NSOS Health Coach (2025)

18/06/2025

We are doing a research project which involves looking at the motivations of adolescents to participate in team-based sport in a club setting. The research involves completing a questionnaire and the possibility of taking part in a focus group.

We are inviting participation from 12–17-year-olds, of any gender, who participate in team-based sports in a club setting in Ireland. If you, or someone you know, are the parents or guardians of someone who might fit the criteria, then we are inviting you to contact us for more information in relation to the study.

If you would like more information, please email the Primary Investigator ian.sherwin@ul.ie or student researcher spratto.niamh@ul.ie

This research study has received ethics approval from the Education and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee (2025_04_23_EHS). If you have any concerns about this study and wish to contact someone independent you may contact: Chair Education and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, EHS Faculty Office, University of Limerick, Tel (061) 234101

29/01/2025

Feeling very privileged to play my first Div 1 match since turning the big 5-0! Thanks to my teammates for making a big fuss...especially .... you know me so well!

Remember, age is but a number... stay strong, and the world is your oyster!

.irish

07/09/2024

Season number who knows with I've lost count at this stage but it must be up around 25 🙈

First Div 1 game of the season v Clonarf today in Kilkenny College at 12....supporters welcome!

01/09/2024

September, along with January, is often a natural time for people to (re) focus on their health/nutrition/exercise goals. The important thing at this time is to pick 1 or 2 things to work on – rather than trying to do too much which can lead to overwhelm and ultimately not doing anything to support your goals!
Things that you might want to focus on include:
• Sleep
• Exercise
• Nutrition e.g. prioritising protein, getting more fibre, aiming for 5-7 servings of fruit and veg etc

If setting goals – it is really important to think about the actions that are needed to help you achieve your goal.

For example, you might set a goal to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. This is a great goal for so many reasons (fibre, micronutrients, satiety etc). But HOW will you actually make this happen? Some prompts to help might be:
- How much veg do you want to eat in a day?
- Could that be broken down further into how many times/portions per meal?
- Can you plan this for the week (i.e. what veg will you be having each day)?
- When will you shop for the veg?
- Can you do any prep to help in meeting the goal? E.g. could you spend 20 minutes on a Sunday prepping/chopping some onions/peppers/cucumber/tomato etc so it is ready to go when needed?
You can adapt these questions for many different goals. Just really think about WHAT you need to do to help you reach your goal. Set out an action plan alongside your goal and you will be setting yourself up for success!

05/01/2024

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵!

This time of the year, a lot of people embark on goal setting for health. Did you know there are two different types of goals that can really affect your mindset?

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀
Positivity breeds success! Approach goals frame your health journey in a positive light. Instead of fixating on what to cut out, focus on what to include! Whether it's adding more fruit and veg, increasing your daily step count, or practicing mindful eating, these positive changes fuel lasting success.

𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀
𝑬𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒑!
Avoidance goals can create a restrictive mindset. Constantly saying "no" can lead to frustration and make healthy choices feel like a chore. Think of saying things like ‘I won’t eat processed foods’ ‘I will stop using screens in the evening’ as examples of avoidance goals.

An example of a positively framed approach goal might be “I’m going to eat a cup of low-fat yogurt with fruit for my afternoon snack,” whereas a negatively framed avoidance goal might be “I’m not going to eat junk food as a snack.”

Although these goals appear to be similar in terms of promoting healthy snacking, research has shown that different cognitive and emotional processes are involved.

Approach goals are associated with greater positive emotions, thoughts, and self-evaluations and greater psychological well-being.

In contrast, avoidance goals are associated with fewer positive thoughts and greater negative emotions.

You can convert avoidance goals into approach goals by substituting behaviors to avoid with behaviors to promote, for example “Rather than watching television after dinner, I will go for a 20 minute walk instead.”

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀: Approach goals are all about building sustainable habits. Small, positive changes compound into significant health gains.

Remember, your health journey is a marathon, not a sprint!

03/01/2024

𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓

This time of the year you will see all sorts of mad stuff on social media promising fast results etc. Or people revert to things they've tried in the past for quick results (anyone remember the soup diet?!)

If you've tried some of these quick fix options in the past and they didn't work -what makes you think it will be different this time?

Just remember, 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔. Therefore, it is important to make small changes that are easy to implement - so that you will stay in it for the long haul.

28/06/2023

One more sleep!

All packed and ready to head off tomorrow with the to the Masters Hockey European Championships

International Masters Hockey is self-funded so I really want to thank and for their sponsorship.

I also want to thank my school pals, the KK Posse – for clubbing together to sponsor me – If Carlsberg did friendships….

We often talk about the importance of role models for women in sport and the movement. Well this weekend and over the summer, Ireland will have teams at 035, 040, 045, 050 and over 55 competing in European Championships. How amazing is hockey that it provides these opportunities for women to play forever! Talk about a complete player pathway (in most sports, you leave the pathway much earlier).

I can’t wait to play with my college buddy – we used to always dream in college that someday we would play some sport for Ireland (we tried to invent new sports but they never materialised!) – but here we are! eh?!

I was asked recently why I still play – and if I was to say one reason – it would have to be the friendships you make on and off the pitch…can’t wait to do this with my team mates and the rest of the .irish crew.

.ie

09/06/2023

According to the OECD Health at a Glance 2022 Report 33% of Irish people report eating 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day while 48% report consuming between one and four portions daily.
Research suggests we should be aiming for 5-7 portions each day. Here are some simple tips on achieving this:

1.When planning meals (and doing your shopping list), plan out what veg you will use with each meal. E.g. if you are roasting fish/meat, get some veg that can be thrown in the oven to roast at the same time, if you are having some casserole type dishes – think about what veg could be added (e.g. onions, peppers, mushrooms, beans, lentils etc).

2. Beans, lentils, chickpeas etc count towards your 5-a-day. However, they only count as one portion, regardless of the amount or type you eat (a portion is 80g). So if you have both chickpeas and lentils in a dish – this only counts as one portion.

3.Tinned tomatoes – these also add towards your one a day so can be incorporated into stews, curries, etc.

4.Add fruit to your breakfast. Think about adding chopped banana, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries etc to your cereal. Frozen is as good as fresh – so you can always have some available in your freezer if you run out of fresh options.

5.Salads are great this time of year – they don’t have to be the main act – but add some salad as a side dish to your mains for lunch or dinner to help you reach that 7 a day target.

6.Stock up your fruit bowl and keep it in sight. You will be more likely to reach for fruit as a snack if its visible and within reach.

7.Stir Frys are a great way to add lots of veg. Most supermarkets do frozen stir fry veg which are super handy to have in the freezer for those days when you want a quick meal – just add some prawns/chicken/beef/quorn etc for protein and some garlic/ginger/sweet chilli sauce for a quick and nutritious meal.

8.Smoothies – a great way to use up fruit and veg. Again, a lot of supermarkets do frozen smoothie mixes which are really handy to have in freezer. You can add milk/water/juice as a base and if you have protein powder add a scoop to help towards your protein goals and keep you feeling full.

31/05/2023

𝐃𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲?

First of all, in terms of sleep, natural light in the morning can help to regulate our circadian rhythm (i.e. our body clock). This is really important for regulating our sleep-wake cycles – which promotes better sleep quality and overall health.

Not only that, but morning light also has the following benefits:

🌞It can enhance our mood by triggering the release of serotonin (which helps regulate mood).
🌞It can give us an energy boost through stimulation of cortisol which can increase our alertness and energy levels
🌞Vitamin D – sunlight is essential for Vit D production (which can support bone health, immune function and help decrease inflammation)

𝐒𝐨 – 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨?

According to Huberman Labs (who have lots of great information and podcasts on this topic) a good rule of thumb is:

𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬: 5-10 minutes minimum
𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬: 10-20 minutes minimum
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲: double the time the next day

As soon after waking is optimal time for this (and if possible, within the first hour of waking).

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 (this is how we get the benefits of this natural light). 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯).

If you have trouble sleeping, why not try this out and see if it makes a difference!

20/03/2023

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠?

You might wonder what is a health coach?

I like to compare it to a sports coach. A sports coach is there to help the players learn skills that they can then use when they are playing their matches/participating in their sport.

For me, health coaching is about helping a person to learn the skills they need to improve their health.

This might be around skills in planning your meals or learning how to incorporate more fruit/veg/fibre/protein into your diet.

A health coach is there to help guide you and give you the information you need to make changes.

A health coach can provide accountability for you as you make these changes.

Basically, it’s about helping someone to make lifestyle changes that will work for the longer term.

It’s about empowerment – i.e. giving you the power and skills to implement changes that suit you.

So, if you are looking for a quick fix – a health coach is not for you.

If you are looking for someone to tell you what to eat – a health coach is not for you (I don’t believe in giving someone detailed plans of what to eat – it might work short term – but what happens 6 months down the line – you still don’t have the skills to plan out balanced meals that suit you, your tastes and your lifestyle).

𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒕... ...and helping you to choose goals you want to work on and then working with you to guide towards meeting those goals. Your goals may be fat loss, increased energy, exercise/physical activity, sleep related, general nutrition etc.

If you feel health coaching might be for you, send me a DM for more information.

#

09/03/2023

In addition to the nutrition information on the back of pack, many pre-packed foods display nutrition information on the front – this is referred to as Front of Pack labelling (FoP)

FoP labelling is not mandatory (i.e. not required by law)

𝙄𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙖 𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

❤️ A red light indicates that the food is high in fat, sugar or salt.
This does not mean that you can’t have these foods but ideally, we would have them in moderation and occasionally perhaps rather than every day.
It is important to note that certain foods might be high in fat but it might be a good type of fat – e.g. oils, avocado, nuts, seeds, salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout etc.

🧡An amber light means the food isn’t high or low in the nutrient, but that it is an acceptable food item to eat quite regularly.

💚A green light indicates that the food is low in fat, sugar or salt. The more green lights, the healthier the choice and the more likely the food is to be a good option for everyday eating.

So overall, if you want to make healthier choices when you are shopping, go for more greens and ambers, and fewer reds.

But don’t be a slave to the traffic lights, instead let them guide you towards making better choices on a more regular basis where possible.

Keep an eye on things like overall kcals for the product and how much protein it has too and let that information help in your decision making.

Hope that helps, any questions, pop them below!

Share with someone you think might find this useful.

10/02/2023

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲!

In the same way that having a salad or whatever we perceive as “healthy” won’t suddenly make us fit or healthy, neither will having that take away make us suddenly overweight. This might seem like an obvious thing to say – but I know that some people do think this way.

(I don’t like using the terms healthy or unhealthy or good or bad when talking about foods – I remember before seeing someone calling it “foods that help us towards our goals” which I think is a great way of looking at it).

Remember 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 that really counts.

So if you decide to have your take away this weekend – enjoy it!

NSOS Health Coach