Integrative Health Coach Audrey Zona knows there is more to wellness and weight loss than following a minimal caloric plan.
“Most people overeat because they have underlying issues which cause them to use food to deal with their emotions,” she says. “If you don’t tap into what’s going on ‘under the hood,’ and if you aren’t dealing with stress, the body will use food as a mechanism to cope. When you understand and unravel what’s going on inside and deal with core issues, you can begin to make positive lifestyle changes,” she says.
With her one-on-one coaching program and her online Zo Healthy program, Audrey builds a support and accountability relationship with her clients through her attentiveness and willingness to be there for them as they navigate the road to better health and weight loss.
Clients connect with Audrey for a wellness “reboot” to uncover behavioral patterns that continually cause weight loss failure. “Weight is a symptom of something more profound,” she says. Working to break destructive patterns and learn new, healthy habits leads her clients to better deal with their emotions and understand how emotions and stress can be factors in their relationships with food.
Audrey works with her clients to make tiny steps that will eventually add up to big life changes. “Sometimes it’s as simple as ensuring my clients are drinking enough water each day. I don’t want to bombard them with too many changes at once. I encourage them to build on their healthy habits each week.
“Learn to love yourself, open your eyes, and live your best life,” says Audrey. “By learning to love yourself and become your own best friend, you’ll slowly eliminate those toxic thoughts.”
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10 Tips Toward a Healthy Lifestyle
1. Drink half of your body weight in ounces each day. Hydration helps the body function optimally.
2. Get 7-8 hours of solid sleep a night. Remember, if you don’t have energy due to lack of sleep, your body will crave sugar.
3. Move every day. Note: I didn’t say exercise! Dancing, walking, yoga, cleaning, biking—do what you love and what you will enjoy consistently.
4. Meditation brings down your stress level and blood pressure. It takes you from a state of stress response to a state of calm. Allow yourself the space to think clearly and to make a mindful decision around food.
5. Be curious about yourself. Are you really hungry? Did something just happen to make you run to the pantry or fridge? Will food solve your problem? If you are stressed and agitated, you will grab the first thing that you see. If you get used to pausing, breathing, and checking in with yourself, you’ll make a better decision.
6. Eat more plant-based foods to crowd out the junk. This will provide fiber, essential nutrients, and antioxidants. Eating veggies, salads, and plant-based foods help you avoid eating processed foods.
7. Journal. Keep a food log to track what you are eating, but also journal your feelings. Getting it out on paper changes our energy and our bodies.
8. After the holidays is a good time to reset. There are various ways you can get back on track. Skip snacks, give up alcohol, or only eat non-processed foods for the month of January. You will feel better!
9. As your estrogen declines your blood sugar and insulin rise. Menopausal women can’t handle carbs and sugar like they used to. Lower your carbs and sugars to help the body become more efficient. Stick with salads, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
10. Think of your afternoon snack as a mini-meal. It should be made up of protein, carbs, and fat. Try Greek yogurt with flax and berries, an apple with almond butter, an apple with a low-fat cheese stick, or a hard-boiled egg on a rice cracker. Try to stick with real food versus processed foods.