Health & Wellness
Melissa's Personal Journey
I have not always lived with Wellness in mind. I was never an athlete as a kid and did not set foot inside a gym until my 20's. And then life happened. I met the right person and got married, and embraced the two bonus kids he brought to the party. Work became more challenging, including more frequent travel. Life was full!
Like many people, as my focus on work and level of responsibility increased, my focus on self decreased, in particular my health. While attending full-time grad school and working a full-time job I gained about 30 pounds; and a fantastic professional opportunity that came with 100% travel for over 3 years was good for another 30+ pounds. And of course I "never had enough time" for exercise.
Through an intentional mindset I focused on nutrition initially, and took off 50 pounds. Then I got back in the gym lifting weights, and lost another 30 pounds, with a total loss of 80 pounds in 18 months.
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Nutrition Coaching
There is no magic pill! But there are a few basic pillars of wellness that when managed effectively can dramatically impact your ability to get and stay healthy and fit.
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Melissa maintains certifications in Nutrition Coaching and Personal Training through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She integrates information and tools first to understand your current state of wellness and then works with you to design custom goals and programming to elevate your performance.
An effective nutrition and wellness plan addresses multiple factors:
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Stress
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Sleep
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Pre-existing conditions and disease
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Diet and food intolerances
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Mental and spiritual life
Most people fail at maintaining an exercise routine because they try every new fad or hot workout they see online. We will consider factors like your schedule, goals, and personality to identify exercise options that you will enjoy, can maintain, and adapt as life throws you curve balls.
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We will consider these factors and more, and explore gradual changes you can make to improve your energy and elevate your overall sense of well-being.
Optimize Your Energy
Tremendous power comes from identifying and learning to manage your sources and uses of energy. Executive Lift believes in a holistic approach including physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual areas of your life.
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Growth is achieved and sustained through experiencing some type of stress, and then recovering sufficiently to accommodate the next cycle of growth and stress. This is true for mastering a new concept, growing (or repairing) a relationship, or building your biceps!
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What activities, tasks, and people energize you? And what things do you find draining?
What is Wellness?
Wellness is more than diet and exercise - much more. A full view of wellness includes these dimensions:
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Physical: Recognizing exercise, nutrition, and sleep as key tools.
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Mental: Engagement in learning, expressing creativity, and building resilience.
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Emotional: Awareness of our own and others' feelings and the ability to process and respond in a productive way.
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Spiritual: Identifying with a particular purpose or meaning to our daily life.
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Social: Building and maintaining connections to others.
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Environmental: Having awareness of our impact on the people, places, and things around us.
Each of these factors contributes or detracts from our total wellness. For example, improving nutrition and getting even minimal amounts of exercise will improve your mental resilience.
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Wellness Coaching from Executive Lift helps you uncover both positive and negative factors impacting your ability to build health and enhance total wellness. You bring a unique set of influences and factors to the table, and the approach we take is designed to inspire motivation based on your individual goals and lifestyle.
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From Susan Pinker's TED2017 talk, "The secret to living longer may be your social life."
Melissa loves deadlifting! Here she pulls 315 lbs.
"Never stop learning...
and never stop moving!"
Crashing my Dad's balance class! He is in the white shirt standing to my left.
Mom finally found an exercise machine she enjoys!
To schedule a consultation, please call 856-912-6056 or complete our contact form.
Executive Lift LLC is Certified by the State of New Jersey as a WBE.