Hello - I am Rachel

Throughout my life I have held a love of cooking healthy meals for my family.  Way back in the 80’s I passed A level’s in Food and Nutrition, and Human Biology.  Life then took me down a different path, with two children who are now grown and flown the nest, and where most recently I have worked in Relationship Manager roles covering large areas of England and Wales for two national charities. Throughout my adult life my weight has yoyoed, following ‘low fat’ diets to lose weight and then returning to my ‘normal’ way of eating once I had reached the desired weight.  But things came to a head for me in 2018, which was the beginning of a 5 year period which challenged me physically, mentally and emotionally.
 

During this tough time, I sustained life changing physical injury, and my interest in nutrition and living an optimally healthy life to aid healing and reduce disablement was rekindled.  So, I began to learn what research scientists and doctors now believe to be the healthiest diet and discovered how vital our food choices and physical activity contribute to long term health, wellness and longevity.  It is now known that their impact runs very much deeper than previously realised.  Its good news to know that many chronic health conditions are preventable!
 

What I used to believe was a healthy way to eat is no longer considered to be so, and I now understand the need to look at the health of the body as a whole – sleep, stress, weight, nourishment, exercise – every aspect of our day to day lives has an impact on our overall health and wellbeing, including weight management and inflammatory conditions, and should be reviewed as a whole rather than insularly.
 

With my newfound understanding, I became frustrated that this knowledge is not readily available. Too many people are struggling with their health, particularly as they age, without an idea that there is so much that they can do to help themselves, to ease symptoms and maintain a quality of life where they can continue to be active in society. Weight management has become a persistent challenge for so many, who with just a little understanding, could step off the ‘dieting waggon’ once and for all.
 

So, in recent years I embarked upon training to become a Health & Wellness Coach and achieved the highest qualification available in the UK - a Level 5 Diploma. Taking a leap of faith, I left my role in the charity sector, and set up Vale Health & Wellness Coaching, so that I can follow my passion of supporting and empowering clients to lose weight and age in the healthiest way.