Holistic wellbeing is not just a marketing line for us; it is an essential part of our company culture. For this reason, the Frog Band has been testing Ann&Ann programmes throughout spring, with an aim to find new ways and aspects to increase wellbeing and health, not only as a team but also individually. Before talking more about our experiences, we were curious to find out more about the two softly-spoken professionals Anna Seppänen and Annette Evokari behind the coaching company Ann&Ann.
Their ability to understand the deeper connection between the body and mind is shown in both their coaching philosophy and every time we have had our video meetings during the coaching. However, it truly shone through when we got a chance to have a longer in-depth discussion about holistic health for our blog article for the Speak of The Frog.
Holistic wellbeing at Ann&Ann
Anna and Annette are trainers who want to help individuals make lasting changes in their lives. They recognise that wellbeing is much more than losing weight or eating healthy; all areas of life need to be reckoned. How stressed are you? How do you manage your life and time? What about the social aspects?
A key factor of holistic wellbeing is aligning your actions with your personal values. Every change starts with reflecting your core values; what are my values and how well I can apply them in my current life situation? Answering these simple-looking questions can already open some new perspectives into making a change.
The responsibility of one’s health and wellbeing lies always on the individual. No coach or personal trainer can tell you what to do - or if they do, it rarely leads to changes that last longer than the coaching relationship. However, a qualified coach and well-programmed coaching can provide tools to make a permanent change for a better life / lasting changes in your life. We need to perceive things ourselves before the change is possible.
If you think the timing is right for you to make some changes in your life, and you feel you could use some help, we can warmly recommend the ReBoot hybrid training from Ann&Ann. It’s a very approachable starting point for anyone at any level. The goal of the course is to help you in mapping your personal level of satisfaction in every area of life. Many times we tend to think of some clear goals, such as losing weight, but we have no idea why we don’t succeed despite how many times we try. Instead of concentrating on weight or actually any superficial aspect, Ann&Ann are determined to help people to find out the root cause resulting in the obstacles in the way towards greater wellbeing in life; how to set the person’s inner motivation on fire and find the right tools suitable for the individual in her/his current life situation. During the discussions with your coach, it might even turn out that the change you’ve thought you want is not the change you really need - it might turn out to be something else.
How do health professionals take care of their wellbeing?
It is always intriguing to find out how the people who help other people to increase health and wellbeing in life, take care of themselves. Instead of creating an image of a perfect balance and long list of morning routines, Anna and Annette’s answers prove their gentle approach to the topic; nobody is perfect but everybody can do their best in each moment.
"The question is not how can I achieve holistic wellbeing but how can I advance my wellbeing at this moment.” - Ann&Ann
One thing Anna and Annette highlighted was the fact that taking care of one’s wellbeing and health is a process that continues through your whole life. There are no quick repairs; conditions in life change and people change. It is necessary, to be honest with yourself and to respect your resources in every given situation. The question is not how can I achieve holistic wellbeing but how can I advance my wellbeing at this moment. It’s really about creating a toolbox for each situation. What kind of tools do you need to unwind and calm down? What type of tools do you need when it’s time to challenge yourself?
A sudden change like the Coronavirus can disrupt so firmly that your life goes upside down. It depends on the individual how fast or slow one gets used to the new routines. For Anna, it has been a challenge to motivate her to train at home or outdoors instead of at the gym. Annette has found ways to move in a way that takes the overall stress load into consideration and respect the currently available resources. It really comes down to one thing: be gentle with yourself and approach the sometimes difficult feelings with kindness.
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What we really like in Ann&Ann’s method is how holistically they view and approach wellbeing, health, and coaching. It is something we haven’t seen before. Everything aligns with their honest willingness to help every person with respect and without a need to change anyone. This is what you can find in their hybrid coaching too.
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Sometimes our heads are very good at creating storylines about what we should do or shouldn’t do. If you feel overwhelmed, it is wiser to listen to your body and give it what it needs instead of taking the stories inside the head too seriously.
Ask yourself: how can I advance my wellbeing at this moment?
For some extra inspiration Ann&Ann has created a beautiful holistic wellbeing guide (in Finnish) for you to download for free. At the end of the guide there is a small discount code for Ann&Ann coaching services. Find the guide here!
Love,
Ama, Essi & Elsa
Edited by Alex Burchell
Photos: Johanna Rontu
