Follow A Day In The Life Of An HCI Coach With Stacey Harestad

Good morning world! So excited to be sharing my day today with the HCI Tribe! This is my “See… I’m just like all of you” face.  I wake up frazzle-ma-dazzled, hair disheveled and a hot mess most mornings ? I love that I get to wake up and start my day at whatever speed feels right, rather than punching a clock, serving someone else’s dream each morning. I always start my day with warm lemon water and a journal.  I take about 10 minutes to download my thoughts, give gratitude, and unload everything that is taking up precious space in my mind. Anything goes; it’s just a “Divine Dump,” as I call it, so that I can head to my alter and start my meditation practice with a clear mind.  I do this most mornings still in my PJ’s, and I find it has become one of my non-negotiables. My day is so much smoother, I get more accomplished, I’m less stressed, and just happier overall when I make my morning routine a priority. I encourage my clients to do this, and even those who don’t have a formal mediation practice find value in using this practice to release the mind chatter before taking on the day. I’m blessed to live in Southern California, so I LOVE to get my sweat on outdoors as much as possible. I used to teach Barre Fitness classes, and still think it’s one of the best workouts for sexy thighs, so I often incorporate some of the postures into my beach-side stair days. Although most people assume I’m a fitness fanatic, I get by most weeks with just a 10-15 minute HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout at home 3x a week. I believe it’s a misconception that you must do rigorous daily training for hours at a time to have the body you want. I certainly put effort in every day with my food choices and I’m active in general, but working out doesn’t have to run your life, and burst training is really time-efficient and effective. Wanna feel this chair-pose burn for yourself?

• Step 1 – Simply pull your belly up to the barre/rail/countertop that can hold your bodyweight. Grip can be over or under the barre, whichever feels better to you. Elbows at your sides.
• Step 2 – Lift heels high and sit back, like you are sitting in a chair. Keep wrists in line with shoulders, shoulders over hips, knees over ankles. Keep a flat back and sit up tall. If you have ankle issues, just keep your feet flat.
• Step 3 – There are several options, but one series is simply to hold this position as low as you can, keeping your thighs parallel with the ground, and do the following:

– Hold still (8 counts) – Lower and lift heels (24x) – Pulse body up an inch and down an inch (16x) – Pull body all the way up, squeeze butt, and squat back down (16x) – Hold still with thighs parallel again (16 count) If your legs feel like jackhammers by the end, you did it correctly!  You can thank me later. ? Most mornings I make my own after-workout smoothie with a dairy-free Hydrobeef Paleo Protein, but today it’s a Vegan variety from Choice Superfoods & Juicery. I have a little (huge) addiction to their Mint Chip smoothie!  It’s packed with protein and greens and I’m in love with its raw cacao nib crunch. I often re-create this smoothie at home, ‘cause mint just makes everything better. Today, I also grabbed their Thai salad to-go so I can head back up to the beach and put my toes in the sand before I see clients later. They also have an amazing vegan brownie that I would eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if it would fill me up enough. LOL. I have a voracious appetite for all things personal growth. I’m always on a quest for anything that brings me even more in alignment with my true nature. I love the lightness and peace of mind that come with being in-tune physically, mentally, and spiritually. I know that when I focus my attention on strengthening my intuition in these areas, everything else happens naturally and with more ease. I learned this the hard way, as I used to focus on pushing in any direction I could to try to “make” things work, rather than following my intuition and allowing things to flow “through” me. Words don’t do justice to the type of confidence I have now compared to before. This is true for EVERY area of my life. I believe wholeheartedly that we all have this innate ability to tap in, and just like any other muscle, we can strengthen it if we choose. Whenever I run a group coaching program or cleanse, I like to bring in a little daily dose of love from spirit in the form of affirmations. I have a great deck called “Life Loves You” with all kinds of awesome love notes. Each day, I sit quietly and ask what affirmation would serve the highest good of all those involved. I close my eyes and pick a card. Yes, many of these are universal and could apply to anyone on any day. But it’s amazing to me how often the one I choose really is EXACTLY what a client needed to hear that day, and it serves to propel them to new levels of health and wellbeing very quickly. Take this as a friendly reminder that you are NEVER alone on your journey and everything you are seeking REALLY IS SEEKING YOU. This Buddha Bowl from Eve in Encinitas is packed with healthy plant-based protein, good fats, and complex carbohydrates, and tastes amazing. I love food, and I love eating really yummy food that feels good in my body! It always makes me laugh when I first tell people who haven’t worked with me that I’m a Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, and they say “Isn’t it boring to eat healthy all the time?” My response, “Well, if you consider the most amazing-tasting food ever to be boring, then ya.” Before I started down the health and wellness journey, I ate frozen chimichanga burritos & rolled taquitos ‘on the daily,’ and I was a VERY picky eater. Can anyone else relate? Now I eat an abundance of different types of foods in many forms and my palate is certainly more refined. We are creatures of habit; most people eat the same meals over and over and over again, whether they are healthy or not, because they like them. So it’s really as simple as swapping out some of the old choices for new ones that you like just as much but that are more in alignment with your wellness goals. Much of my Integrative Esthetics practice as The Skintritionist is run online and by phone, and I LOVE the freedom-based lifestyle that affords me. However, I still enjoy seeing select local clientele a few days a week in Encinitas where I share space at Skin SD, A Naturopathic Clinic. I believe that health and beauty are synonymous, and I love being able to customize facial treatments and see the immediate, miraculous transformation that comes from the right natural ingredients and equipment coupled with nutrition and lifestyle changes. I told you I like to eat! Tonight I have a hot friend-date with a fellow Health Coach at one of my favorite places to get soul food, Cafe Gratitude. What I love about this place is that it caters to the most common food intolerances and has a really large menu of Gluten Free and exotic organic choices. In addition to a robust appetizer and main dish selection, they have wellness shots, healthy tonics and elixirs, smoothies, juices, and guilt-free desserts. Most days I actually eat at home, but tomorrow I’m starting my own reset, so, as a treat, l planned to enjoy all my healthy meals out today so that I’m fresh when I go home tonight to meal prep for the coming week.  It’s nice to head out now and then to get inspiration for new dishes I can try to re-create at home later. I also love giving my body an extra boost of nutrient tonics I wouldn’t normally make myself at home on a regular basis. What I love most about working in the wellness industry is that I get to help empower women to look and feel their most radiant selves. To watch them blossom into a version of themselves they thought was lost forever or couldn’t have ever even imagined existed in the first place. Every day is different; there are inevitably ups and downs and unexpected turns that challenge me to step even more confidently into the direction of my dreams and continue down the beautiful path of uncovering even more of the truth of who I am and what I’m capable of.  Saying YES to myself and saying yes to advancing my education with Heath Coach Institute have been the best decisions I ever made. The reasons are endless, but most importantly it has allowed me the opportunity to give myself permission to SHINE as bright as possible, knowing that when I do that, I’m giving everyone else around me permission to do the same. You were born WORTHY, you were born ENOUGH, and you are far more powerful than you could ever imagine. Thank you for taking time to share a day in my life, HCI! Sending everyone so much light, love and success on your journey, wherever it takes you! xoxo, Stacey

Dual Health and Life Coach Certification in 6 Months with HCI

Coaching is a great career that you can help others, while also learning how to help your own personal growth. Health Coach Institute’s dual health and life coaching certification program is designed to accommodate your schedule. Join our Become a Health Coach program and begin coaching in 6 months! If you are already a coach and want to advance your skills, check out HCI’s Coach Mastery program. Want to find out more about Health Coaches? Call (877) 914-2242.