Habitude
noun
customary condition or character:
a healthy mental habitude.
a habit or custom:
traditional habitudes of kindliness and courtesy.
Hi, I’m Petra, a certified and accredited health coach. I help you get a grip on your habits to feel better in your skin, increase your confidence and energy, finally lose weight, and seize life.
I was 19 when I learned what BMI was. Yes, probably a bit late and it might’ve been better if I’d never learned. Because now I was suddenly overweight and so I was fat and needed to lose weight (this was what I told myself).
I’d been struggling with anxiety disorders for years (although this wasn’t official yet), and looking back, I’ve been wrestling with myself, my place in the world, and depressions since childhood.
I didn’t develop an eating disorder when I started losing weight, but I was very obsessed with my food and activity habits. I wanted to lose weight, and that involves eating a little and very healthy, right? But I also wanted to join my classmates for meals. And I was used to eating away my emotions. How does that work?
I attempted a couple of diets and did a lot of research. I knew how to lose weight the unhealthy way, but I wanted to do it in a balanced, healthy way (even back then).
That search for balance took years and I was always losing and gaining the same 10 lbs, but I was never lighter than the weight I started at (I’m still now, btw).
When I was 25 years old, I got a burn-out. My anxiety disorders were now very serious and my depression was so deep that I was assigned an emergency psychiatrist in the Dutch national mental healthcare system. I wasn’t able to take care of myself anymore and I’d moved back in with my mom after living abroad. A 10-minute walk was too much. I gained about 50 lbs, because I couldn’t exercise anymore and was still an emotional eater.
I started therapy to build my mental health back up and worked on my activity with physical therapy (starting with slow walks around the block). Suddenly my lifestyle habits (food, sleep, activity, coping mechanisms) were a matter of life or death. I gave myself a chance—my health became my #1 priority.
2 years later I was excited about life again. I was able to enjoy things again. My energy came back and I now knew how to manage it (90% of the time). I lost over 50 lbs, dared to put myself first more and more, and learned what a balanced lifestyle looks like for me; it’s a lifestyle where I take care of my health, but also seize life to the fullest.
People around me saw the change in me too. Family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers at the gym started asked my tips and advice. I absolutely loved being able to help them and—even more—seeing the difference in them when they noticed more energy and confidence and felt better in their skin.
When ✨the crisis✨ started in 2020, I lost all my clients (in my previous life I was a content writer for the travel industry). It was the moment to evaluate if I wanted to change anything in my life.
And I did. So I went back into therapy and enrolled in an accredited health coach course. If I was going to be helping people, I wanted to make sure I did it correctly.
In January 2022, I became an officially certified and accredited health coach. I help you get a grip on your habits so you too can increase your energy and confidence and feel better in your skin. Now we can both seize life.
Want to know what we can do together? Let’s discuss during your free 30-minute coaching session.
Questions or comments? Please contact me.
