Why I’m Studying to be a Sleep, Stress Management and Recovery Coach

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Precision Nutrition. All opinions are mine.

Hi there! How are you doing during this back-to-school season as we head into the official start of Fall in just a few weeks?

We are still in summer-mode over here in Brooklyn, as my son doesn’t enter Kindergarten until late next week. I’m definitely enjoying the flexibility and quality time in our days together right now, but I’m also craving a normal routine that includes more solo and dedicated working hours every weekday. It’s all so bittersweet.

I know I am not alone in feeling the mixed emotions, and I am also very aware that this time of year can prove to be stressful for most. We’re feeling all the feels!

We’re emotional about our kids growing up. We have more after-school activities, events on the calendar and projects to focus on. We know that the holidays will be quickly approaching, and that the winter season is just around the corner, too.

If there’s one thing that we have all learned and experienced over the past few years of life during/after a global pandemic, it’s that we are all undertaking a substantial amount of stress in our daily lives … now more than ever.

The reality is that stress *is* a normal part of life for everyone! But …

• Did you know that there is “good stress” (eustress) and “bad stress” (distress), and that we all experience both types on a daily basis?

• Did you know that the key to managing what type of stress our bodies take on can depend on our recovery strategies?

• Did you know that “good stress” becomes “bad stress” when we don’t recover properly?

• Did you know that chronic stress, or long-term distress, can take a serious toll on our health, performance, quality of sleep, food cravings, hormones, energy and productivity levels, moods and more?

These are just a few small points from one tiny chapter in the certification I’m currently working towards as a Certified Sleep, Stress Management and Recovery Coach with Precision Nutrition!

I’m learning a lot of valuable information, and I am looking forward to sharing takeaways with you throughout the journey. But first, let’s talk about why I chose this certification and if it may be a great fit for you, too.

WHY did I want to explore this certification?

Well, more often than we realize, the subject of sleep, stress management and recovery *is* the main factor(s) contributing to people not seeing the results they desire when they think they’re checking all of the obvious boxes. I see this first-hand with clients, friends, and my own family members all the time!

They can be working out consistently, eating mostly whole and nutritious foods, but skimping over the recovery aspect of their go-go-go routine and stuck in a plateau or even getting further away from their long-term, desired results. And they don’t understand why.

We’ve all heard to get adequate sleep, incorporate self-care, and take recovery days regularly, but do you know WHY and HOW to specifically set yourself up for success in these categories? Or if what you’re doing is ideal and if it’s actually helping you?

The truth is, we are already subliminally attempting to manage our stress and recovery. Our behaviors, no matter what they are, are an attempt to solve a problem and manage stress. This can look like anything from taking a yoga class and getting a good night’s sleep to accidentally staying up three hours past your bedtime to binge-watch a show while drinking wine and mindlessly eating snacks the whole time.

The behaviors we turn to can be a direct result of the stress we’re experiencing, and our habits can, in turn, be a direct result of how we’re managing it! (So interesting, right?)

As a fitness and nutrition coach, it’s important to understand these responses (i.e. habits or “bad” habits) and how to address them to help me (and you!) reach the highest potential for results.

I am just about a third of the way through the material of this course, and I am already leaving with so many new ideas and strategies to incorporate in my coaching practices and personal use, too!

Why This Certification Is Great For Fitness + Nutrition Coaches

You may already know that I became a L1 Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition back in 2021. I am also a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Women’s Fitness Specialist. While I can’t offer you an exact meal plan to follow (nor do I really believe in them for sustainable results), I can create specific workout templates and give nutrition advice and even macro calculations based on your current activity level and goals.

I think it’s important to have the credentials behind your advice, and I feel confident producing the content I do because it has been a long (but awesome) road of certifications and re-certifications to stay current. We’re required to re-certify every two years, and in some cases, re-take exams in order to keep the knowledge we learned at the front of our minds and coaching practices. I think this is key!

While the L2 Health Coaching Certification is on my radar, the SSR Coach certification will help me dig into the deeper why of such an important aspect of training and eating habits now. I believe that sleep, stress management and recovery is not talked about enough, and that it is considered to be overrated by most people. But it shouldn’t and doesn’t have to be this way.

Learning the science behind the claims and advice is game changing. Sometimes people need to hear the “why” behind what they hear from professionals in order to take their suggestions seriously. I know that this is true for me and many of you reading this!

Why Precision Nutrition?

I chose Precision Nutrition for my previous nutrition coaching certification and fell in love with the teaching style, content and company as a whole. They offer real advice with access to helpful client worksheets and exercises, and I found the material both helpful and entertaining.

I got a small taste of the Precision Nutrition approach attending a nutritional talk at the 2019 IDEA Fitness Convention with co-founder John Berardi. I could have spent several more hours listening to him talk and hearing his answers to our questions, and one of the biggest things that I learned was that your eating habits and overall nutrition level could be greatly affected by your sleep and stress levels. It’s all connected and all a part of healthy living. This made me realize that I was doing myself a disservice NOT learning more about nutrition and recovery, especially if I want to be the best coach that I can be for clients!

As soon as the SSR certification became available, I put it on my list to complete!

I have gotten to know a few contacts at PN over the past two years of collaborating, and they just get it. They take coach and customer feedback seriously and want to answer questions from you and your clients as much as possible.

I will continue to turn to the company for any further nutrition or behavior change coaching programs, and I wholeheartedly recommend the courses to anyone looking do do the same!

Interesting in joining me?

As you already know, I am thrilled to embark on this journey to a new certification and wanted to share it with you in case it peeks your interest, too.

This course is fully digital, and I am currently in the middle of Unit Two out of four.

I was generously offered access to the program in exchange for sharing my honest thoughts and reviews with you, but I was already on the pre-sale list ready to hit “purchase” before I got the word. That said, I highly suggest you do the same and get on the list if you are looking for a discount (up to 55% off!) on the upcoming fall enrollment.

You can learn at your own pace, and I will be sharing more about the program and takeaways along the way. Please let me know if you’re interested in chatting more about it!

This is an announcement post, but I hope that it has also offered insight on what I plan to get out of this program and what it could do for you.

Thank you for clicking over to read this post, and please feel free to reach out with any additional questions that I didn’t cover. Cheers to new adventures and opportunities ahead!

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Disclaimer: After choosing to go for the SSR Certification, I reached out to the company and offered to share my experience in exchange for access to the program. I am very grateful for this partnership! Even so, please know I had already decided to purchase the program on my own, and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own on this and any future posts!