Before becoming a life coach, I was a personal trainer.
And I loved personal training.
I would work with my clients, in their homes, giving them effective workouts in line with their physical goals.
For most, it was weight loss.
As their trainer, I’d support them, encourage them, and teach them how to do each exercise correctly.
And I’d help them stay accountable for getting their workouts done.
Which was great.
And personal training can definitely be an important part of your fitness journey.
But…
I found that personal training alone wasn’t helping my clients lose weight and keep it off.
So, I certified as a nutrition coach, and helped them with food.
But still, I found something was missing.
They’d struggle with motivation, finding time, and making their workouts a priority.
They’d find excuses.
They’d beat themselves up.
They’d spiral.
And I realized that just teaching them the WHAT – meaning the exercises or what to eat – wasn’t enough.
What they really needed was to…
- Discover HOW to do exercise, even when they were unmotivated
- Notice their excuses, and understand why they were repeatedly using them
- Cultivate compassion for themselves
- Learn how to maneuver themselves out of a spiral
I realized that the underlying reason why they weren’t successful with long-term weight loss wasn’t directly due to exercise or food.
Most of my clients knew what to do for exercise, and what foods were healthy.
Instead, their struggles were linked to the stress of their job.
Or troubles in their romantic relationship.
Or fear of failure.
Or feelings of guilt about spending time on themselves.
Or feelings of overwhelm and anxiety.
Or all of the above.
Or more.
So, as a helping professional, that’s where coaching changed the game.
It helped me get to the root of what was holding them back, so they could be pulled forward.
And here are just some of the reasons why coaching is so effective:
1. Listening
The first thing is that I deeply listen.
And although I listened to my clients as a trainer, I’ve learned to listen on a whole new level as a coach.
I listen to the words you use, the tone of your voice, the emotion.
Just from that, a whole lot of things can be brought to light.
And obstacles that weren’t clear before, all of a sudden become visible.
Because coaching is future focused, we don’t dwell on the past.
We focus on what needs to happen to move you forward.
So, I listen to find out where you are.
And where exactly you want to go.
2. Generating motivation
Although weight loss or getting in shape sound like good goals, there are deeper goals underneath.
Those deeper goals are the reasons WHY weight loss and getting into shape are important to you.
In coaching, we uncover those reasons.
Your WHY.
Connecting emotionally to your WHY is the fuel of motivation.
Emotion generates motivation.
Your WHY is the emotion.
It can be something as simple as fitting into an old pair of jeans.
Or as profound as being a woman who never quits on what’s important to her.
Both are valid.
You just need to have a visceral, emotional feeling attached to it.
And coaching will help you discover this emotional feeling, and your motivation.
3. Challenging beliefs
As a coach, I specialize in working with women over 40 who want to lose belly fat, and feel good in their bodies.
And although my tools and experience address exercise, food, and eating habits, my coaching goes way beyond eating right and exercise.
I help you understand your deep seeded beliefs.
Beliefs about your body, your self, and the world around you.
And, from personal experience, I know these beliefs feel like the truth.
Many times, they show up in the language you use.
Words like “I should,” “I can’t,” “I’ll try,” “it’s hard,” ”I’m so busy,”…
They’re all windows into your beliefs.
So, I help shine a light through these windows, so you can see for yourself if they’re true.
It’s not about judgment, because as a coach I’m not here to judge what you believe.
I’m here to help you question the beliefs that may be holding you back.
I’ve been amazed on my own coaching journey, at the beliefs I thought were true.
And that alone has led to many break-throughs in my life.
4. Celebrating all success
Often, my clients are successful but they’re quick to disregard it.
Because it only happened once.
Or it’s a fluke.
Or they don’t want to jinx it.
Or they’re probably going to screw it up, so why celebrate?
Funny thing…
If it was failure that only happened once, we’d make it mean everything.
Why don’t we do that with success?
Our brains have a negative bias.
So, it’s important to notice the small things, and celebrate each of them.
Because success is more than just reaching your big goal.
It’s in all the smaller things that go well along the way.
It’s all the work you put in, even when it doesn’t feel like work (and, btw, it doesn’t have to!)
It’s in all the times you did it anyways.
It’s in saying “no,” and meaning “no”.
It’s in putting up boundaries.
It’s in creating guilt-free me time on Monday afternoons.
It’s in so many little, yet not insignificant, moments.
They’re all wins.
And they deserve your attention and celebration.
Do you need a trainer or a coach?
A trainer is great if you want to get stronger physically.
Or if you need guidance on they types of exercise that can help you get to your specific goal.
But a life coach is great if you want to create a life and lifestyle that supports your goals.
So, even if your goal is weight loss, coaching looks at life holistically, beyond just food and exercise.
And through being coached, you gain a whole new level of understanding, trust and love for yourself, which helps create lasting change.
So, there’s room for both personal trainers and life coaches it just depends on what you want.
Keep moving forward my friend,
Debbie
P.S. If you, or someone you know, would like to know more about coaching with me, let’s talk. I’m a certified life coach and personal trainer, and if you’re looking to lose belly fat over 40, I’m your girl. Looking forward to connecting!