COACHING VERSUS DOING IT BY YOURSELF?
Updated: Jun 9, 2023
My GAPS* journey started with me choosing to make a drastic life change and follow the advice of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I read through the books, I looked up the websites and then tried to overcome information-overload with putting the pieces of the puzzle together! At the time I was determined to keep moving forward and figure it out myself as there were no coaches to reach out to within my area!
First place where major change happened was the kitchen and pantry. At the time, I was vegan and needed to re-learn how to cook meat. I started with homecooked soups and phasing out the sugary treats with home baked fruit & honey muffins. It was only until 6 months in did I really get started on the meat stock. And when I look back at how it all went down, I did most things wrong! My cooking techniques for meat stock were not the best, I ate non-recommended store-bought organic dairy with added cultures, I consumed supplements with fillers in them, and the list goes on! If I could have gone back in time and shake some sense into myself, I likely would have convinced myself to seek help to optimize my healing.
I have no regrets about the past. Every wrong step is now a step in the right direction that I can teach others. I would rather see it as a blessing in disguise! I now see where it is easy to make the mistakes and take the wrong turns. Although I can’t always over-mother everyone and steer them clear from making every mistake in the book, I at least get the opportunity to give them information and options for them to make better choices for themselves going forward.
Becoming certified as a GAPS* Coach has opened my eyes to the benefits of hiring a coach for transitioning onto the protocol. Here are some listed benefits:
The GAPS* Protocol is not simple to learn and understand. It’s particularly difficult when you come to GAPS* with low energy, brain fog and poor memory, on top of the daily stress and hectic lifestyle we have gotten trapped into. A GAPS* Coach can help to alleviate the burden of learning and researching large amounts of information.
Many get overwhelmed with trying to transition onto the protocol. They can get bogged down with implementing and incorporating ALL items at once. A GAPS* Coach can focus your attention on the essential items and gradually transition you onto the protocol at a pace that is right for you.
The kitchen is where a lot of magic happens on the GAPS* Protocol so it is the first place where the most change occurs. A GAPS* coach can teach you the proper cooking techniques, guide you through foods to include/exclude on GAPS*, help you with grocery shopping, and guide you through pantry/refrigerator sweeps to remove the non-GAPS* foods.
The environment we live in has an effect on our wellbeing. A GAPS* Coach can help you to eliminate household and personal products that potentially cause more harm than good.
A GAPS* Coach can also recommend suggestions for dealing with common symptoms you might encounter when you transition onto the GAPS* Protocol, such as die-off, constipation, diarrhea, and many others.
I have currently been on the GAPS* Protocol since October of 2019. The journey has been challenging but rewarding! Every month I keep seeing incremental health improvements, particularly as I self-coach myself with the knowledge I gained from my GAPS* certification. If I’m being honest, prior to receiving my certificate, I look back at my life and feel like I was aimlessly executing only small pieces of the puzzle. I now see that there are many pieces to the GAPS* puzzle that intricately come together to support each other. Like for instance, I never knew beforehand the amount of fat I needed to consume daily. Wow, was I way off target and not nearly getting enough back then! And I also never knew the importance of stimulating stomach acid and what I needed to consume in order to do so. I figured it was okay to take supplements at every big meal, but that is only a temporary aid, not a permanent fix! The GAPS* certification has allowed me to improve upon my daily regiment so that I can apply the lessons learnt to help others!
If you’re still fuzzy on all the benefits you could see while working with a GAPS* Coach after transitioning onto the protocol, here are some benefits outlined below:
A GAPS* Coach can help you along your journey to ensure you are optimizing your healing, detoxification and elimination techniques and strategies.
A GAPS* Coach can offer food-related suggestions, or lifestyle suggestions, for some of the symptoms commonly encountered on GAPS* (e.g. fat malabsorption, diarrhea, constipation, bed wetting, urinary issues, and many more).
Some of us EXPECT to heal quick and effortlessly! And sometimes your expectations are not met and you get discouraged. This is normal and okay! A GAPS* Coach can provide encouragement in those tough times where things are not going your way. We can discuss what you are currently doing and see where improvements can be made to keep you on your journey.
Going through the protocol can be stressful and worrisome. We don’t heal as fast when we are in the flight-or-fight state. Speaking with a GAPS* Coach will help to ease your worries, let you know that you’re on the right track, and suggest options to improve the healing process.
When you’ve been doing GAPS* for some time but feel like your progress has flatlined, a GAPS* Coach can help to narrow your focus on where you should concentrate your efforts and suggest alternate options for dealing with a particular symptom.
A GAPS* Coach can eliminate confusing and contradictory information on Facebook group chats. Everybody experiences GAPS* differently and we are all working with different health conditions. What may work for one person may not work for another. A GAPS* Coach looks at the overall picture to help narrow down what you should be focusing on, and potentially avoid misguided information that could steer you down the wrong path.
However, if you’re headstrong and have the will to do the journey solo, I commend you for your bravery and perseverance! I want to see you succeed! And a part of me wanting you to succeed is me giving you a list of all the websites I frequent for information. Feel free to visit these sites and utilize all the free information out there!
Bumblebee Apothecary You Tube channel
If you do feel overwhelmed and know you’d be better equipped with guidance, do consider my offer to help you, and your family, along your journey to make the process more clear and rewarding! If it’s one-on-one sessions that would help or participating in the 7-week/8-week Guided Assistance Transitioning onto the GAPS* Protocol, I would love the opportunity to get to know you and be a part of your journey. My mission is to change the world for the better by helping you make changes in your life that will allow you to live in wellness!
GAPS is a journey, so why not gain a friend and cheerleader-companion to make the experience more pleasurable!
Sincerely,
Tania
Note: The scope of services for a Certified GAPS Coach does not involve any of the following: diagnosing, analysis of test results, giving medical advice, or giving advice related to prescriptions/medications.