Some years ago, I wrote the blog article ‘Choose your Pregnancy and Birth Team.’ As you can guess from the title, this was aimed at
pregnancy, however I have recently begun to realise that the concept of this is
actually relevant to everyone. My original post was all about making sure you utilise
the right people for you throughout your pregnancy. It is that concept that I
want to harness now and encourage you all to do the same. Who is in your support team?
If you have been following my blogs, you have probably
already taken the springboard for your healthy habits and started on your
health goals. Having the right team around you is vital, and I am going to give
my original example here: When my eldest son was born, I had planned to go to a
midwife-led birthing centre; I wanted everything as natural as can be. I had
read a few books and done a bit of research myself and thought that was enough.
I made a big mistake; I didn’t look for or find anyone to help me achieve this.
I thought that as that was my wish it would somehow happen, that hospital
doctors, consultants, midwives, would all be on board with this because I had
noted in my birth plan that I wanted a natural birth. I hadn’t outlined my
vision to them either and that was another mistake. Let’s face it: people’s
ideas and understandings can vary greatly and the word natural can mean
different things to different people. When I didn’t get the support I was
expecting it left me feeling alone in an environment I did not want to be in. Everything I wanted was a constant battle of trying to make myself heard.
Now this is quite extreme I know, but it’s just my example. Many
women out there don’t realise the importance of choosing your pregnancy and
birth team and the effect it can have. Some may not even realise that they can
or should do this, but the difference between choosing and not choosing can
result in a completely different birth experience, especially when we consider
that a team is a group of people working together to achieve a common goal.
It is exactly the same in our health goals. You set your
goals in line with the healthy habits spring board; let’s say you have
noted that you want to drink more water. How would this relate to choosing a
team? You may not need to seek a professional but you could start by
telling your household so that they can support you.
It may be that nutrition is on your list of goals and that
you need guidance. You could decide to speak to a nutritionist. You may
have a coach in place already who can assist with this, or you could look
specifically for a health coach who is in tune with your goals and has a similar
philosophy. It may be that you are struggling to identify or hone in on the specific
areas and goals that you would like to work on. In this case a coach would be extremely
useful, as they can work with you to find a starting point, guide you along and help
keep you on track.
Some examples of my health team members, both current and previous, are:
- · Pilates Instructor: Pilates is great for helping to build up your core stability.
- · Chiropractor:
Doctors of Chiropractic can ensure that you are free of nerve interference,
allowing your body to express itself optimally.
- · MassageTherapist: Great for soothing those
aching muscles and more besides.
- · EFT:
This is great for helping you to relax, focus, and to clear any negative
emotions.
- · Personal
Trainer: For me, it’s always great to have someone cracking the whip when it comes
to exercise.
- · Dentist
- · Optician
Choosing your team can be extended out as far as you see fit. Indeed, if you have identified the need to work on you PMA (positive
mental attitude) and that in doing so, you have decided to incorporate
meditation, you may need to seek assistance. You may choose attend a class
(online or offline). You may choose that you want to learn a new skill as part
of this step, or take up an instrument to help you with mindfulness. There are
so many avenues you can take, but I do believe having the right people around
you is vital for your success an ultimately your health. After all your health
is a marathon not a sprint and requires constant work consistent healthy habits.