by Kim Miller | Feb 19, 2014 | Uncategorized
People often ask me what a health coach does. Usually I give them the text book version. I help people implement strategies to enable them to achieve more than what one could achieve on their own. Today I thought it would be more interesting to show my readers what a typical conversation in health coaching may look like. If you read the conversation below you’ll see that it is a first meeting with a client’s husband who is interested in improving his life, by improving his tennis game. As you will see, the conversation opens up some interesting insight into exactly why Paul is failing at his tennis game.
The goal in the following dialogue is to assess where Paul is at regarding the stages of change and what he actually would like to change. It’s also designed to assess gaps in information regarding his health that he may not be aware of. The questions are open ended to give the most latitude to the person being interviewed. Open-ended questions allow the person being interviewed to speak more freely creating a relaxed atmosphere that is conducive to finding out where, and if, there is a starting point for change.
“Hi Paul, it’s nice to meet you. I am enjoying training and coaching your wife. She tells me you are a tennis player?”
“Yes. Yes, I play a little. At one time, I thought I was pretty good. But lately, not so much so, however I still enjoy the game.”
“Yes, I enjoy tennis a lot as well and play some myself.”
“Well.” said Paul, “It’s a little complicated. My wife is concerned to a degree that my energy level has been low lately. And it has been. My guess is that it that I am just getting older that causes my lethargy.”
“My weight is a little up, but frankly that does not bother me. I think I look pretty good anyways. My doctor says my blood sugar is up somewhat, but advises that we will wait and see what it is next time and to watch the sugar intake in the meantime. Nothing serious. The same with my blood pressure. A tad high but not alarming.
“I guess the reason why I am really here is that I am lethargic a good part of the day. My energy seems low and my tennis is failing because of my decreased energy. I don’t feel old but I wonder if something could be done to help me play better tennis and increase my energy during the day?”
“How great!”, I said, “Increasing energy levels is one of my favorite things to help people with! Everyone thinks I specialize in helping people lose weight and get fit, but really all I want to do is help people feel their “old self again”
“Sometimes,” I said, “feeling better is about losing weight and sometimes it has nothing to do with losing weight. It often has more to do with movement patterns and implementing just a few better eating habits. Everyone is different.”
“What do you think is causing you to lack energy and not play tennis as well as in days gone past?
“Well. I am not certain,” Paul replied. “My job is stressful and sometimes I don’t even want to play tennis because I can’t compete at the level I did before. Guys I used to beat handily are beating me now. I don’t mind losing but it just seems they are not playing any better, but I am slower or something.”
“Yes, slower is seldom a winning strategy on the tennis courts. It is especially tough when you believe your slowing up is not due to aging but rather, as you say, due to lack of energy. However, energy level can be improved. We can get to specifics later on this aspect of tennis.
“You mentioned that your doctor said your blood sugar and blood pressure are both up. Are you aware that there is a corresponding lack of energy that tends to take place when blood sugars and blood pressure are up?
“Really? I did not realize that”.
“Yes! It sounds contradictory, but that your blood pressure and blood sugars are up, in a way, is actually good news. It makes my job a little easier. If you came to me after a great physical with your health numbers and weight perfect then I would have little to work with. Your lack of energy and deteriorating tennis game would be a mystery to solve. Your situation seems to call for a straightforward fix. Fix the blood pressure and the blood sugars watch your energy soar. How does that sound?”
“It sounds great! What do I need to do?”
“Well here are a few questions I am wondering about. They are kind of cut and dry but they will help me to move you forward more quickly if that is what you choose to do of course. And if not, that’s ok too. Would it be ok for me to ask you a few questions regarding your desire to change?”
“Sure that’s fine.”
“On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being highly motivated, how motivated are you to increase your energy levels?
“Well from the little I know now, reducing my blood pressure blood sugars seem doable. Unless you are going to have me running five hours a
day or something like that? What do you think I need to do to decrease these number and how long would it take?
“Those are good questions. It makes sense to know what you are getting into before you decide on how motivated you can be.
“My experience says to give us three months of weekly coaching conversations on lifestyle changes and exercise habits. The weekly conversations will help you determine what changes, changes that you will want to maintain, such as eating more vegetables, will move you towards a better tennis game and health numbers.
“Weekly, we’ll progress your exercise habits taking small incremental exercise steps that will pay off over the 12 weeks. It is finding out what you are doing now exercise-and-eating-wise then tweaking it towards your ultimate goal of more energy. It is an interesting and intriguing process because unlike a personal trainer who tells you exactly what to do, you set the stage for improvements and exercise with a little help of me at our discussions. You will be the captain of this team because that is the way that change is best made. You do not have to be concerned that you will have a will of steel to do this. You will do just fine. I am certain.
“Ok, so do you have a number between 1 to 10, regarding your on the level of motivation to make changes for increased energy?”
“I feel like a 9 or a 10 now.
“Great. I want you to feel like that. In my mind, how we feel is what it is all about- so bring on the tennis boys and give us 3 months for a better game too.
“I am curious though, why a 10 and not a 5 or 6?”
“Well, what you are saying makes sense. I would have never thought that the levels of my blood pressure and blood sugars were hurting my tennis game and causing me to feel lethargic. I thought it was just me getting older. And I have to confess, I did not tell you, but my doctor said I should lose weight and get on a diet. Right now, with your help, I feel I can do that too. They must be all connected, right?”
“Yes absolutely, we can view it that way. Personally, I dislike the word diet. I am glad you came to me more focused on improving your tennis game as opposed to losing weight. When we focus on what really matters in our life the good stuff begins to happen. This is how I see us structuring our time together. Let us not focus on weight, although the weight will come off, and yes, you guessed right, the blood pressure and blood sugar will then come down and because of that, your energy skyrockets and your guy tennis-playing friends get slaughtered! It’s my answer to all the people out there who are just focused on a number on their bathroom scale. I like your thinking. It is the right approach. Oh and by the way, I think this will really be a positive force in you and your wife helping each other to be the best you can be. What do you think?
“I think you are right. Pamela and I enjoy each other’s company. We do a lot together but we never really have been able to exercise and eat better together. I am wondering if that couples coaching would work for us?
Although the above conversation is not exact, it is typical of how I begin to help people explore the possibilities of becoming even more happy, healthy, lean and fit!
by IcennaEmach | Jan 10, 2011 | Uncategorized
Stop the nonsense! Today’s top health coaches believe the smart person’s way to fitness and weight loss is all about making meaningful connections. It appears the days are short lived for the “Do this – don’t do that kind of mentality.”
Healthy living, fitness, and weight loss are about bringing meaning to our lives. We are, I am happy to report, stopping the vicious cycle of nonsensical diets and exercise regimens that are so pervasive in our TV dominated culture.
Keyed to today’s consumer’s new attitude, this weekly six week series will get you feeling good, looking good, and losing weight. Created to put you in charge, this non-gimmicky approach is for those savvy readers who are weary of the tidbit dieting approach and are ready for a more authentic method called lifestyle change!. Here’s how we start.
Read the rest of today’s article to get an overview of the new attitude practices you’ll be using. Then for the entire week put no pressure on yourself other than reading the recommendations daily and allowing them to seep into your consciousness. Osmosis dieting? No! However, we have to set the stage for you to get your head on straight and thinking clearly. If you really feel compelled, make a few lifestyle changes but set no strict guidelines today.
Use movement as inspiration. The act of moving our bodies makes us feel better about ourselves. Movement has the capacity to inspire a vision of how we want to live. Movement makes us feel better in general. It sparks a desire to do better at whatever we do. This is the power of movement. Why not use it rather than some weight loss shake offered by promoters who know if they divert our attention long enough, they’ll make some sizable cash.
Think progress not perfection. Coach Kate Larsen said it best when she titled her book Progress Not Perfection: Your Journey Matters. Often seeking perfection in attaining weight loss sets us up for failure. Perfectionism should never be used as an excuse to stop trying. Do what is attainable and reachable realizing the goal is not to be perfect but to be persevering. After all, isn’t perfectionism just another word for quitter?.
Focus on what really matters in weight loss. Don’t be sidetracked about whether you should eat celery or carrots, more protein or vegetables. Don’t get hung up on dieting details. Here’s the only detail you need to know: You will lose weight if you eat three quarters to half of what you normally eat during most meals of the day. That’s it. Don’t clutter your minds with information that will not significantly cause weight reduction.
Weigh yourself again and again. It’s OK. A daily “weigh in” compels us to be aware. You will hear different opinions on this, but those who weigh themselves daily, lose weight. And the reason they do is that it forces them to be aware and make the necessary lifestyle changes. Weigh daily. Don’t be an afraidy cat.
Live joyfully while losing weight and getting fit. Sounds a little hokey but it’s true. Do not discount the impact positive living and attitude has on one’s ability to change. Make your life beautiful. Have a good time with family and friends! Cultivate a positive attitude. Your happiness will be your reward. Your positive attitude will ensure success
Next week I’ll expand on movement as inspiration. For this entire week make, lifestyle changes only if you feel compelled. Don’t worry about specifics. Just get going! And don’t get all-anxious. Fake it until you make it. We’ll take it one week at a time. I am confident you will be feeling good, looking good and performing great in much less time than it may have taken you in the past to lose weight – gain it back – then lose it again. You’ll look better too!
Until next week…
Our Wealth is in Our Health,
Kim
www.bodysmartinc.com
by IcennaEmach | Nov 22, 2010 | Uncategorized
Living Lean: Putting Healthy Living Into Action
Even though my field is health coaching and personal training, I get weary and uninspired by the tidbits of information that are available for free on even highly regarded, well researched, and prominent professional oriented websites.
This is not to undermine these sites, as I use them quite often as a resource. It is to suggest however, that we need to focus more thoughtfully on what matters most for us as health oriented individuals. Let me explain.
Reading But Not Doing the Work
Here’s what I believe is happening with the wealth of information we have access to on the internet. As consumers, we consistently look for the big breakthrough in losing weight and keeping it off. There’s nothing new about this. With our desire to lose weight, we put our energy into reading material about healthy living and weight loss, but without actually doing the work of cleaning up our eating habits and increasing our energy expenditure with exercise. The vast amount of information available to us has the effect of numbing us. This sea of information intended to increase consumer awareness and motivation often times causes the opposite effect.
Though we have the greatest access to information in history, unhealthy living and obesity are at epidemic proportions.
We Need to Make Sense of Information
As people we are cognitively driven to make sense of the world and so we succeed best when information is integrated systematically into our own lifestyle needs. We have an innate desire to live a healthy life. If you doubt this, ask yourself how many times you have stopped and started exercise and healthy eating programs? We want purpose, meaning, and a sense of systematic planning when it comes to most things that are important to us. Unfortunately, for most people who are aiming to lose weight or become healthier, these small bits of information only serve to distract them from carrying out a more thoughtful strategic plan that is necessary for long lasting behavior change.
What To Do?
What to do is the question. Many of us are good at what we do. We are driven, motivated, and have a system for succeeding at whatever it is we choose. So the question that you may have as a “dieter” is, “Why can’t I succeed at losing weight when I am competent in most other areas of my life?” This is a question worth taking a few minutes to analyze. Think about this – What makes you successful? It does not need to relate to money or fame, but only in what is important to you. If money and fame are important, that is o.k of course, but what I am striving to have you analyze is the idea that there is a strong correlation between strategic effort and success. Rarely does anyone succeed if a thoughtful plan is not put into action.
So Why Can’t I Lose Weight?
These tidbits of information that we have been flooded with for years now is just that- tidbits of information with no plan – no overall strategy – no meaning – and no real life changing purpose! Designed to help us? Of course! But prioritized and individualized for our unique motivations, strengths, weaknesses, and lifestyles – hardly.
We all have areas that we excel in and that comes easy and more naturally to us. We still of course have to work strategically, but it is work that gives us purpose, energy, and meaning in our lives. In these strength areas of our lives we’ve found value in goal setting, planning, strategizing, implementing, assessing and reassessing. These same skills need to be used to implement thoughtful planning and to design our own healthy lives.
We need to use our brains, exercise our willpower and take action.
We Stopped Believing
Somewhere in our society’s timeline we stopped believing that smart effort was required for being healthy. Regardless of why or how we came to believe this is really not important. As a health coach I prefer to look forward to what can be, and only reflect on the past to bring a sensibility to our future aspirations. And it is my hope to bring the energy I have in my work, to help you transform the vision you have of a leaner healthier body, and happier life, into the reality you deserve.
This is why I designed a healthy eating program that is all about sticking to a schedule, not having to figure a bunch of complicated stuff out and getting support from a professional without the hassle of scheduled in person meeting (but with all the accountability!)
