Health Coach, Holistic Nutrition, Weight Loss Expert | Cheryl Giambattista
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How My Son's Cancer Helped Me Find My Why

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This Is My Why

I often get asked the questions "why are you so excited about living a healthy lifestyle?" and "why are you on a mission to help others look and feel their best?"

My journey to better health started over 25 years ago! At that time, our oldest son who was just 4 years old was diagnosed with leukemia. As you can imagine, Nick and I were utterly terrified. We were so frightened for my son's life and scared for him to go through the intensive cancer treatments.  The treatment option that our son was given was 3 years of chemotherapy. Chemo was administered in the form of oral medications, intravenous medications, intermuscular injections, and spinal injections. Our little guy endured countless needles, spinal taps and bone marrow aspirations. Those were very frightening and dark days. At the time, our daughter was just 18 months old, and not long after that we also had another son. That was a lot of stress for us as a young married couple!  We spent many weeks with our son in the hospital as he seemed to pick up every virus or bacterial infection that came his way with such low immunity.

During the time of our son's diagnosis, I felt utterly helpless and struggled to know how I could help our son and also hold myself and our family together. I decided that I needed to focus on one thing that I could actually control. That ended up being the food that I was giving to our son, and the atmosphere and attitude that we were surrounding him with. I wanted to make sure that our son had the best nutrition possible to help him to fight through the treatments. I began gradually making simple ingredient swaps to our meals and snacks to get the most nutrients out of the foods we were eating. We also surrounded our son with love, faith, hope, laughter, creativity, his favourite music, books and games.  We told our son to envision the chemo, and that all the good food and organic juices were like little Pac Men going in to eat the cancer cells. 
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Cancer With A Happy Ending

We also had a powerful love army of extended family, friends and even strangers from around the world that supported our family with love and prayers. This gave us great hope and reassurance for our son's future.

Fast forward to today! I like to call my son’s story Cancer With A Happy Ending. Along with standard care, high-quality food, extra nutrients and much love, prayers and support, our son is a happy, healthy young man! He is now a doctor specializing in oncology. He is married to the love of his life and they just had their first baby! I am one happy grandma!  

This experience ignited a passion in me. I don’t want to see another family go through the fear, pain and suffering that we went through with our son. I am on a mission to help busy individuals and families live a healthy lifestyle so they can have vibrant health, incredible energy and feel happy and fully alive! There are so many things in life we can't control, but we can always optimize our health to the best of our abilities.
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Finding My Passion

Our experience with cancer helped both me and my son find our passions in life. 

I transitioned from teaching and running my own daycare to become a certified health coach. My teaching background, BA in psychology, experience being a mom of 6 kids and coaching clients for over 10 years have given me great insight and tools to really help to motivate my clients, troubleshoot through stubborn weight loss plateaus, hormone imbalances, digestive issues and so on.

I give my clients the individualized attention they need to really feel loved and supported and to learn how to make small changes that have a great effect on overall health.  I show them that healthy does not have to be hard, overwhelming or taste like cardboard?   I am married to an Italian and we love our food so my approach is not about deprivation. I could never totally give up my all time favourite food which is spaghetti! I teach my clients how to live a balanced healthy life without giving up wine and chocolates!
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My Top 3 Secrets To Health

1. Know Your Why

It was very important for me to know my why. My why started with my son being ill and looking for a way to support him, and it continues to be close to home as my family is so important to me. I want to be healthy so I can be the best wife to Nick, mom to our 6 kids and grandma to our little grandson. I want to show them how to live a healthy, balanced and fun lifestyle. I want to be around as long as I can so I can have as much time as possible to be with my family and watch all of my grandchildren grow up. My why and my mission have also expanded to other busy individuals and families. I want to show them how to take the hard out of healthy and live a life free of illness, anxiety and fear and to have vibrant health, a lean body, and be confident and happy!  

2. Take The Hard Out Of Healthy

A healthy lifestyle should be simple, delicious and fun! Getting healthy happens when we gradually make simple changes to our lifestyle and don't try to be perfect, because we all know that isn't sustainable! I live by the 80-20 rule. That means that around 80-90% of my choices are what I call "good choices" when it comes to food, sleep, physical activity and so on, and around 10-20% of those choices may fall under the "special treat" category. Overall, when I make a lot more good choices, my health improves, I can lose weight or maintain my ideal size, and have tons of energy to keep up to my busy family, coach all of my amazing clients from around the world and give back to my community. 

3. Have A Community Of Support

It is hard to live a healthy life without a support system. When my son was battling cancer, I was so blessed to be able to lock arms with my friend and health coach, Wendy. Wendy literally became my lifeline. Whenever I had a question about ingredients, side effects from meds, needed a healthy recipe or just needed a little extra motivation to keep my spirits up, Wendy was always there for me. Even though I am now a health coach, I still have Wendy, my very own health coach on demand! I also have an entire community of support with my parents, 5 siblings, all their families, tons of friends and clients that are on this health journey with me. With this community of support, I never feel alone and I am never short on ideas for creative, simple and delicious recipes for quick weekday meals or special occasions. Healthy living is so much fun!
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My Health Journey Started With "Why?"

I would love to learn about your why.  

What is your why?
What makes you tick?  
What are you excited to live for?
What do you want your future to look like?
What special people do you have in your life that make you want to take better care of yourself so you can also take better care of them?


Do you want to talk about your why and start your health journey? If so, book your FREE ​30 minute health coaching call with me by clicking the button below, and we can get started on your journey together. 
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Book Your FREE Call Now!
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How to Stay on Track Over the Holidays

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Christmas Time...

...is one of my favourite times of year. I love the special faith traditions and family customs that have been passed down.  I love the time I get to spend with my 6 children and the special people in their lives, as well as our new grandson.  It is so much fun to spend time with our parents, my 3 sisters, 2 brothers and all of their children and grandchildren.  Our immediate family is over 50 people, so it is a very busy and full time of year.

Christmas time is so special, but it can also be one of the most stressful times of year with all the shopping, food prep, baking, activities, parties, work functions and so on. It can be a time of year where we can really get off track with our food choices and lifestyle with all of the travelling, eating out and gathering for dinners and parties. 

This all inspired me to share some of my tips to help us keep on track over the holidays.

Ask yourself what is most important to you during the holidays. Ask yourself how you want to feel over the holidays. Do you want to feel rested and full of energy so you can really enjoy your children, grandchildren and all of the festivities?  Do you want to feel lighter and able to feel comfortable in your clothes?  Do you want savour the moments with loved ones and enjoy all the festive food?  Keep reading to find out how you can achieve that.
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#1: Reduce Stress

You can lower a significant amount of stress by planning ahead. Prioritize what things really need to get done. Make a list of all the things that you need to do before Christmas.  Pace yourself. Simplify, so you don’t become overwhelmed and exhausted by the time Christmas arrives.  Slow down and be present in the moment.  Slowing down and putting an end to all the multitasking we do can really help us focus and enjoy whatever activity we're doing.  Slow down, enjoy conversation and focus on the person you are with. Slow down while making a meal: put on your favourite Christmas tune and really enjoy your time in the kitchen.  Slow down while eating and savour each bite.   

#2: Get Enough Sleep

Make sure you stay consistent with getting enough sleep. Aim for 7 -8 hours per night, even over the holidays. During busy times, our bodies need even more time to rejuvenate and recover. Getting enough sleep will help us keep our cortisol levels balanced and will even help us with appetite!
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#3: Don't Show Up Starving

Don’t show up to a party famished. Many people don’t eat much during the day as they think that they will save the calories for the party. This can really back fire, as when we are super hungry and our blood sugars are dipping low, we often overeat and choose items that are higher in sugar and processed carbs.

#4: Bring a Healthy Dish

Bring a dish to your family gatherings or parties. I like to bring a healthy appetizer like veggies and dip, hummus and whole grain crackers, a lentil and bean dip or a delicious salad. This will ensure that you have something healthy to snack on along with some of the other festive foods.
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#5: Use the Swaps!

​Swap ingredients in your favourite Christmas recipes. Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without some of my grandma’s favourite recipes!  I still make some of them, but I have swapped out some of the ingredients to lower the sugar content and increase the fibres, proteins and healthy fats so they don’t totally throw off my blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels stay balanced, we have an easier time making good choices and are able to maintain a healthy weight even with all of the holiday eating.

Don't forget, not everything needs to be swapped. This is the holiday season, after all. Your diet doesn't have to be perfect, just balanced. Choose a couple special treats and enjoy!

#6: Keep Moving

Keep up with physical activity. Aim to get your steps or simple work out in. Plan some of your activities around physical activities: take a walk together, plan a toboggan party, or head out cross country skiing. If weather doesn’t permit outside activities, plan swimming, rent a local gym for a fun family game of floor hockey or a night of bowling.  

#7: Enjoy a Few of Your Favourite Treats

My approach to a healthy life is not about being perfect. If we are making good choices most of the time, we can see improvements in our health and get to our weight loss  and health goals. So go ahead and chose a few special treats and really enjoy them without guilt! You deserve it. 

My entire Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program is founded on living a balanced, realistic life. I teach my clients how to swap out simple ingredients in their recipes to balance blood sugar and hormones, as well as tune up their metabolism so they can lose weight, have great energy and vibrant health.
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Stay on Track this Holiday Season!

If you incorporate some of these tips, you will avoid the average weight gain of 5-8 lbs during the holidays. You will feel rested and energized. Instead of looking older and worn out, you will have people asking you how you are managing to look younger and refreshed. You will have the energy to keep up to your busy family, grandchildren, friends and community. You will be able to look back on Christmas 2019 and say this was your best Christmas ever! You will set yourself up for success going into the new year.

Give the Gift of Health This Holiday Season

Do you know someone who has been thinking about starting the Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program? Or someone in your life you would really like to take control of their own health in the new year, and make 2020 their best year yet? Think about gifting the Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program this holiday season. You can find all the information you need in the link below. 
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Gift the SIMPLE SWAPS program
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A Day in the Life of the Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program

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What's a Day Like in Simple Swaps?

I wanted to touch base with you about one of the questions I'm asked most about my Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program: "What does a day in this program look like?"

A lot of people are cautious when they hear about health programs - and rightfully so, as many programs are difficult to follow because they are restrictive, or they involve completely changing what you eat.

I put together this blog post to show you what a typical day of meals looks like in my program to give you a better feel for it.

As always, feel free to email me at any time if you have any other questions about the program. Or, you can book a free call and we can chat on the phone about the specifics for your food preferences and unique and busy lifestyle.

Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Berries & Granola

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Snack: Veggies & Hummus

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Lunch: Asian Lettuce Wraps

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Snack: Avocado Chocolate Mousse with Berries

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Dinner: Greek Chicken, Veggies, Salad & Whole Gain Rice

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Snack: Almond Joy Bars

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Simple, Nourishing Food Swaps

Sounds pretty delicious, right?

My clients love how nutritious and filling the meals they eat in the Simple Swaps to Slim Down Program are. The goal of my program is to re-frame how you look at the food you fuel your body with, and do some Simple Swaps of ingredients to increase nutritional value, get your metabolism moving again, and eliminate cravings.

This program is divided into 4 modules, each one teaching you a different CORE aspect of the program, followed by recipes, meal planning tips and tricks, and other useful information that will help you start burning fat and losing inches.

One of the best parts of the program is the thriving online community that comes with it. You'll join a private group of other people who are also in the program at the same time, and you'll be able to share your story, ask for advice, brainstorm recipes, and so much more! Plus, I'm in the group every day, giving you a direct line to my advice, recipes to fit your and your family's individual tastes, offer suggestions, and anything else you need. This is one of the key aspects that will help you reach your goals.
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Are You Ready For Your Transformation?

Are you ready for your transformation? 
  • Are you ready to lose weight once and for all?
  • Are you ready to be free from food cravings?
  • Are you ready to fit into clothing at any store?
  • Are you ready to have vibrant energy?
  • Are you ready to be proud of your food choices?
  • Are you ready to feel confident and attractive?​​

Are you ready to have someone to walk you through the simple, nourishing swaps and a whole community of support cheering you on? You can do this!
Sign Me Up!
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    Health Coach Cheryl

    I am a health coach, wife and mother of 6.  I have spent the last 20 years incorporating REAL FOODS into my family’s nutrition plan, while helping others to do the same.

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  • HOME
  • About
    • Health Coach Cheryl
    • My Story
  • My Programs
    • Simple Swaps
    • Coaching For Families
  • Blog
  • Clean Beauty
  • Praise
    • Success Stories
    • Press
  • Contact