Heal Yourself - Health Coach

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Heal Yourself - Health Coach

Hi, I'm Amber, a certified Health Coach dedicated to helping you reach your health goals and support your journey to wellness.

Ready to make a positive lasting change to live the life you want? Book a chat today 👇
https://www.healyourself.co.nz

20/06/2026

Looking back shows how far I've come. 🌿

Three years ago, almost to the day, I walked to Taranaki Falls — a 6km, 2-hour loop to a stunning waterfall. It was the longest walk I'd attempted in over three years. The last couple of kilometres were brutal, and honestly, I wasn't sure I'd make it.
I did. And I was stoked. It was a massive milestone — a moment I celebrated how far I had come. I was excited that the life I wanted to live was within grasp.

Today, I did that same walk again… and kept going all the way to Tama Lakes. 18km.

As I hit those last couple of kilometres, I thought back to three years ago — the uncertainty, the struggle, the relief of finishing. This time, it was easy. I didn't think twice about tackling 18km.

Looking back like this is such a powerful reminder of how far life can change. It's easy to take our health for granted — today reminded me to stop and be grateful for mine. 🙏

31/05/2026

So what actually is behaviour change? 🧠

If you've ever wondered why knowing what to do and actually doing it feel like two completely different things — you're not imagining it.

Behaviour change is the process of shifting how we think, feel, and act in a way that actually lasts. Not a one-off effort. Not a burst of motivation that fades by week two. A genuine, sustainable shift in how we live day to day.

And it's more complex than most people realise.
Because behaviour isn't just a choice. It's a pattern — shaped by our habits, our environment, our emotions, our past experiences, and yes, our brain's deeply wired need for safety and familiarity. (Sound familiar? 👀)

Real behaviour change works on a few key levels:

🔹 Awareness — understanding the patterns driving your current behaviour, often ones you haven't even noticed

🔹 Identity — shifting from "I'm trying to eat better" to "I'm someone who nourishes their body." What we believe about ourselves shapes what we do.

🔹 Environment — setting up your world to make the new behaviour easier, not harder

🔹 Consistency over intensity — small, repeated actions build new neural pathways far more effectively than big dramatic overhauls

🔹 Self-compassion — because shame and guilt don't create lasting change. They just create more resistance.

This is why willpower alone almost never works long-term. It's fighting against the current instead of learning to work with it.

True behaviour change isn't about fixing yourself. It's about understanding yourself — and building a life where the healthy choice becomes the easy choice. 🌱

This is exactly the kind of work we do together in health coaching. If you're curious about what that could look like for you, drop a comment or send me a message. I'd love to chat. 👇

25/05/2026

Why is change so hard? 🤔

Of all the stressors we face in life, change ranks right at the top. A significant shift in life circumstances hits us harder than almost anything else.

But why?

From a neurological point of view, one of the brain's most important jobs is to keep us safe. And it does this by relying on what it already knows — familiar patterns, routines, and predictable outcomes.

When change arrives, it disrupts all of that. Your brain interprets the unknown as a potential threat, triggering your stress response even when the change is something positive.

In other words — your brain doesn't always distinguish between a "good" change and a "bad" one. Uncertainty is uncertainty. And uncertainty = threat.

This is why so many people struggle with behaviour change — even when they desperately want it. 💡

Whether it's improving your diet, exercising more, managing stress, or breaking old habits, the challenge isn't willpower or motivation. It's your brain doing exactly what it was designed to do — protect you from the unfamiliar.

This is at the heart of what I do as a health coach. Rather than pushing through resistance or relying on discipline alone, we work with your brain — understanding your patterns, building trust in the process, and making change feel safe enough to stick.

Because lasting change isn't about doing more. It's about understanding why change feels hard in the first place. 🌱

If you're ready to make a change but keep hitting a wall, I'd love to help. Drop a comment below or send me a message to find out more. 👇

16/05/2026

Join a small group of women for a transformative breathwork session 🩵

Contact me for more information
022 060 8020

23/04/2026

What is stress, really? 🤔

The experience of stress is made up of 3 key components:

1. The stressor — a physical or emotional event that is interpreted as threatening.
2. The processing system — your brain and nervous system that interpret that threat.
3. The stress response — the psychological and behavioural changes that follow.

Once a threat is detected, your body flips into fight-or-flight mode⚡️

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:

Your body diverts blood away from internal organs and sends it to your muscles—getting you ready to act fast. Your heart rate speeds up, pumping oxygen where it’s needed most.

Your brain sharpens its focus on the threat, temporarily dialing down things like hunger and s*x drive.

At the same time, your body releases stored energy in the form of sugar, giving you a quick burst of fuel.

Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol also activate immune cells, preparing your body to respond.

All of this is your body working hard to protect you—reacting to danger while still trying to maintain balance (homeostasis).

It’s an incredible system… As long as the responses stay within healthy limits. Otherwise it can create havoc and chronic illness.

19/04/2026

🌿 When did you last truly switch off?

Not just put your phone down for an hour — but actually step away. Out of range. Out of reach. Into the trees, the hills, the beach, the fresh air. For a couple of days.

There is something deeply healing about removing yourself from the noise of everyday life. The notifications, the to-do lists, the commitments that never seem to end. We carry so much — often without even realising the weight of it.

Nature helps remind us who we are beneath all of that. When there's no signal, no scroll, no schedule… there's just you. The sound of the wind. The ground beneath your feet. The simple, profound peace of just being.

If your body has been asking for rest, this is your sign.

Take the break. Go somewhere wild. Let yourself breathe.

You'll come back lighter 🩵

11/04/2026

As Tropical Cyclone Vaianu approaches, I find myself thinking about the storms in my own life. 🌀

Every storm — the ones in nature and the ones within us — has a way of tearing things down. Our routines. Our comfort. Sometimes, even our sense of self.

But here's what I've come to understand: the bigger the storm, the stronger what's rebuilt in its wake.

Every broken thing — in my mind, my body, my environment — that had to be rebuilt came back with more wisdom. More awareness. More depth.

The storms didn't just pass through. They left gifts. Knowledge. Clarity. A life that feels fuller and more beautiful because of what I survived.
More peace. More contentment. More me.

To anyone in the path of Vaianu — stay safe. 🙏
And to anyone weathering an inner storm right now — you're being shaped into something stronger than you know.

31/03/2026

🔥 LIMITED TIME: 50% OFF YOUR 6-WEEK TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY 🔥

Are you ready to tackle your challenges and start living a more fulfilled, balanced life?

This 6-week journey is designed to help you deepen your knowledge, build resilience, and create lasting positive change.

✨ What’s Included:
• Initial discovery session
• 6 x 1-hour personalized weekly coaching sessions
• Breathwork coaching
• Science-backed strategies and practical tools
• A guided journey diary + pen
• Ongoing understanding, support & optional continued sessions

💬 Explore the core issues affecting your health, mindset, and lifestyle
💡 Engage in meaningful conversations that motivate real transformation

🌿 This is your time to reset, grow, and thrive.

⚡ NOW 50% OFF — LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE ⚡
👉 Take the first step toward a stronger, healthier, more fulfilled you.

26/03/2026

Reset your nervous system and your immune system with contrast therapy ❄️

I love cold water. I love a hot sauna. That luke warm in the middle temperature does nothing for me. This is possibly why I am drawn to this practice, which is so good for resetting our nervous system and our immune system.

It doesn't matter how many times I first step into the ice my whole body resists. Even though my mind wants to do it and knows how incredible I feel afterwards. I feel my fight/fight system turn on and tries to protect me from the danger that is extreme cold.

I use my breath to help regulate myself and consciously tell myself that I am ok and I am choosing this. My body starts to accept the cold as I relax into the ice. After about 2 minutes, I feel a warmth flowing up through my core. My immune system has kicked into gear and is working to protect me. After 4 minutes, I am at peace, calm, and feeling like I could stay here forever.

This practice trains our sluggish bodies, which are used to being wrapped up in warm clothes, in heated or air-conditioned environments, to work more effectively. By consciously stressing our bodies in controlled circumstances, we retrain our systems to activate quickly and effectively.

It is incredible to feel the different systems operating when you stop and notice what is happening in your body.

This practice was key to my recovery. It can be really hard on your system when you are unwell. If you over do it, it can be detrimental to your recovery. So remember to go slow. Really slow. Start with turning the shower on to cold at the end of your shower.

✨️ Feel free to reach out if you want some tips or advice

022 060 8020
[email protected]
www.healyourself.co.nz

19/03/2026

Taking a moment to breathe 🩵

Our breath directly impacts our nervous system. We can calm our nervous system down by slowing our breathing. This activates the rest and digest system. Or we can speed our breathing up, activating our fight/ fight system to become alert with laser focus.

When you are ill, your nervous system is generally on high alert fighting for survival. One of the key components to my recovery was using breathwork to regulate and retrain my nervous system.

By using different methods, I activated my rest and digest system, allowing my body to get out of fight mode. When you're in fight/ flight you can't heal. You are in survival mode. Your body is doing everything to stay alive. It is only when the danger has past and your rest and digest system is activated that you can heal.

Try a simple box breath to calm your system down

Breathe in for 4
Hold for 4
Breathe out for 4
Hold for 4
Repeat for a few minutes

How does it feel?

✨️ DM me if you want info ✨️

Address

Tairua

Website

http://www.healyourself.co.nz/

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