Why We Love Integrative Nutrition

You know how passionate we are here at FBG about finding your own path to good health. For some people, that means doing CrossFit and going gluten-free, like Jenn, and others (like me) might find that running and sticking to a mainly vegetarian diet is what feels best. And, of course, there are plenty of people (like Erin) who find that a little bit of everything is just the right fit for their lifestyle. It’s all awesome, because health is nothing if not incredibly personal — we’re proof!

Yeah, YOU try getting more than one FBG in a room without showing off some muscles.

So, when we were invited to give a 10-minute, energy-raising presentation at Jazz at Lincoln Center a little over a week ago for the Institute for Integrative Nutrition^® (IIN) conference (spoiler: we are an affiliate of theirs, but more on that in a bit!) , we were, well, jazzed. You know how great it feels when you meet someone and you just click completely? That’s how we feel about IIN — it’s not only the largest nutrition school in the world, but its mission is right on target with ours.

IIN offers a one-year Health Coach Training Program that focuses on way more than just nutrition. The curriculum covers more than 100 dietary theories, lifestyle coaching, relationships, spirituality, physical activity, real-world business development … all with the goal of giving students the tools they need to go out into the world and help people make positive health choices to live their best lives. (You can see why we clicked so easily, right?)

(Spoiler: If you’re interested, you can take a free sample class here. If you decide to enroll, you’ll get the hook up on some special savings by mentioning FBG!)

I’ll share a bit about my presentation (which just happened to be in front of the Best. Crowd. Everrr!) in a moment, but, for those of you who might be interested in becoming a Health Coach (or just want to know a little more about the program), here are some additional deets (along with a link where you can sign right up!).

From left to right, top to bottom: Kristen on stage before presenting | Fab dressing room eats | Crowd participating in mummy kicks | Kristen getting a mic for her testimonial | Stage shot! | Kristen and Erin with Amy from IIN (the best!) | Erin showing off the elusive stage door

In the Know With IIN

• IIN offers a user-friendly online learning center so you can access all your coursework via any mobile, tablet or desktop device. They also provide expert support from and excellent networking opportunities with IIN’s coaching circles.
• While it’s amazing to gain this knowledge just for your own bad self (because yeah, you’re worth it!), you might also be interested to know that 74 percent of IIN students launch a health coaching practice before they even graduate from the program. So, whether you’re looking for a career change or just a way to make some serious side money doing something you’re passionate about, this could be just the program you need!
• IIN brings in world-class educators, including Deepak Chopra, Dr. Mark Hyman, Gabrielle Bernstein, Marie Forleo and more (like … us!).
• Interested? Check out a complimentary sample class from the incredible curriculum here! The next class begins March 21, but they’ll have enrollment periods in May, July and September. Note: We are proud affiliate partners with IIN — woot! So, if you decide to enroll, be sure to mention our name to receive tuition savings.

Now, it’s not just within the IIN program that lessons are learned. Let me tell you, I learned a few things as a teacher there last weekend!

No idea why I was laughing here, but I’m certain the crowd was laughing right along with me. Those IIN peeps are good eggs.

IIN Lessons Learned

1. These people are my people. If there was ever any doubt (there wasn’t) as to whether IIN was part of the FBG tribe, they were proved unfounded within moments of arriving at Jazz. Erin and I might’ve had just a wee bit of difficulty finding the stage door (despite having specific directions and even a picture for reference), but once we were inside, Amy, our “handler” from IIN made us feel totally at home. She showed us to the dressing room, which was stocked with water, juices, almonds, clean snack bars, and … dark chocolate. It was like we were besties already.

After watching just a few minutes of the presentations before ours (and watching the crowd respond), it was even clearer that we were in good company. I didn’t spy an empty seat, and every student was paying close attention to every presentation. Like I said: best crowd ever.

2. Superhero power pose really, really works. This wasn’t really a lesson for me — after all, I was confident enough in the concept that I actually began my presentation by having the whole crowd stand up and get into that pose. However, I also spent my time backstage standing like Wonder Woman and breathing deep into my belly, which made running out on the stage to a crowd of hundreds (maybe a thousand? I don’t know) feel far better than it probably should have.

3. Longwear lipstick + New York winter + nerves + hot stage lights + leading a workout for a kajillion people = driest mouth on Earth. Should you ever find yourself in a position like the one I was in, let me strongly, strongly recommend having some Aquaphor or Vaseline or something on hand to apply to your lips right before you go on stage. I’ve never had such a dry mouth — it was so bad that my lips actually got stuck to my teeth despite my chugging water all day long.

4. Nothing compares to getting a huge crowd pumped up about self-love. Nothing. After leading the crowd through an 8-minute workout, I did a little stretching and encouraged them to not only use the lessons they’re learning about health and self-care for their clients, but to make time for themselves, too. Whether we’re talking about workouts, nutrition or work-life balance, it’s always more effective when it comes from a place of self-love, and based on the crowd’s reaction, they definitely agreed. Now I know how rock stars feel when they end a concert!

Thank you so much to IIN for having us out to teach a session! And we hope that some of you will consider joining the IIN community. Because, hey, if you feel at home with us, we know you’ll fit right in with their program! —Kristen