Instinctively Healthy with Lori VanScoter

Instinctively Healthy with Lori VanScoter...

                                                making sense about staying healthy.

I had the pleasure recently of interviewing a terrific nurse, her name is Lori VanScoter, and she is the driving force behind Instinctively Healthy. I actually met Lori last year during one of my clinical rotations in oncology and found her thoughts and insights on health promotion and health care to fit well with the mission of Mitigation Journal.

Our recent conversation will be posted on Mitigation Journal podcast edition 195 (direct download available November 8, 2010) on www.medicationjournal.org. Until then, let me hit the highlights of our conversation in this blog post.


What is a health coach?
A health coach is an individual with special training who helps dispel myths and helps clients meet their health goals. Instinctively Healthy helps clients meet their goals by guiding them down a slow, gentle, progressive path to change.

What are people most often looking for when they seek out a health coach?
Most people are looking to make a productive change in their life… most of the time they are looking to lose weight or help control their weight.

From your newsletter, what does it mean to “get slow”?
The term “get slow” simply means to slow things down in your life. It means finding the time to enjoy the moment that you're in. Here are a few quotes from the Instinctively Healthy newsletter…

"If we must accomplish many things each day, we can still change the quality with which we do things. How can we transmute that sprint to the train into something delicious instead of the usual gripping and tightening experience? Where can we find ease in the midst of stress? How can we cultivate the art of going slowly?"

"Take a few moments before you climb out of bed in the morning to remember your dreams and to think about what you want from the day. Leave your watch on the bedside table. Take the scenic route. Sit for a moment with your eyes closed when you start your computer. Check email only twice a day. Don't pack your schedule so tightly that there's no time for a short walk. Light candles before you start to cook dinner. Add one moment here and there for slowness; it can be done simply and will have a profound effect on your well-being." (Lori VanScoter, RN, Instinctively Healthy)

Be sure to listen to Mitigation Journal #195 (available 11/8/10) for the complete interview. You should also visit Instinctively Healthy at www.lorivanscoter.com. To subscribe get your own Instinctively Healthy newsletter email Lori directly.