Your Journey to Wellness Starts Here
introduction
Welcome to Armour Wellness Coaching! My name is Lindsay Armour. I am a health and fitness minded mother, wife, and business owner. I have Bachelor's Degrees in both Nutrition & Dietetics and Nursing. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Coach, and Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I have years of experience in fitness and wellness. Like many, I and all of my team, are on our own wellness journeys, and would love to share our insights, knowledge, and advice with you.
Our Wellness Coaching Philosophy
Armour Wellness Coaching provides two virtual services: (1) virtual personal training, and (2) virtual health and wellness coaching. Some clients like to undertake both personal training and wellness coaching simultaneously in order to accomplish their goals by making both macro and micro changes in their habits, lifestyle, and fitness regimes. Other clients prefer to take on one aspect at a time. We also offer in-home, in-person personal training, on a very limited and case specific basis. Please inquire if interested in this potential option.
In wellness coaching, our philosophy is to support women and men in making small lifestyle changes and adjustments over time that add up to big sustainable results. We work with clients in a 1:1 virtual environment to learn more about current habits and behaviors. Then, through personalized suggestions and practical advice, our clients develop a deeper awareness of habits that are not serving their goals, and together we find ways to slowly develop different habits and behaviors that will lead to goal fulfillment.
We never want clients to feel like they are on a “diet” or following a “plan,” but rather, we push for our clients to develop intuitive decision-making strategies that are in line with the life that they want and deserve. Armour Wellness Coaching will make suggestions and recommendations based on personal needs and heath history, but tends to coach a “lower-carb” lifestyle with a lot of flexibility. Unless it is necessary for the specific client, we don’t coach tracking, measuring or weighing food.
When it comes to virtual personal training, your goals are priority number one. So whether you want to get stronger, gain endurance, lose weight, make your clothes fit better, change your body composition, or simply start learning about the many benefits of movement, we will craft and implement strength and resistance training routines just for you, and coach you on safe form and technique throughout our sessions. The difference between using a fitness app, like Peloton or Beach Body, and using virtual personal training through Armour Wellness Coaching is that our programs are specifically designed for you. We take into account your specific fitness goals, your age, your body, your fitness equipment, and your fitness level when designing workouts specific to you.
Helping clients develop sustainable behaviors and habits while maintaining healthy and positive thought processes around fitness and food is a top priority for Armour Wellness Coaching.
Our Personal Training Philosophy
Armour Wellness Coaching provides virtual personal training via its mobile app. We work with clients of all experience levels, from novice to experienced exerciser. Virtual personal training can be designed for anyone with a motivation to improve his or her fitness, regardless of access to equipment. We will work with whatever you have access to. One of our main passions is helping women feel empowered and strong. Resistance training can be very intimidating, yet it is extremely beneficial for men and women alike. One of our main goals is to help our clients feel more confident using dumb bells and other resistance training equipment, including cables, TRX, kettle bells, and barbells, when appropriate and available. We want our clients to feel safe and strong as we work towards goals together. Some common client goals include education and learning how to use equipment in a safe and effective way, weight loss, muscle gain and toning/definition, reduction in body fat, improved mood, and beyond. Safety is our highest priority. We are attentive to proper form and cue for the most effective methods to obtain goals.
Schedule A WEllness Coaching Intake Interview
This initial 60 minute consultation is the first step in the process of moving toward your goals. From there, your personalized wellness plan is created and e-mailed to you!
Sign up for personal training
Contact AWC to start the scheduling process for personal training.
ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS
What are the differences between Wellness Coaching and Personal Training, and What Can They Do for Me?
Wellness Coaching is virtual, usually done via phone call. As such, wellness clients can get one-on-one wellness coaching from anywhere in the world. After selecting one of our three coaching packages and committing to the process, we start with an initial 60-70 minute phone or video chat consultation to identify your goals, habits and health history. A completely personalized written wellness plan will be created to meet your specific goals and needs. From there, we connect on the phone weekly for 30 minutes to discuss progress and make adjustments to your plan whenever necessary. Additionally, all of or wellness packages allow for you to share questions, concerns, or to celebrate success with me via text message and voice notes at any time.
Virtual personal training can be done from anywhere. After discussing your specific goals and desires for personal training, we will design workouts, add them to you workout calendar, and follow up regarding your experience. During the workout you can expect to gain insights into the proper form for each exercise, how to use and become accustomed and comfortable with the equipment, what muscle groups should be utilized for each specific movement, and generally the benefits of strength training. Our coaches are passionate about strength training, especially for women and the aging, and you will leave our personal training not only feeling like a stronger version of yourself, but with the foundation and desire to continue training and getting stronger into the future.
Nutrition
Nutrition is perhaps the single largest contributing factor to an individual’s health and well-being. However, many people who are motivated to eat a healthy, balanced diet are lacking the knowledge to do so, and conversely, many people who understand the science of food and metabolism are lacking the motivation and accountability to break bad habits and make positive, sustainable lifestyle changes. Wellness coaching can help you find balance, not only in your diet, but also your mentality and approach to eating. Whether your nutrition habits need a complete overhaul, or small tweaks and changes, Armour Wellness Coaching can provide a tailored plan to assist and help you reach your goals.
Lifestyle & Mindset
Your lifestyle and mindset are two of the biggest parts of sustaining new healthy habits and change in your life. Lifestyle is a general term for one’s habits, and encompasses many other aspects of one’s life that do not include the habits of nutrition and fitness. For example, stress management and sleep habits are key elements in how one perceives one’s own wellness. A tired, stressed out person is rarely a content and well-feeling person. While there is no single piece of advice or instruction that a coach can offer that will result in everlasting nirvana, there are methods and habits that we can help develop that will put you in a better position to attain and maintain good results in all aspects of your wellness.
Fitness
Fitness is both mental and physical. Accordingly, improvements in your mindset and overall well-being will have a positive impact on your ability and willingness to engage in physical activity, and physical activity will have a positive impact on your overall well-being. Regardless of whether you are a fitness enthusiast with ample experience in physical activity and exercise, or if you currently do not exercise at all, we can help by meeting you where you are at right now. Wellness coaching clients receive suggestions, ideas, and encouragement for fitness and working out routines, while our personal training clients will receive in person training with specialized fitness programs drafted just for them based on their goals.
Health
Each individual has his or her own health history, and each individual health history has its own specific effects on that person’s wellness, abilities, and concerns. In formulating a wellness plan that encompasses all aspects of your well-being and goals, it is imperative that we discuss and consider your unique circumstances. Things like diabetes, heart conditions, and other serious diagnoses are managed by physicians, but must be taken into account in order to have a full understanding of one’s wellness and how to approach the wellness plan. Because of this, we consider your health history and current health status, while developing a personalized and customized wellness plan.
MY STORY
Me in August 2016, as compared to me in March of 2019
Hello! I am so happy that you are here, and interested to see what wellness coaching might be able to help you accomplish! I hope that you find what you need here, and that I can be a source of knowledge, advice, and inspiration on your own wellness journey. Here is my story.
I grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and moved to Sycamore in 2002 to attend the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Northern Illinois University. After getting my Bachelor's Degree in Nutrition in 2005, I went directly into the baccalaureate Nursing Program at NIU, and ultimately obtained my Registered Nursing license in 2007. I worked in the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit at Central DuPage Hospital for several years, and then worked as a medical-surgical nurse closer to home, at Kishwaukee Community Hospital after having children.
I have always been a health-minded person. I spent time at a gym and being physically active with sports when I was in high school, and enjoyed physical fitness throughout college. Like many, I was consistent with exercise at times, and inconsistent at others. Working as a full-time night shift nurse added challenges to work-life balance and being able to meal-plan and fit in exercise too. After each of my children was born, I never completely lost the “baby weight,” that was left behind and found myself carrying extra weight after I was done having my 3 boys, despite being back to a fairly consistent work out routine.
In January of 2018, I made a New Years Resolution that many people make. I wanted to lose 10 pounds. I started by finding accountability with a couple girlfriends who were also aiming to shed some weight. I made some simple changes to my dietary routine and became much more intentional with my workout routine. It was a slower start than I wanted, but this time something was different. I was making changes that I knew I could sustain. The first 5-10 pound weight loss was enough to motivate me to keep going. Although it was far from my original goal, ultimately, I lost about 40 pounds over the next 15-16 months: an achievement that I never thought was possible. My personal health and weight loss journey had many ups, downs, twist and turns, but by averaging about 0.5-0.7 pounds per week weight loss and changing my day-to-day habits, I was able to maintain this healthy and sustainable achievement. Currently, the number on the scale doesn’t hold as much value because my goals around weight loss, muscle gain, and overall health have changed and found their “happy place.” This means the lifestyle changes and habits developed over the last several years have settled in so that I no longer think about them, they are just what I do now. These are the valuable insights that I want to share with you as you are changing your life and health to be the best version of yourself!
I have a great desire to help you reach your goals. All of us are capable of doing amazing things, but often we simply lack an accountability partner who can help keep us on track, answer difficult questions, or who will simply listen and be honest. ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE WELLNESS COACHING. I can answer your nutrition, dietetics, general fitness and health questions. I can be your guide on grocery shopping, meal planning, caloric intake, caloric timing, and division of intake between food groups to help you achieve your weight loss goals. I can assist you in planning your workouts, and designing specific exercise routines and regimens to help you reach an appropriate level of fitness. Finally, I will be there to keep you accountable, answer your questions, and modify your individualized wellness plan when necessary. I am here for you and to cheer you on! Let’s get started!