We recently connected with Kristin Heck and have shared our conversation below.

Kristin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the best advice you’ve ever given to a client? (Please note this response is for education/entertainment purposes only and shouldn’t be construed as advice for the reader)

The best advice I give my clients is to slow down and actually experience their food. In my coaching programs, one exercise involves having clients practice eating mindfully. Through that experience, they are often blown away by the realization of how rushed their typical eating behavior is which leads many of us to fail to test, smell, or even see what we are consuming. Numerous clients have returned after practicing that exercise to report that with concerted efforts to keep up that practice, they have found that meals are significantly more enjoyable. More importantly, however, these clients also note that by slowing down and focusing on experiencing their food, they are able to avoid overeating, limit cravings, and better notice when they are comfortably full. Many of these individuals report having experienced the feeling of being satisfied for the first time in a long time. I love helping people connect with their bodies and learn to enjoy their food after years of fighting with their bodies, food, and eating habits.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I took a long, winding path to get to where I am today. I started out as a clinical psychologist specializing in health psychology and the treatment of eating disorders. From there, I took a u-turn to pursue my passion in dance. After taking some time off to raise my daughter, I found myself frustrated while trying to navigate the body, fitness, and overall wellness changes as a new mom. That experience helped me decide to combine my love of movement and my passion for women’s health into one career – which brought me to health and fitness coaching. I taught my first barre fitness class and knew I was never turning back!

Because of my background in psychology, particularly in body image and the psychology of eating, I bring a unique perspective into health and fitness coaching and the industry as a whole. For me, health is less defined by numbers on a scale and more about how you feel mentally and physically. Our culture has led many of us to experience a disconnect between our concept of wellness and reality. Women often come to me after having tried every diet under the sun. They often feel frustrated, burnt out, and like failures when it comes to health. I really enjoy helping women step back from the diet rules, learn to trust their bodies, and begin to integrate movement and nutrition strategies into their routines that feel good and drive results.

I’ve spent the last several years deep diving into health and fitness certifications – including pre- and post-natal fitness, yoga, nutrition research – and teaching group fitness classes. My goal is to provide the women I coach with well-rounded programs that address physical and mental wellness. My goal is to have clients walk way from our work feeling stronger, more comfortable in their skin, and more confident in their intuition around wellness-related decisions. I also hope they have fun along the way. Because, let’s be honest, if you’re not enjoying the journey then what’s the point?

I work with clients in both private and group health coaching formats where I aim to provide services tailored to each individuals needs and goals. And you can always find me teaching group fitness classes (Barre, TRX, and Yoga are my favorites!) at Lifemoves Studio.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Oh gosh, I have pivoted so many times it’s hard to count!! My parents were just telling me the other day how they have always been impressed by my ability to reapply my skills and “recreate myself”! In the last decade I have held the titles of clinical psychologist, business owner, dancer, fitness instructor, and health coach (not to mention mom, wife, and daughter) – so there have been lots of changes of direction. Looking back, all the transitions make sense when I think about where I am today, but I think it’s easy to get caught up in what’s not working when you find yourself needing to pivot professionally. I have realized professional pivots can be stressful and I often found myself feeling overwhelmed and defeated during these transitions. In these moments, the most helpful mindset for me has been to remember that with each change of direction, I am gaining more than I am losing. Whether that was a lesson learned about what I did not enjoy or want to be doing, understanding people or business in new ways, or simply gaining knowledge that I could put to use in future roles – I think it’s been important for me to focus on what I could learn and take with me from each pivot, rather than focusing on what went wrong that made me need to shift gears. As my fellow yogi’s often say – take what you need and leave the rest. That has been a very helpful mantra for me!

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

100%. No questions asked. It took me a long time to find my lane and now that I’m here, I wouldn’t change it for the world. But, I do wish I would have gotten here earlier!! I often find myself looking at younger ladies in this field wishing that I could have been doing what I do now back when I was their age. There is just so much I want to learn and do that I will probably be that lady that doesn’t stop working until I am forced to. That said, I think what I do now beautifully blends my education, experience, and passions in ways that make it hard for me to imagine doing anything different. I love to move, I love to feel good in my skin, and I love helping other women feel good about how they look and feel in their bodies. It makes my day hearing clients talk about feeling mentally and physically stronger than they ever have before, seeing that look of accomplishment after they hit a physical goal, and/or being able to feel good about what they eat or what they see in the mirror . We all deserve to feel good and if I can help just one woman make the right shift to experience that, then my purpose is fulfilled. There’s nothing better than that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.healthyasheck.com
• Instagram: @healthyasheck
• Facebook: @healthyasheck
• Other: Additional information about group fitness classes and private/ group coaching programming can be found at: www.lifemovesstudio.com

Image Credits
Crystal Barbee Photography; Lifemoves Studio