Name: Miguel San Payo Fragoso

Location: United Arab Emirates

Instagram: @mightyfrogz

Q: What inspired you to enroll at IIN?

I enrolled in IIN because I was looking for a nutrition course that went beyond calories, macronutrients, and meal timing. I was looking for something more authentic that people could relate to. Being in the health and fitness industry, I asked some nutritionists and dieticians I met along the way, and they mentioned IIN.

Q: How are you using your Health Coach Training Program education?

As a personal trainer, I had a consistent and strong client base. So it was easier for me to integrate the program education with what I was doing. I find the business resources IIN provides for its students especially useful. I’m using many of the communication templates, questionnaires, business cards, and practical activities (I love the Circle of Life Tool!). I also hand out IIN’s articles or recipes. The program’s added a lot more value to the service I offer.

Q: How did your understanding of Health Coaching expand upon taking the program?

I became more tolerant and understanding. I became less judgmental and more sympathetic toward my clients’ problems and concerns. I never understood why some of my clients would not lose weight or be motivated to train or simply change the smallest habit. I discovered new ways to approach their limitations and different strategies to help them reach their health goals.

Q: Did IIN help you find a way of eating that works for you? If so, tell us more about that journey.

IIN helped me to open my mind to new possibilities, to new diets. It reminded me that every diet has flaws and instead of focusing in the new diet trend, to focus on the person, their culture, their likes and dislikes, and their lifestyle.

Q: How do you nourish yourself beyond your plate with primary food?

I constantly ask myself which areas I'm the most satisfied with and which ones need more attention. Living in Dubai helps me with my career and finances, but it’s easy to find my social, spiritual, and physical health unbalanced. Missing friend’s birthdays, being away from nature, and living in a poor air-quality city are some of the prices I pay.

To nourish these areas, I recently bought an international minutes plan and I pick one friend to talk to per week, I’ve learned to kite surf to be in the water, and I bought an air purifier.

Q: How are you living a life you love? How did the program help you achieve this?

I recently read a book that says that to live the life you love, you must find the meaning of doing what you are doing. Life is made of love, suffering, birth, and death. Life is constantly testing your “why” and your meaning. If you have a strong “why,” you will find opportunities even in suffering and death.

The program is another great tool I use to help me share my “why” with other people and create the ripple effect.

Q: Health is not a destination; it's an evolution and a journey. How does this resonate with you?

What we thought to be good 20 years ago is not so relevant anymore. Science is constantly evolving. Humans are evolving. So is our health. We need to stay up to date, seek new knowledge, and adapt to the future. It’s a continuous work in progress.

Q: If you could tell your pre-IIN self one thing, what would it be?

If I could tell my pre-IIN self one thing, I would tell myself to focus more on people’s stories and motivations rather than special exercises or diet theories.

Q: What is your morning routine?

My morning routine is one of the things that help me the most with my physical health. I never miss my overnight oats with chia seeds, rice protein powder, walnuts, blueberries, and kiwi or sometimes banana, coconut shreds, and cocoa nibs when I’m in need of chocolate. I always drink around 500 ml of water and take five minutes of contemplation while having my cup of coffee. I also can’t leave home without kissing my wife, even if she’s asleep.

Q: What music do you play to get out of a funk?

I feel music beats are like heartbeats. Each moment of the day needs a different beat. I like Afrobeats, reggaeton, and dancehall in the morning to set my mood. I listen to hip-hop when weight lifting or house music when running or cycling. To finish the day and wind down, I listen to indie or relaxing music.

Q: What’s your favorite on-the-go snack?

Medjool dates dipped in almond butter or peanut butter.

Q: What’s one thing you can't run your business without?

Technology. Our business as health coaches can benefit from new platforms, new devices, and new products.

Q: We are calling our IIN graduates and community members Well BeIINgs. How do you embody well-being?

I like what the running brand ASICS stands for: Amina sana in corpore sano. This means “a sound mind in a sound body” in Latin. Well BeIINgs care for a perfect balance between mind and body because they know one can’t live without the other