Traveling. Climbing. Health and nutrition. These are the three things that inspire me to live my life to the fullest. For a long time I was only doing these things when I could. I was always trying to fit them into the cracks of my life that formed around working, paying bills and running errands. It’s a frustrating thing when you can’t do what you really want but instead have to spend the majority of your time doing things you don’t want to.

In February 2010 I found Korea. See, the thing about traveling is that it costs money and in order to have money to travel you need to work. In order to travel, for long periods of time anyway, you have to quit your job. I think you can see where this is going. I had trouble making this kind of feast or famine lifestyle work for me. This is why teaching in South Korea seemed perfect. I was given the opportunity to travel to a new and far away place that I’d never been to before while also getting paid to be there! Not to mention because of the great compensation, abundant vacation time and Korea’s proximity to so many other countries, I have found it easy and affordable to continue to travel and climb in other places while living here.

So, in my first year in Korea I was pretty proud of myself for having figured out how to bridge the gap between two of my most favorite things in life, traveling and climbing. I generally travel in order to climb so the two go hand in hand. I should mention here that even though I enjoyed my first year in Korea very much I struggled quite a bit as well.

To start with, I am a vegetarian. For those of you who have not yet been to Korea this may not seem like a problem. Asian countries are, after all, known for eating lots of rice, vegetables and tofu. A vegetarian’s dream come true, right? Not exactly. The thing is they also add meat and fish products to those veggies, rice and tofu, making it almost impossible for me to eat out. Even if you are a meat eater changing your diet drastically while living in another culture can induce its fair share of stress sometimes leading to major digestive, nutrition and weight issues in some people.

Then there was the obvious struggle for all expats. I was leaving behind my friends and family, my support system, and a whole world that made sense to me. I traded it in so I could experience a new adventure but quickly found myself in a place that did not make sense to me at all! This felt isolating and disconnecting. Not to mention it stressed me out! I was frustrated, lonely and tired all the time. Not really the best way to spend an amazing adventure abroad.

I decided to do something about it. I have always enjoyed cooking and thought nothing of it when I realized I would need to do much of my own cooking while staying in Korea. It was fun to experiment with the different ingredients here and to find new and innovative ways to make the super small kitchen space and 1 burner stove work for me while making multiple dinner components at once. For more on that you can check out this blog entry on how my rice cooker has quickly become my best friend!

http://thegoodfoodmood.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/a-rice-cooker-is-an-ex-p...

In fact, I became so invested in what I was cooking, how I was cooking it, what ingredients were in it and how they were affecting my body, that my family and friends began to ask me for advice on everything from losing weight to beating sugar cravings. This is when I found the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is based in New York City, and decided to become a Certified Health Counselor, thus, completing the trinity of my life’s favorite things.

The school was a perfect fit for me! I mean it’s rare for anyone to get an hour to work on their nutrition and life goals with a trained professional. As a Health Counselor, I am able to create a supportive environment that will enable my clients to achieve all of their health goals. I have studied all the major dietary theories and use practical lifestyle coaching methods to guide them in discovering which approach works best for them.

Most approaches to nutrition dwell on calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. This can make a person crazy! Instead of creating lists of restrictions and good and bad foods, I coach my clients on how to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and free of denial and discipline.

No one diet works for everyone. I will guide my clients in finding the food and lifestyle choices that best support them. I will also help them to make gradual, lifelong changes that enable them to reach their current and future health goals.

Since my business will be conducted on-line, for the most part, I can offer my clients many advantages other health professionals cannot. My clients can meet with me from the comfort of their homes over Skype or the telephone, they save money on gas and transportation and working on-line also saves the environment from pollution related to paper waste and getting from here to there! Plus, as an expat I love to travel and have come to realize that this is a passion shared by most expats. Working with me and my on-line business will ensure that you can still keep up with your travels while working on your health and nutrition. You don’t have to choose!

While living abroad I have realized just how important maintaining your health and taking care of body really are when you are in an unfamiliar place, have to battle a language barrier and, generally speaking, don’t have the support system from home to lean on. That’s why I work with expats who struggle with weight loss, stress management, beating cravings, having more energy, sleeping better and generally living a healthy and balanced life while living abroad.

If you are interested in learning more about what I do and if I can help you, sign up for a FREE health consult today! You can reach me at [email protected] or go to my website www.thegoodfoodmood.com. Go to forms and fill out either the woman’s or man’s health history and we’ll set up a time to discuss your health goals that works for you!