance, having frequent headaches and found myself often irritable and always tired.
For years I had tried all sorts of weight loss programs that included weighing portions, counting calories, counting points, macro portioning with minimal results and never could sustain these programs long term. The yo-yo effect was exhausting. I felt like a failure over and over. I wasn’t able to stick to any workout routines longer than 3 months. This led me to become unmotivated and upset that I couldn’t commit to my own health.
But then everything changed…I had enough!
I finally found a sustainable program that worked for me and lost 35 lbs. I found a nutrition program that fit my preferences, enrolled in a meal delivery services (I needed this for sustainability), and made cooking fun again! I used to love to cook until it had become a chore. I began meal prepping on weekends so weekday lunches and meals were convenient for me and my family. I began seeing immediate results. My cravings naturally reduced. I have maintained my weight loss for over a year now.
Now I'm able to enjoy activities I like and I am comfortable with my body. I even wore a swimsuit on my last vacation! I no longer have knee pain. I have been able to reduce alternative care visits to maintain my back pain and headaches. I am more proficient at work and feel accomplished. I have been able to spend more quality time with my family.
My clients began to notice my personal health changes and inquired what I was doing that was working. Together we assessed their personal circumstances and developed a plan to reach their goals. I get to celebrate their achievements with them and nothing makes me happier than seeing my clients happy and empowered!
Fun facts!
2 out of 3 Americans are overweight or obese. Obesity reduces life expectancy by 3-10 years.
Getting enough sleep can help prevent binging and depression.
Losing even small amounts of weight, such as 3% (i.e. if you weigh 200 lbs, 3% is only 6 lbs!) and maintaining this for life can significantly reduce your risk of developing diseases and complications.
People in disorganized work spaces are more likely to choose unhealthy snacks.
Losing weight alters brain activity. Women following a weight loss program for 6 months, scored better on memory tests.
