And so it begins.  We are moving into the business building portion of the course and have completed the basic nutrition component.  Falling in love with marketing is an interesting way of looking at building a business.  Questions abound, am I really ready to be an entrepreneur, ready to build a coaching business, ready to apply what I have learned over the last seven months to helping others become the best they can be.  Right from the beginning I knew this was the path for me and it has been a steady and constant source in my life for 28 weeks.  Moving ahead is the only way I know to go.  Looking back I am astounded at what has happened in my life since last November when I made the phone call to IIN to sign up for the course starting in January.  So, am I a risk taker?  Yes.  Am I ready to move forward and to see where I go?  Yes.  Do I have what it takes?  Yes.  I can do this and I know that I love it.   There is nothing better than helping another person and knowing that is my focus and that I have the skills and knowledge to do so in a very meaningful way is why I want to be a Health Coach.

One thing health related that we discussed this week was the difference between your constitution and your condition.  Your constitution is what you are born with, it cannot be changed.  It is your gene makeup from your parents and your grandparents.  It makes up the color of your hair and your eyes and your skin.  Your condition is post-birth.  It is your lifestyle, your diet, your day-to-day life and it can be changed.  So some things you can control and some you cannot.   Health coaches can help change your condition.  That is what we do.  That is what we have been trained to do.  That is what we live to do and love to do.

The summer is running away from me.  Last year my grandson went to camp for the first time.  It seemed that it was a very long time from the day we dropped him off at the airport to that day we had dreamed about, watching him come in from trip while sitting on the shores of Garden Island in the middle of Lake Temagami in Northern Ontario.  Six weeks is a long time.  This year it has flown by.  We will leave in just over a week to go and pick him up.  It is a great adventure for all of us.  We rent a big white truck and tow our 18′ boat from Quebec to Ontario.  It is about 500 miles and takes us a day and half to get there. We plan it out and each time we do we get a little bit smarter.  We used to do this when Margot was a section leader and we would go for the end of camp.  Then we had a few years off as Margot didn’t go any more and Jack was too young. Now we are at it again and can’t wait.  Margot and Katie will join us this year so we will take a car too.   Yesterday we made up our list of what needs to go with us and we started planning meals and what food we needed to take.  We need to take everything from coffee filters to soap to peanut butter.  It is camping but we do have a cabin and indoor plumbing.  The only mode of transportation once we get there is by boat or canoe.  There are no roads and an awful lot of water and pretty much nothing else but islands.  It is a little bit of heaven on earth.  We leave the electronics behind and pick up the fishing poles.  The sunsets are fabulous.  It nurtures our souls.

This week was a big week for me in many ways. On Monday I had the big post-heart attack checkup.  Blood work and the nuclear stress test at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Hospital.  It was a very long day starting with the blood work and then to the nuclear lab where Bob put in an IV and gave me the first dose of the isotope.  From there I went to the scan which was a little scary.  It is a rather big machine and it makes a lot of noise as it goes over and around your body.  I don’t think it is as bad as people say an MRI is but it is a very big machine.  That scan was to get my heart at rest.  Then up the stairs to the stress lab where I was hooked up with electrodes and blood pressure machine and surrounded by people and a treadmill.  Isack and Nick on either side of me and Claudia on the computer and a doctor in the room just in case.  That was a little intimidating!  Since I am a rather competitive person I did let them crank it up just to see how far I could go.  My heart rate went to 150+% of the target for a woman of my age which was over 200.  Now I know why the doctor was in the room.  I got to the 90 second point and they gave me the second dose of the isotope and then hoped I would go for 90 more seconds.  Well, I didn’t!  I thought I would throw up as I was now running and frankly, I don’t run.  The good news is that it was enough even if I didn’t make the full 90 seconds.  You don’t even want to know what my blood pressure was.  Scared the daylights out of me.  Once I was calmed down and back to “normal” I was told all was good and off to the scan room again.  This time to see what things looked like after being stressed.  I really just wanted to go to sleep and since I was prone on my back with my hands over my head I almost did.  Once that was done I was finished with the testing and starving so off I went to get some lunch.  I hadn’t eaten in a very long time.  The meeting with the doctor was very good.  He was pleased with the results of the test, said there was no damage to my heart and that he didn’t need to see me for a year and by the way, I have a really cool stent in my heart.  He loves it so much he gave me another picture of it.  So keep doing what I am doing and all should be well.  Whew!!!!

The other big thing that happened this week is that I have my first client.  It is wonderful and I am so pleased to be working with her.  For some months now we have been practicing with our colleagues and fellow students and with our Accountability Coach.  I love my AC.  She texted me at just the right time this week, just when I needed her.  I was ready and IIN said it was time and has issued us temporary licenses.  My client is signed up for the six month program and we are beginning to work together.  I am excited for her journey and so glad she invited me along as her coach.  The future awaits and my heart and I are ready.

Have a wonderful week everyone.  If you are interested in working with a Coach with a Heart please email me here:  [email protected]