Paige Shouse, ACSM-HFS, CWPC
BS Human Nutrition
My name is Paige Shouse and I am the Health Coach working with SMU’s wellness program, Wellpower.
I’ve been in corporate wellness for almost 4 years now, but my passion and interest for health and wellness began in high school. I was involved in different physical activities and had the desire to learn how to eat healthy. Then, during my first year of college at the University of Alabama, I attended orientation where I first heard about Food & Nutrition as a major. The topic had always been of interest to me, but college gave me the opportunity to study it in depth and put my knowledge to work helping others.
That educational experience, along with being certified through the American College of Sports Medicine as a Health/Fitness Specialist and as a National Wellness Institute–Certified Wellness Program Coordinator, has only served to heighten my interest in the field and strengthened my own personal wellness philosophy. Health is something that we all can take for granted. I believe that one reason so many people suffer from preventable health conditions (cancer, obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc.) is that we don’t feel the need to take care of our own health until a problem arises. Whether we notice it or not, all of us are quietly aging, and we know that with older age, disease becomes more and more prevalent. Preventive health and wellness works to combat that issue by teaching us how to take care of ourselves well enough NOW to prevent health problems from developing. To me, that is what true wellness is….appreciating your health and your body enough to take care of it before it “needs” you to.
After serving as a health coach for a couple of years, I learned that to be a good coach, you have to put your own agenda aside, and really collaborate with participants in order to help them achieve their goals. I believe that a lot of us know what we “need to” or “should be” doing, but actually doing it is a different story! The change process is most successful when it is tailored to fit the individual, instead of offering general recommendations until something “clicks.” We all have to draw strength from within to be able to make changes regarding our health and achieve the goals we set. It’s not an easy process, but one of my favorite quotes says it best, “The more challenging the climb, the more amazing the view.”
I’ll be on campus most Wednesdays beginning October 17, based out of the Human Resources department. You’ll find me facilitating wellness seminars, conducting outreach, coordinating wellness events, approving personal challenges for Wellpower, and providing individual health coaching in person, on the phone or via email. To set up an appointment with me or to discuss a personal challenge, email wellpower@smu.edu and ask to be put in contact with me. I look forward to working with the staff and faculty of SMU as we create a true culture of wellness at the University.
