‘The Diabetic Health Coach' – An introduction

‘The Diabetic Health Coach' – An introduction

Welcome to my website!

My name is Vanessa Haydock, a young, energetic and motivated woman in my mid-twenties, living and breathing T1 Diabetes – something that I am not ashamed to admit.
I was diagnosed with Diabetes at a very young age, therefore I am completely used to living with the condition, as well as being incredibly accepting of what I am required to do on a daily basis to keep myself alive and healthy.
However, I am also aware of how tough living with Diabetes can be, emotionally, physically and psychologically. But, one thing that I have both learnt is that, Diabetes should never stop anyone achieving their goals and living their life to the full.
So, one thing that makes me angry is the ‘Diabetes’ stereotype of fat, lazy and overweight individuals. This is what pushes me to do what I do, prove people wrong by showing that optimal health and fitness is possible with diabetes. I have a passion to help, motivate and inspire other diabetics to reach their goals, whether related to fitness, fat loss, muscle mass or general health/diabetes control.

My qualifications include:

• Board Certified Behaviour Analyst (BCBA)
• MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis
• First class honours BSc in Psychology
• Nutritional advisor
• Level 3 personal trainer

What sets me aside from your average coach is that I am a behaviour analyst (BCBA), qualified to scientifically modify and reinforce healthy behaviours to help people progress in the right direction. Behaviour analysis is the science of human behaviour (why we act the way we do and how to change this), whereby I use my knowledge to place interventions and strategies to help modify and increase health behaviours, including behaviours that would help with better Diabetes control (healthy habits, exercise etc.).

From personal experiences, I understand that in order to achieve optimal Diabetes control for BOTH T1 and T2 Diabetics, it is vital to:

• Have a healthy, balanced diet
• Participate in regular physical activity
• Maintain a positive mentality
• Participate in beneficial medical regime behaviours
• Seek out effective peer support

This is where I come in.

Using my knowledge as a behaviour change specialist, experiences and expertise, I aim to help other people with or without Diabetes achieve their fitness, health or personal goals, whilst also maintaining stable BG levels and optimum diabetes control.

The services I offer include:

• Online health coaching (nutrition advice and gym plans)
• 1:1 personal training sessions and nutritional advice
• Behaviour modification programmes to improve behaviours such as BG testing, healthy eating, exercise participation, self-monitoring etc.

It is incredibly important to not let diabetes get in the way of living our lives to the full, regardless of what type of diabetes we may have.
My aim is to help, encourage, motivate and most importantly inspire others to reach their goals in life.