Pull up your seat for a little story time—
Before I went full-time in my business last year, I was working as a R.N. health coach for a large corporation.
It was great. It was empowering. And, it was fast-paced.
My team served thousands of patients. Our calendars were booked out 2-3 months in advance. Every minute of my day (and every metric of my “productivity”) was tracked by management. My shifts were filled with 14 to 20 individual health coaching calls per day (and don’t forget about all of the charting!)
To sum it up— my shifts were a blur of back-to-back-to-back-to-back health coaching calls with only a lunch break as an intermission.
Draining? Yes.
Fulfilling? Also, yes.
Because while I didn’t love the schedule, I adored my clients— they were from all walks of life with all types of different diagnoses, pathologies and desires for their health.
Which brings me to today’s story— reflecting on one client in particular who made a lasting impact on me.
He had been “encouraged” (ahem, forced) to do health coaching through his employer, and he made it very clear on our first call that he was NOT happy to be there.
And, truthfully? No offense taken.
(In fact, I kind of like the challenge.😜)
Because, with time, I’ve learned that it’s not my job to try to force someone to make changes with their health. Everyone is on their own journey and timeline. I’ve made peace with this.
So, I just tried to be patient, show up to our sessions with a good attitude, and to meet him where he was at.
This was relatively easy to do with this client as he reminded me A LOT of my dad ◡̈ I loved our conversations!
He was an honest, hard working, blue collar, no bullshit kind of guy— passionate about hunting, fixing up cars, and tinkering around his garage. A stereotypical “man’s man” if you will.
And, over the last 3 decades, he had spent countless hours driving truck for work.
He had created a solid career for himself, yet it was also one of the biggest roadblocks for his health—
Long hours on the road were the reason he was eating on the go ( often opting for gas stations & fast food). It was the reason he didn’t want to drink water (as he didn’t want to have to stop driving to pee). It was the reason he was chronically stressed and fatigued (often driving overnight, navigating stressful traffic, etc.)
But, despite all of these valid barriers, he passionately defended that he was “just fine” and reminded me that he’d “done this all my life without any issues.”
….But his health outcomes were starting to say otherwise.
I tried to gently show him that while he may have been able to maintain these habits in his 20s, 30s, and 40s without many true “consequences”, it was catching up with him.
At his latest doctor’s appointment, his vital signs had taken a downturn.
However, he wasn’t concerned in the slightest. He maintained his laissez-faire attitude about his health, constantly defending that his body would be “fine” and that I had “nothing to worry about”.
I was feeling a bit defeated when all of the sudden I had this epiphany on how to get through to him—
It was a metaphor I’d heard before, and it just felt right to share with him.
“Alright, imagine if you only had one car for the rest of your life and you could NEVER get another one. If it broke down, you were out of luck. How well would you take care of it?”
He was instantly on a passionate rant talking about “regular oil changes, tune ups, aligning the tires, putting the best fuel in…” going on and on about the ways that he would care for, maintain, and promote longevity in this hypothetical vehicle.
(And honestly? I, Kate Eskuri, was taking notes. As someone who does not take great care of their car, I had a lot to learn. I go pretty long between oil changes. I forget to vacuum it out. I never go to the car wash. But even the thought of only having one car? FOREVER?! I would keep that thing in tip-top shape!)
Once he finished his spiel on how well he’d take care of that once-in-a-lifetime car, I said,
“Now think of the same situation, but it’s your body. Think of your body as the car.
You have ONE body for the rest of your life — this is your vehicle to get through life with. You have one brain, you have one heart, you have one skeleton, this is your one vehicle that you’ll travel throughout your life with. How well would you take care of it?”
Cheesy? Yes.
But eye-opening? You bet!
We discussed how even though his “car” was running fine, the new changes in his vital signs were the metaphorical check engine light.
This seemed to click. He explained that because nothing truly “bad” has happened yet he hadn’t been that motivated to change, but this was making him realize that his body was showing signs of wear and tear.
And he’s not alone in this— a lot of us take our bodies for granted. We just assume they’ll handle whatever we throw at them. We just assume that the “way we’ve always done things” will continue to work.
Because our bodies are adaptable, they will rise to the occasion and meet our needs, until….
With time, constantly having the wrong fuel damages the engine. With time, driving aggressively nonstop is going to wear down the tires.
When we don’t treat our bodies well, eventually they *will* wear down. They will grow tired of being fed the wrong fuel, of being stretched too thin, of going too long without regular maintenance.
It’s a powerful reminder to ALL of us.
So often we take really good care of our material possessions. Our cars, our laptops, our home decor, our landscaping, our clothing, our skincare. These things we can physically see that are external to us.
But I challenge you to take that same intention and longevity mindset applied to taking care of your body. Doing the practical, often invisible, habits (even if you don’t want to!) that are good for your health long term.
Because this *is* the ONE body you’ll have for your entire life.
Now, please— don’t let this scare you; let it empower you.
Because “taking care of yourself” is simpler than you think. It’s often the boring, mundane, cumulative actions that create true longevity.
For this client, it was a lot of SMALL tweaks. We couldn’t change his job, but we *could* change some of the habits associated with it.
It’s not about these once-a-year big events, instead it’s the daily, the weekly, the monthly choices, the habits to eat good food, to take a break, to hydrate properly, to take our supplements & medications, to go to the doctor, to exercise, to get good rest. These things are not glamorous or sexy, but they do create lasting health.
Because, just like a vehicle, your body needs regular “maintenance” in order to keep functioning to its best abilities.
So today, my challenge to you is to view your body like a car. What needs a tune up? What needs to be looked into? How are you fueling yourself? Checking in with these questions and leaning into this unique mindset shift can really be eye opening.
You have one body for this whoooooole life and it’s time to nourish it, it’s time to respect it, and it’s time to take care of it for the long haul.
Vroom vroom,
P.S. After that conversation (and months of voluntary health coaching☺️), that client eventually went from four sodas per day to one. He learned *how* to make healthier choices on the road. He lowered his A1C, his blood pressure, and his cholesterol… He had taken charge of his health.
P.S.S. After that conversation, I immediately scheduled an oil change.
Did you enjoy this post? It’d mean the world if you tapped that little heart icon below, left a comment, or shared it with a friend ◡̈ Thanks (as always!) for your support & encouragement.
PRODUCT OF THE WEEK: As the weather cools, I am once again reaching for my favorite pair of jeans over & over & over again. The levi’s ribcage style is hands down the most flattering pair of denim I have. (If you are someone who also has a smaller waist in proportion to their booty, THIS is the cut you’ve been waiting for.)
SONG OF THE WEEK: One of my all-time favorite songs, “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron. I’ve always loved the tune, but then someone told me to listen again with the viewpoint of a mother thinking of their child… 😭 when I tell you I SOBBED. Parents, you’ve been warned.
JOURNAL PROMPT OF THE WEEK: “What would you rank your health on a scale of 1-10 at this stage in my life? Then, elaborate on your answer.”
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thank you for sharing this! it’s a powerful analogy one that I’ll use with my family members. I am learning how to love and care for my body in pregnancy. 🥰