How to be Successful in this Course_Final
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>> Hello again.
From our preview of the course so far,
you probably noticed that
we'll be covering a lot of information.
There is a lot to learn,
but it doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Having the right strategy and mindset
can make all the difference
in your professional and academic pursuits.
To set you up for success from day one,
in this lecture, we'll go over a few tips and tools
for how to integrate the information you learned.
And how to utilize what you've learned
when working with clients.
Specifically, I'll walk you through our top five tips
for success in this course.
Ready? Let's jump right in.
Tip number one, let go of the need to have all the answers.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed
navigating the supplement aisle
and whole foods or your local health food store,
or perhaps, discouraged by that contradicting information
offered by every diet from Paleo to Ketogenic.
You're not alone.
Nutritionists are confused, doctors are overwhelmed,
the science is contradictory,
and this is exactly why your clients are coming to you.
But it doesn't mean that you're expected to have
and memorize every answer.
Your job as a Health Coach isn't to know all the answers.
Gut health as a field is in its infancy
and no one has all the answers.
Your role as a Health Coach is to provide support
and guidance to your clients
as they navigate the resources and solutions
that work best for them.
You don't need to wait until you know everything
about gut health.
It's okay to refer back to your notes from this course,
in between sessions or look up answers as you go.
If you wait until you feel totally ready
before starting to put yourself out there,
you may never do it.
And that would be doing a huge disservice to yourself
and all of the people out there who need your help.
Remember, your clients are not coming to you
because of a lack of information.
They need your help to sift through it
and apply what's true for them.
Tip number two,
utilize your Facebook group
and the support from your course moderators.
Beyond the material,
we provide you with the biggest benefit
of taking this course
is the amazing community you're now a part of.
We encourage you to fully take advantage of it.
The absolute best way to do this
is connecting with your classmates
and course moderators in the Facebook group.
If you haven't been there yet,
I encourage you to check it out
as soon as we're done listening to this lecture.
You receive a link
to the course Facebook group in the welcome email
you were sent at the time of enrollment.
If you can't find it,
contact the helpdesk through the learning center
and they'll get you hooked up with the new like.
This group is your own private community
where you can share ideas, support, information,
and encouragement with your classmates.
It's also a place to receive mentorship
and personalize support from your course moderators.
These are members of the IIN Education Team
who have expert knowledge in gut health.
Joshua will even be in there
to encourage and support you too.
We'll be using the Facebook group
to hold several discussions each week
on the material presented to you in that module
so it's a great way to apply your learning,
share your thoughts, ask for support and clarification.
In fact, we're already in there chatting away right now.
This group will only be as dynamic as you make it,
so I encourage you to make the most of it.
Tip number three,
build upon concepts you learned
in the Health Coach Training Program.
In this course, we'll provide you with a lot of information
that already fits into your existing knowledge
of IIN concepts,
so use what you already know as a framework.
For example,
bio-individuality is a concept that you learned
in the Health Coach Training Program.
Gut bacteria in the state of our gut health
may play a large role
in explaining why some foods work well for some
and not for others.
The condition of the gut can explain
why people have strong cravings
and how this might emerge outside of their thinking.
Understanding the chemistry behind these cravings
can help your clients relieve the guilt
that's often associated and provide better solutions.
We'll cover why certain foods may cause reactions for some,
but not for others.
This may be based on personal history.
Whether the person have a lot of antibiotics,
exposure to toxins, pesticides.
No one person has the same gut bacteria composition
and no one diet works for everyone.
Now we may have the science to prove it.
Now let's move on to tip number four,
experience and awareness are your biggest allies.
It's an exciting time
to be working in the field of gut health
because we're entering an age
where many of the ideas we intuitively held,
such as, gut feeling sending information to our brains,
now have valid explanations in science.
We're learning that leading full life
involves being able to hear the gut
and cultivate a healthy gut instinct.
We'll provide you with a ton of great information
in this course
so you can build foundational knowledge,
but the best way to truly understand, apply your knowledge,
and teach your clients to tune into their gut
is to learn how to listen to yours.
A great way to be successful in this course
is to keep a diary of your gut feelings throughout the day.
How do you feel after eating certain foods
or being around various people
like your coworkers during a meeting?
When recording your gut feelings,
try to avoid judgment, just notice and record.
We've included a handout in this module
called "Gut Feelings"
to help you get started with tracking these feelings.
We encourage you to utilize this worksheet
and to continue to practice throughout the course.
A great way to do this is to keep an online
or paper journal
to write down what you need each day
along with your daily observations
of how you feel physically, mentally, spiritually.
This is something you want to encourage your clients to do,
so it's great to walk your talk
and get in the practice yourself.
Also, to help you apply
the content you learn in this course,
to your coaching practice will provide exercises
and activities to help you and your clients
learn how to listen to your gut
because as we mentioned,
the gut is your biggest feeling organ,
impressions from the gut travel up to the brain
and create memories.
The more you can become conscious
and aware of your gut feelings,
the more information you're provided to make decisions
and choices in alignment with your health and well-being.
Over time as you begin to trust your gut,
you'll find in second nature
to successfully collaborate
with various health care practitioners.
Support your friends and your family
and help clients achieve the results they desire,
all without skipping over your own feelings and needs.
This may take practice,
but remember, experience and awareness
will be your biggest allies.
We know you're busy
and it can be hard to get all your priorities in one day,
but we encourage you not to cut corners
by skipping the experiential exercises in this course
that will help you build this critical awareness.
You'll only get out of this course as much as you put in,
so we hope that you'll take the time
to reflect on what you're feeding the gut
and the messages it sends you.
You are your own best resource for learning.
Tip number five,
think of a body as an interconnected system.
Throughout the course, it will be important to remember that
the human body is an interconnected system,
not something that's broken down into individual parts,
which is how it's typically studied.
We're focusing on the gut,
but the key point to walk away with from this course is that
the gut can communicate with various organs and systems
and those organs and systems communicate back to the gut.
For example, if the gut perceives something
that triggers a memory of danger,
it will send the signal to the brain
to prepare the immune system to take a defensive stance.
If you ever become repulsed by,
and otherwise, delicious food that once made you sick,
this is why the gut doesn't differentiate
between real and perceived threats.
Whether you have a work deadline
or you're being chased by a tiger.
It's all the same. The gut only has one reaction for stress.
Digestion slows, digestive juices stop flowing,
and our organs contract.
When it comes to reducing stress,
some of the best defenses are meditation,
retraining the brain
and above all, having awareness.
Healthy digestion also requires an integrated approach.
Only when we reduce stress
can we truly hear and trust our guts.
As you progress through this course,
practice flexing your awareness.
Think about your current clients
where the people you know best in your life
and start looking for any patterns they reveal
about how gut health might be affecting their mood or sleep.
For example, if you have a client
that reports having nightmares,
ask them if this happens
when they eat a large meal before bed.
If a client reports feelings of anxiety,
take a look at what they're eating
and when these feelings come up,
are they anxious when they consume certain foods?
It's outside your scope of practice as a Health Coach
to diagnose any client,
but you can play detective.
Explore emerging signs and symptoms
and then refer your clients
to the appropriate medical professional
for a formal diagnosis.
This is a critical step to take
before continuing your work with any client
to ensure that you're minimizing your liability
and ethically only providing them
with the services you're trying to do
within your profession.
Now let's recap.
The top five tips for success we went over this lecture are
let go of the need to have all the answers,
utilize the Facebook group in your course moderators,
build upon concepts you learned
in the Health Coach Training Program,
experience and awareness are your biggest allies,
and think of the body as an interconnected system.
If you walk away with one thing from this course,
let it be the desire and willingness to listen to your gut
and understand the value
and the power of this proposition.
In turn, you'll be able to help your clients
listen to their guts
and this may just be the greatest gift
you can give to someone.
Finally, I'd like to leave you with one last tip.
As we touched on earlier stress impacts the gut,
so do your best to enjoy this course
and not stress too much.
Remember, it's better for your gut and brain function.
Have fun and we hope you enjoy this course
as much as we enjoyed creating it.
Which one of these tips did you find the most useful?
How will you implement it into your practice this week?
Head on over to the Facebook group and let us know.
Thanks for tuning in and see you next time.