Become A Health and Wellness Coach

Become A Health and Wellness Coach

Transform yourself and others by following your dream to become a Health and Wellness Coach today. 

Learning to be a Health and Wellness Coach is for anyone who dreams of personal development. Growth happens through change—and Health & Wellness Coaches are the conduit to facilitate that change in others. With so much disease and depression in the world, people are hungry for personal growth, self-improvement, and living happier lives. If you are ready to help them reach their dreams and goals, The Soma Institute is the right place for you.

People’s potential can sometimes lay dormant; Health and Wellness Coaching can take you and your clients to the  next level of living. The Soma Institute provides a foundation in Health and Wellness Coaching techniques: healthy lifestyle choices and strategies for maintaining a professional wellness coaching practice.

The Health and Wellness Coaching Program will teach students to help clients establish goals, maintain motivation, remain accountable and focus on their successes as they change and manage their lifestyle to embody health and wellness.  If you’re interested in learning more, call a Soma Institute Admissions Representative today at 1-800-694-5314.

Massage Therapy Certificate

Massage Therapy Certificate

If you enjoy helping others and dream of becoming a Massage Therapist, it’s time to launch your career at The Soma Institute in Chicago, Illinois. As a qualified Massage Therapist, you can use your specialized skills to help treat illness and injury, to rehabilitate injuries and overworked muscles, and to improve the overall health of your clients.

The Soma Institute offers an 11 and 15 month Massage Therapy program dedicated to training students in many aspects of massage therapy, including:

• Therapeutic Sports Massage
• Prevention Techniques & Injury Treatment
• Myofascial Release & Therapy
• Pulled Muscles & Sciatica Treatment

Classes are led by our expert professional massage therapists with years of experience in all areas of massage. Now is the time to take advance of this opportunity and launch your career in Massage Therapy.

If you’re interested in learning more about The Soma Institute and the Massage Therapy course, please give an Admissions Representative a call at 1-800-694-5314.

Massage School

The Soma Institute of Chicago, Illinois offers Massage School training by expert professionals with successful practices and years of experience.  If you’re interested in launching a career in massage therapy, this is your opportunity to become a qualified clinical massage therapist.

The Soma Institute is committed to launching new and successful careers in massage therapy.  We train you to do more than just traditional massage therapy; besides deep tissue body work and sports massage, we also train in hydrotherapy, injury rehabilitation, strained muscles, and stress relief.

We offer 11 month & 15 month Massage Therapy Diploma Programs.  Graduates of our 750-hour Clinical Massage Therapy Diploma program are ready for careers in medical offices, private practices, gyms, and spas.  The Soma Institute, however, cannot guarantee placement.  Our schedules are flexible to fit your busy lifestyle.

Is Clinical Massage Therapy the Right Career Choice For You?
If you’re interested in learning more about careers in Clinical Massage Therapy and exploring whether The Soma Institute is right for you, speak to an Admissions Representative at 1-800-694-5314.

Plantar Fasciitis: The Agony of the Feet

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of foot pain in athletes. But, unfortunately, it’s not exclusive to athletes. Normal people can get it, too.

As the name implies, plantar fasciitis is inflammation of the plantar fascia, which is the fascia on the bottom of your foot. The fascia pulls tight and thickens, causing a deep, achy, sometimes even stabbing pain that settles in on the front of your heel. Some of the more popular causes of plantar fasciitis are:

1. Overtraining. This mostly applies to runners who keep pushing themselves through the pain. Great for your ego, terrible for your feet.
2. Overtraining with improper footwear. Your running shoes are only good for about 400 to 500 miles, depending on the shoes and how hard you train.
3. Just improper footwear in general. Shoes that lack arch support, or shoes that force your foot into constant plantar flexion (ie, high heels) contribute greatly to the onset of plantar fasciitis.
4. Age. Most people who suffer from this are between the ages of 40 and 60. However, this does not mean you’re immune if you’re in your twenties. It just means you’re going to feel that much older when you get it.
5. Weight gain and pregnancy. They both have the same effect, which is placing extra stress on the fascia in your feet.
6. Etc. God forbid you suffer from the dreaded etc.

The primary symptom of plantar fasciitis is pain in the bottom of the foot, particularly the first few steps you take in the morning. The pain usually goes away throughout the day as the tissue warms up, and then comes back later in the day as the tissue fatigues, or after sitting for long periods of time.

What most people don’t know is that the tendon from your calf muscles basically turns into the fascia on the bottom of your foot. That means tight calf muscles will put an enormous stress on the plantar fascia. So before trying anything else, try loosening your calf muscles with self massage, or with a heat pack, or get a massage. Remember, as with many disorders, the location of the pain does not always indicate the location of the problem.

If you have flabby calves and the pain is still there, our answer is still: get a massage. A qualified massage therapist will strip through the thickened fascia of your sole and break apart the adhesions limiting your mobility. The stripping should be administered from heel towards the toes, as there is always the chance of a bone spur developing on the front of the heel. Which means if you strip through from toes towards the heel you might literally be stabbing your client with their own tissue. If no bone spur is suspected, frictioning at the attachment site on the anterior medial heel will help to loosen the fascia as well. Hydrotherapy for plantar fasciitis should be heat before the treatment if no inflammation is present, and ice after to control any inflammation you may have created.

And then you need to take care of yourself, too. Things you can do to relieve plantar fasciitis or prevent it from coming back include:

1. Stay healthy. Less extra weight means less extra stress on your feet.
2. Wear better shoes. No high heels. No worn out sneakers. And don’t go barefoot on hard surfaces.
3. Stretching. Stretch your calves and your plantar fascia by forcing your foot and ankle into dorsiflexion (forcing your toes up towards your head, like putting your toes on the ledge of a step).
4. Ice massage to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. A plastic bag with a few ice cubes in it works. A frozen paper cup is good, too, for rolling over the sore spots until it goes numb.

And just to end this with a slight sales pitch: All our Soma graduates have been trained in the treatment of plantar fasciitis. If you want to book an appointment with one of our therapists, just follow this link.

Jason VonGerichten – Instructor

“I love working with students who come from all walks of life, and I love that they have come together with one common goal: to learn how to make a profound impact on the lives of others. I very much believe that only Soma can fully prepare them for that. Here at Soma we delve deeply into the methods needed to work in a clinical setting, where real change can take place. We also teach students how to use their clinical tools and techniques in a therapeutic setting, where change can take place, too. I’m very happy to be a part of this process, and I hope whatever positive influence I have over my students gets paid forward in some small way, from me to my students to their clients and onward.”

Holistic Health Coach

A Day In the Life of a Health Coach

by April Larson

Starting your own business as a holistic health coach is definitely not your typical 9 to 5 job. It may even be a bit overwhelming at first, but once settled into is one of the most rewarding careers. Curious what a day in the life of a health coach looks like? Let me fill you in…

I start each day with my self-care routine which includes a mindful walk around the park with my pup, juicing fresh vegetables and fruit and five minutes of stretching. In order to be a successful health coach, you have to be healthy, happy, well rested and in balance, so it’s important to prioritize self-care.

Next, I take a look at my calendar to see what appointments and events I have coming up that week. I also begin my day in the right direction by writing my top three goals of the day, top three things I am grateful for, and top three successes from the day before. This exercise keeps me motivated and thinking positively.  You are ultimately in charge of your business and the direction you’d like to go. The clearer your intentions and vision for your practice become, the more likely it is that you will succeed.

The first few hours in the morning are spent doing administrative duties such as catching up on emails, checking social networking sites, creating materials for my programs, etc. This time is set aside for focused and uninterrupted work. In the afternoon, I may have a few one-on-one clients which I either meet in person or coach over the phone.

The evening is reserved for networking events and workshops. Putting yourself out there and talking to people is crucial to building a successful coaching business. I also make sure to exercise at least five days a week which I will work into the evenings and weekends when I don’t have events scheduled.

I decompress and wrap up my day by cooking a nutritious meal and sitting down to eat without distraction. From there, I cuddle up to a good inspirational book at least an hour before bed to help my mind and body transition to rest mode. To ensure that there is a balance of give and take, you need to create a support system that works for you - a way to recharge your battery and discharge stress.

If you're interested in becoming a Health and Wellness Coach, just click here for more information.

April Larson
April Larson is a Board Certified Health Coach and fitness enthusiast. She decided to become a health coach after overcoming her own health struggles and to fulfill her passion of motivating others to improve their health and overall well-being by aligning mind, body and soul.April received her training at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City. She is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Michigan State University. She offers individual health and nutrition coaching as well as food intolerance/sensitivity testing and meal planning services.