After more than 6 months in this program, all of the participants were re-assessed to see what impact the program had on their lives.  The results are encouraging.

In the beginning of the program, “Lee” met with Paul Ratte, ND (naturopathic doctor at Woodwinds Natural Care Center) for an evaluation; he provided some recommendations for dietary changes.  Beyond that initial meeting, it was up to “Lee” whether the suggestions would be put into practice and to see if coaching influenced whether expert suggestions were followed.

Lifestyle Changes Put Into Practice:

• Took cod liver oil for a while but then stopped; only recently started taking it again;
• Regularly took the a multi-vitamin but not the adrenal supplements; after consulting with his/her regular physician, “Lee” determined the adrenal supplements were not necessaryt;
• Did make efforts to add in more protein for breakfast; got away from doing this for a while but is now trying to implement it again;
• Fruit and vegetable consumption is about the same but is working to increase vegetable consumption each day;
• Reduced caffeine intake;
• Found healthier ways to reduce and manage stress rather than using food for comfort;
• Implemented a regular exercise program that included weight training.

Physical Assessment

• Blood Pressure:  Compared to the initial assessment, “Lee’s” blood pressure lowered significantly.
• Waist/Hip:  “Lee’s” waist measurement decreased 1.0 inch (2 inches from the mid-point of the program), but the hip measurement stayed the same (increased 1 inch from the mid-point assessment).  The waist/hip ratio decreased by 0.02.
• Weight:  “Lee” gained 4.0 pounds
• Body Fat:  “Lee’s” body fat decreased 6.3%

What the Physical Assessment Means:

“Lee’s” blood pressure dropped from the prehypertensive range to within the normal range, which is excellent.  A great deal of effort was given to stress management during the 6 months of this program, so it’s possible these efforts contributed to this decrease.

While “Lee” still needs to lose weight, the 6.3% decrease in body fat is significant.  Regular, intensive weight training was part of “Lee’s” regular exercise program.  This means “Lee” has effectively built muscle.  Body fat decreases by building muscle; sometimes weight loss may not be dramatic or can even increase for a while; muscle really is denser than fat.  The improvement in body fat along with an improved waist/hip ratio shows forward movement in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  If “Lee” continues with his/her current lifestyle changes and makes better food choices, he/she should continue to improve his/her health.

Clinical Assessment

• Fasting Glucose:  “Lee’s” glucose decreased 4 points from being out of the normal range to being within the normal range.
• Fasting Total Cholesterol:  “Lee’s” total cholesterol increased by 20 from being within the normal range to being out of the normal range.
• HDL/LDL:  “Lee’s” HDL increased by 8 with the LDL increasing by 13.
• Total Cholesterol/HDL Ratio:  the ratio improved by 0.2.
• Triglycerides:  “Lee’s” triglyceride measurement decreased by 8.
• Cardiac CRP:  This measurement increased by 3.0.

What the Clinical Assessment Means:

Although one might initially be concerned about the total cholesterol increasing, this is not very concerning because “Lee’s” HDL (good cholesterol) and total cholesterol-to-HDL ratio improved.  The increase in the Cardiac CRP measurement indicates that inflammation is present that needs to be addressed.  However, if the CRP level at the 6-month assessment remains persistent, it may represent inflammation that is not specific to the cardiovascular system.  Therefore, it will be important to monitor this.

The improvement in the fasting glucose measurement is encouraging and indicates movement in a healthier direction.  Fasting blood glucose is a good day-to-day measurement of prediabetes.  “Lee’s” triglycerides improved, which is a significant marker for prediabetes.  However, fasting insulin is essential to measure to see any improvement in insulin resistance (prediabetes) and was not measured at 6 months.  Clinically, this insulin resistance and “Lee’s” stress response are the most important.  Stress can exacerbate the insulin resistance, which is why Paul Ratte, ND initially prescribed the Super Adrenal Supplement.  Multi-vitamins are fine but are not specific enough for stress response.  The bottom line is that continuing to increase exercise and reduce stress will decrease “Lee’s” insulin resistance and improve his/her cardiovascular health.

Life Balance Wheel

The Life Balance Wheel provides a picture of how satisfied individuals are with eight areas of their life; each one is essential to being a whole and complete balanced person. When people are not living a balanced life, the wheel is lopsided; as they become more balanced, the wheel actually starts to resemble a circle.  “Lee” filled out this tool at the beginning of the program, at the end of February, and again at the end of May.  The results are remarkable!

What the Life Balance Wheel means:

“Lee” had some fairly high satisfaction scores initially, and those remained high or increased throughout the program.  This is significant because it is easy to let some areas go while focusing on other areas.  “Lee” stated that completing this wheel initially really helped him/her become more aware of all of these areas as he/she moved through this program; “Lee” consciously thought about it. This assessment shows that “Lee” has become more balanced overall without ignoring the areas that were already good.

In reflecting on all three wheels, “Lee” reported feeling significantly less stressed and noticed that he/she is going to sleep faster.  “Lee” also reported that having a different mindset has helped.

Intrinsic Capacity

The Hartman Value Profile (HVP) is a tool developed by the leading researcher in axiological psychology, Dr. Leon Pomeroy.  This tool examines how people value themselves and the world and shows whether people function more from their intrinsic domain (i.e. the core of their being and what is most important to them) or from extrinsic or systemic domains.  When people make choices using the intrinsic, there tends to be less conflict because choices are made from what is most important as opposed to shoulds.

“Lee” completed the HVP at the beginning of the program and at the end of 6 months of coaching; the results showed a significant increase in his/her intrinsic capacity.  When intrinsic capacity increases, new choices begin to make more sense than old ones did.  According to Dr. Pomeroy, based on these results we can expect to demonstrate that Intrinsic Coaching™ strengthensone's interpersonal and intrapersonal intrinsic dimensions of valuation and thinking (valuation is the building block of thinking).