Melissa Valentine

Exercise is hard. Movement often feels like a task on a to-do list, something we "should" do to "lose weight", "get fit" or to achieve some extrinsic goal. For many, especially those of us who are starting to feel the effects of aging or who are recovering from an illness or injury, exercise can feel exhausting and potentially dangerous. It can easily feel like you and your body are fighting against each other. Instead of avoiding exercise or pushing through with motivation and discipline...

In my last post, From Overwhelmed to Action: Why Wellness Coaching is the Missing Link to Sustainable Health , we talked about how a coach helps bridge the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Today, I want to dive into the first—and perhaps most personal—pillar of my coaching practice: Integrative Pain Management. "Integrative Pain Management isn't about waiting for the pain to disappear before you start living; it’s about using every tool in the shed—movement, mindset,...

Let’s be honest for a moment. How are those New Year’s intentions holding up? If you are like many people, the initial burst of January motivation has already begun to fade against the friction of daily life. We live in an era of unprecedented access to health information, yet we are simultaneously drowning in it. Scroll through social media for five minutes, and you will be bombarded with conflicting advice on the "perfect" morning routine, the "only" diet that works, and the newest bio-hack...