So I'm a health coach and I drink wine, eat cheese, love chocolate, adore coffee and I don't drink green smoothies, meditate or exercise every day. Here's why that's OK.

So I want to clear a few things up today. (Psssst - How good is my "shocked face" collage? Ha!)

A (relatively new) friend recently confided in me that she eats cheese.

Yep. Shock horror. She eats cheese. And she loves it.

Expecting me to lose my shit over her confession, she had withheld bringing cheese to our regular girly catch ups, out of fear that I, and our other health coach friends, would judge her.

Hmmmmmmm.

Then, last week, I had a client of mine send through a testimonial... This was the first line:

I was always a little wary of health coaches. I was always a bit scared that if I worked with a coach I'd suddenly morph into this "clean eating" fanatic - an overly spiritual, green smoothie drinking, namaste-ing perfectionist.

Hold it right there, sister!

I, Claire Baker, am a health coach (amongst other things I guide women on).

But let it be known, that I eat cheese, drink wine, love chocolate, adore coffee and I don't drink green smoothies, exercise or meditate every single day.

I don't preach perfection. I believe instead, in wellness.

Let's talk about wellness for a minute.

I believe wellness is not about diet deprivation. It's also not about amazing abs. It is not about skinny-ness or fat-ness, a perky butt or a freaking box gap. That is NOT what wellness means.

Wellness is free, flowing energy. Spaciousness. Clear eyes. Glow-y skin (that's not out of a chemically-laden product). Wellness is how it feels to be empowered to choose the right foods and lifestyle for YOU.

It does not come in a bottle, off a shelf or in a box. It does not come overnight. It does not come from stressing about sticking to a 1200 calorie diet or how many #fitspo accounts you follow on Instagram.

But it does come with freedom, flow, rest and ease. It comes from being gentle. It comes from a loving, nurturing space and it's yours gorgeous, it's all yours, if you're willing to let go of what society tells you it looks like.

So for me, wellness means I eat a mostly plant based, whole foods diet and love it, but I totally enjoy a couple of glasses of wine when I feel like it. I just don't binge drink. I'm the first one on the brie on a cheese board and 85% Lindt chocolate is a pantry staple. I dig coffee (one cup helps me write and train like a pro!) and my body thrives on organic eggs, butter and good quality, pasture-fed meat. Often. (Read this fab post on intuitive meat-eating...)

I also eat bread (or pancakes!) if I feel like it and leave it if I don't. It's that simple.

And I definitely do not exercise, meditate or drink green smoothies every day. Exercise? Most days, yes I do. Because I want to. But I won't if I don't feel the pull.

Meditate? I go through cycles and phases with meditation. Right now, it's a once a week kinda style. Totally sweet.

Green smoothies? Intuitively, I barely felt like a green smoothie all Summer and I definitely don't drink them in Winter, when my body is craving warm, comforting foods.

Because this, this is what wellness is; this is what I teach my clients.

To eat (and move!) intuitively, to FORGET the diet labels and experiment with dropping the habit of defining yourself with a particular style/trend of eating - or lifestyle for that matter. Figure out what wellness looks like for you. What foods do you love? What foods make you feel good - today? What exercise makes you feel strong and powerful? What could a relationship with meditation look like for you - today?

You'll be pleased to know that testimonial from my client I mentioned earlier, finished off like this...

But then I discovered 'This is Lifeblood' and the amazing Claire Baker. Claire's honest, no-bullsh*t approach to coaching is powerful, inspiring and ultimately, life-changing... I currently enjoy a green smoothie and 'namaste' of a morning, but I'm no perfectionist fanatic. I'm just a more kick-ass version of myself (and green is good!).

Be kind to yourself. Enjoy the pleasures of life. Embrace wellness. And please, remember to invite me over next time you feel like a glass of red and a chunk of cheese. No judgements here.

Let's start a conversation about this! Are you torn between wellness and wanting to indulge in your favourite pleasures? Does the health and wellness message confuse you sometimes? I'd love to know! I'd also LOVE you to share this post with your pals!