Like a leaky roof, do we just patch the hole, and hope for the best?  Or do we replace and restore it, and do the maintenance to optimize it, despite extreme weather conditions?  In ski-speak, we joke about variable conditions, never predictable.  In life, it’s the same thing.  Are we prepped and ready for the curveballs and Murphy-strikes that WILL come our way?  Do we have an ample buffer, a reserve capacity to pull from?  Can we bounce back, repeatedly, take hits and remain solid?  Hardy folks can and do!   Think of a hardy person you know.  What keeps them surviving, and thriving?     

Today, it is well-accepted that cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the U.S., is rooted in inflammation, insulin-resistance, oxidative stress (rusting), hormonal imbalances and exposure to toxins.  We also know that a lousy diet, long-term micro-nutrient deficiencies, physical INactivity, chronic DIStress, and various toxins, raise cholesterol and blood pressure exacerbating an inflammatory response in our arterial endothelium. Remember that half of the people who experience heart attacks do NOT suffer from hypercholesterolemia. To quote Mark Hyman, M.D., Founder, Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, “CVD is not about cholesterol; it is about inflammation in a cholesterol environment.”    

So, when 45 year old 2-stent Charlie, husband, father of three, small business owner, with a passion for hunting and fishing comes to me, I need Whole-Charlie coaching.  A Hardiness model fills the bill.

Hardiness Coaching is designed to fortify FIVE structural pillars: 1) Movement, 2) Diet, 3) Rest-Recovery-Regeneration, 4) Stress Resistance and, 5) Purpose-Relevance-Meaning. The Pillars are grounded in a foundation of DAILY habits, patterns and practices, not programs with a start and end date. They are interconnected, and the robustness of one supports the others; if one crumbles, the others bear the brunt. By repairing cracks and leaks within a given pillar, we boost overall resilience, durability, and robustness, not just the CV issue at heart (no pun intended). Hey, what’s good for the heart, is good for the brain is good for the gut is good for the immune system is… 

Our clients come to us with the desire to move better, feel better and get back to living life, even surpassing it, despite their issues. Their current health does NOT define them, nor does their age. It’s our responsibility to meet them where they’re at, know where they have been [for decades], and get them where they want to go. Keeping their hopes and dreams alive is paramount.

As Hippocrates so eloquently stated, “Know the person who has the disease, not just the disease that has the person.” 

So, when we hear ‘cardiac or cardiovascular’, think beyond the heart and vasculature for transport and waste removal. Think integration with the lymph and respiratory systems, and their role in running a well-oiled machine, one where the other six systems [gut microbiome, immune/inflammatory, energy production (mitochondria), waste disposal – detoxification, communication (neurotransmitters, hormones), structural (cells, tissues, organs) synergistically thrive. This is a Functional Medicine model. Check it out. 

Clinical psychologists, physical therapists or medical doctors, we are not. But, we impact lives in a multitude of ways, some measured by hard data, and others, by those intangibles like confidence and joy. Yes, we work within the physical realm, but when we take the integrated pillar approach to coaching Hardiness, we sync and link the pillars, buttressing them to exponentially resist and adapt better to the stresses and strains of life. Buttresses, NOT band-aids! 

Coaching MUST transfer to performing and feeling better, at home, in labor, care-giving, recreation and even competition. For example, with regards to the movement pillar, there are three realms:  1) physical activity, as in walking, stairs, labor and chores, 2) recreation, as in sport, dance, all-seasons GO on snow, ice, sand or water, and 3) TRAINING, exercising with purpose. ALL contribute to the robustness of our movement pillar. Training is only one piece of the movement pie, so yes to targeted training, AND to more movement in labor, hobbies and play.  

When training any adult, there are 7S Buckets that may need to be restored and refilled. The 7th Bucket is Specificity and Specifics. Specificity refers to “we get what we train for; we keep what we do!” Specifics are those things unique to our client; in this case, those CV conditions that propelled the client in our direction in the first place. It may have been a primary care Doc, a referral from cardiac rehab or simply the client’s grit to BE better. Whatever, we are here to fortify all their pillars of hardiness.

Don’t get me wrong. We must know CVD pathologies, physiology, metrics and measurement, and network with relevant healthcare professionals. But more importantly, we must customize and personalize coaching to provide the springboard for Charlie to thrive, as a husband, father, business owner and outdoorsman, to optimize his health-span, and his zest for living life to his fullest.

So, from pacemakers, stents, meds and more, to risk factors, co-morbidities, MSK challenges and all else in store, we practitioners are here to reboot, rebuild, coach, train and restore.  

Specialization for Fit Pros

Join Pat VanGalen in the online course, Cardiac REHAB Fitness Specialist. Learn the nuts and bolts of coaching hardiness within the cardiovascular system. Evidence-based facts, figures, updates AND case studies will tweak your coaching.  Integrate, don’t isolate!

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Patricia ‘Pat’ VanGalen, M.S. brings a unique blend of education, practical experience, common sense application, science and research to her lecturing, teaching, training and coaching. She launched her professional career 40+ years ago in physical education and coaching, then spent the next 10 years in corporate-industrial fitness, health promotion, cardiac rehab and injury risk reduction programming design, implementation and management. Visit her website, activeandagile.com