Words by Imthishal

It is the universal truth that sooner or later our hectic lives get in the way of our physical and psychological health. Lucy Al Manik; a former personal trainer and life coach, yearns to emphasize on the significance of prioritizing what is necessary to sustain a balanced and beneficial life. What we lack to achieve this vision is information and knowledge; something Lucy aches to offer us all

How would you define a life coach/personal trainer?

“A life coach’s job is to help and guide others to take action towards achieving their goals. They uncover what is going on in one’s life through excellent questioning and listening, while raising self awareness. A life coach needs to be a good listener, ask the right questions and make sure you are focused on a specific goal. This goal could be; increasing confidence, increasing productivity, finding balance, getting a new job, doesn’t really matter what it is but it should be forward focused. Life coaching isn’t therapy, you do not look backwards. It is more about looking forward and moving towards a place in life where you want to be. For me life coaching isn’t a quick fix, it is something I would generally suggest to undergo for a period of at least 3 months, so you can start implementing and making certain changes in your day-to-day life”

 Why do you think having a life coach is important?

“For me life coaching is about guiding, inspiring and helping someone create an actionable plan to help one achieve their life goals. Today most of us are struggling to strike a meaningful balance between the various demands of life. It’s not just about work life, it is also about our aspirations, our personal ’me’ time and so forth. Life coaching is important because you and your dreams are important. Life coaches help elevate you when you are down. and motivate you to keep on running. They use their own experiences and passion to help you come on top. To sum it up, life coaching is simple it makes; ‘I want to’ to ‘I have to’ and ‘I should’ to ‘I am’.

 What drew you to this field? And what made you realize that this was a career that you wanted to pursue?

“I love sharing my knowledge and helping people see things in a positive way. Being a sister, being a mother, being a wife, being a woman loved by many, I realized the best way to move forward and share my knowledge is by helping people build a happier and healthier life. My sonstudied in New Zealand, I used to travel there on and off and have met a few people who are in this industry. I then began to attend a few sessions myself, and that’s when I decided to do my training and be a professional life coach. I did my training in 2021 and finished at the beginning of the pandemic.”

How was Lucy Mind. Body. Life. born?

“This question actually made me emotional, because I never thought I could share my mind; which is my life experiences, my body; the importance of taking care of your physical health, and life; the journey of becoming someone we can learn to love. Your mind, body and life are things you should always take care of, that is how this name came to be.”

 What is something that our community needs to be more aware of?

“The importance of gut health to a person’s mental health. The gut is sometimes referred to as the second brain, it is a part of our nervous system and they are constantly communicating with one another. Evidence shows that the gut brain has one of the most powerful connections to our body. I am really interested in this topic. Mental health problems start with your gut, gut bacterias are key players in your mood, and they can relieve the symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress.”

 What do you personally believe are the best tips and tricks to maintain a healthy life, both physically and mentally?

“The golden rules I share with my clients are simple. Firstly, eat real food. Eating the right food can make all the difference, making a change in your diet is all you need to do to boost your mind and body. Eat food grown in the same climate we are living in. Enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables that are readily available in your local market. Practice regularity, whether it is your diet or sleep or exercise, maintain consistently in your habits to experience long term benefits. Move more, exercise is a healthy habit to maintain a healthy mind and body, it even helps get rid of digestive problems. Manage stress; our mood and digestive system health are closely linked, therefore reducing stress is essential to reduce digestive issues such as heartburn. Get enough sleep, when you don’t get enough sleep, your hormones become imbalanced. One of the key issues of having high levels of stress and cortisol is that it can actually cause a leaky gut. This means the food and toxins that are inside your gut end up leaking out into the blood steam, this can cause bloating, inflammation, stomach pain and can affect your gut microbiomes.”

Why do you think balance is important?

“I call balance the wheel of your life. Create new habits that can be sustained, that is the most important thing. As a former fitness trainer, I would like to share one thing with you today, train your brain to a circadian rhythm, it is our natural internal process. Use the golden rules and nothing in life is impossible. Try to rest, give yourself ‘me’ time, and do meditation. Be someone who follows habits that can be sustained.”

Tell us a little about magic tea and how it came to be?

“My magic tea is called CCFT; cumin, coriander and fennel tea. It’s a traditional ayurvedic tea blend designed to soothe the digestive tract and promote a gentle detoxification. CCFT has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer purposes. Cumin helps to control sugar and cholesterol levels; it is even good for bloating and weight loss. Coriander is rich in disease fighting antioxidants, lowers blood sugar levels and even helps with heart problems. While, fennel is high in nutrients such as; potassium, magnesium, calcium and many more. In aditoin, it helps control appetite and improve menopause symptoms”

 What is Lucy happy.food?

“I did this because I’m very interested in gut health. So, I always thought maybe I can make something that can help people facing this issue. I never thought that if I made something and sold it locally that it would go this far, but unbelievably this tea I made has given me so much to look forward to. The name Lucy .happy.food was brought to light by my favorite cousin who helped with the branding and designing. She has helped me so much in this journey, her name is Lafwa; the founder of Solafy.”

If there is one word to describe the life of an average working Maldivian it is; “busy”, and because of this very fact we have unconsciously learned to forsaken the necessities to have a well sustainable living. Lucy aims to focus on creating awareness programs and bring to light certain talking points that are constantly brushed off or avoided by our society. However, in order to progress ourselves and our community we must face the reality of the matter and take effective steps, so perhaps one day we can build a better Maldives. Lucy has taken the first step for all of us.