Do you need lifestyle coaching?
By Mitch Felipe
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:03:00 01/12/2009
Filed Under: Lifestyle & Leisure
IT’S difficult to return to an active lifestyle and well-controlled eating right after the holidays due to the following:
Problem magnification. You think of starting from scratch because you feel that you've gained all the weight you lost. But in reality, you gained just a pound or two.
Impatience. You feel it’d be a very long process so you resort to a quick-fix strategy.
Pessimism. You focus on the negative, like you are fat and hopeless when it comes to fitness, weight and health improvements.
Laziness. You delay fitness activities.
Can lifestyle coaching help you deal with it?
Lifestyle coaching goes beyond exercise training and nutrition counseling. A lifestyle coach trained and experienced in nutritional science, exercise science and behavioral science focuses on modifying major behavioral risk factors like inactivity, high dietary cholesterol, alcohol abuse and smoking which are leading causes of death.
A lifestyle coach uses cognitive-behavioral principles during coaching sessions by:
Restructuring old thinking, teaching you how to modify environment full of junk food at home
Educating you about the importance of being active and eating healthy, helping you set short- and long-term realistic and manageable goals like losing weight
Helping to identify personal issues that promote emotional eating and laziness to move
Teaching you how to be assertive in resisting high-calorie foods while at work or at parties and prepare you to manage high-risk situations especially during holidays.
Lifestyle coaching first became popular abroad eight to 10 years ago, where personal training services were combined with coaching sessions so fitness goals could be achieved.
Lifestyle/wellness coaching as a fitness trend rose from No. 20 in the 2008 list to No. 13 this year, according to the American College on Sports Medicine (ACSM) worldwide survey.
As lifestyle coach for four years now, I have seen tremendous behavioral and weight loss results from clients who learned behavioral strategies from weekly coaching sessions. They were able to manage their weight and lifestyle even after they leave the fitness center. The best thing is that they’re no longer clueless on how to deal with their problems since they are being prepared for it.
Knowledge and independence
Do you find it hard to continue your fitness and weight loss programs every time you stop going to the gym, due to the demands of job, family and other priorities?
Dependence on routine exercises, say, hip hop dance at 6 p.m., or using the same exercise machines in the gym, might be a problem when your schedule changes. You easily stop your active lifestyle in such situations if you do not consider options outside the gym.
One of the best things you can get from coaching sessions is education that yields lasting changes. You can stay active for life by knowing what to do and how to do it correctly wherever you are, like doing home resistance exercises, jogging or walking.
Understand your issues
Did you ever wonder why all your strategies seem not to work even if you have the time and means to exercise and know proper eating?
Getting help from lifestyle coaching sessions will make you understand your real issues that come along with each lifestyle change attempt.
If there are issues bothering you, such as low self-esteem and being pessimistic, you will find it hard to achieve your goals. It’s better to discuss these issues first, transform your negative thoughts into positive ones.
You must feel good about yourself and what you are doing before you can follow your exercise and eating programs.
E-mail the author at mitchfelipe@gmail.com
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