Lifestyle Coaching - Move Forward
By Susan Cantwell
Ever had a fitness-related goal and, even though you started to exercise, knew you really weren’t committed?
Linda Remmer, a 53-year-old therapist from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, found herself in this situation. For years Linda worked with a personal trainer to improve her fitness, but her daily habits and lifestyle needed an overhaul.
When she called me for lifestyle coaching, she had a lot of general goals. They included losing that last five pounds, having more energy and reducing her stress level–goals that are familiar to many people.
After Linda talked about each of her goals she got to the crux of what she thought was holding her back: She had committed to train for and run in her first 10k to support a friend who was running the race.
When her friend was injured, Linda’s commitment and desire to run came into question. With so many goals–some clear and some not so clear–Linda felt that she was pushing herself to do something she wasn’t sure she wanted to do.
Six hours of sleep and a busy schedule had Linda drinking up to 12 cups of coffee and three to five chocolates a day.
Defining and rating the goals
The first thing that Linda and I worked on was clearly defining each goal. Then we rated the importance of each and the impact reaching each goal would have on her life.
We started with the first goal of losing five pounds. “What would change in your day-to-day life if you lost those five pounds?” I asked. After a slight pause, Linda responded that there would be no significant changes for her; she rated that goal low. Having more energy and less stress rated much higher for Linda. She was still unclear about whether she wanted to run the 10k. So we began to explore her eating habits, schedule and sleep patterns.
Linda committed to keep a food log listing what she was eating and drinking, and what time she was going to bed and getting up.
After several weeks, a pattern began to emerge. A lack of sleep had Linda turning to coffee and chocolate everyday masking the real message her body was sending her. Six hours of sleep and a busy schedule had Linda drinking up to 12 cups of coffee and three to five chocolates a day. Linda was surprised; she thought that six hours was all she needed. In fact, I find many people are chronically sleep deprived and attribute their lack of energy and stress levels to their work, family responsibilities or a combination of both. In reality however, their tanks are literally dry; the signals their bodies are sending are ignored as they move through their days.
In Linda’s case she was tired at various times though out the day, sometimes short on patience, stressed and generally felt that something was out of sync.
Through the process of coaching, Linda changed her diet including slowly cutting down on coffee and chocolate and adding more fruits and vegetables. She also started to increase her consumption of water, gradually increasing it to eight glasses a day. She also created more free time in her schedule. The result of the changes was more energy and less stress. With that under control, Linda then wanted to determine if she really wanted to try to run the 10k. During a coaching session Linda had her breakthrough moment.
…she placed first in her age division and 33rd of 200 women with a time of 58 minutes.
The breakthrough moment
“Linda,” I asked, “Can you see yourself running this race?” After a moment of silence, Linda responded: “Yes, yes I can.” She sounded surprised.
“How you see yourself doing that?” Linda described how she could run the race and then what she thought she needed to do to accomplish her vision. With this newfound clarity, Linda focused on her training. We used part of our coaching sessions to work on visualization: picturing herself running the race, how she would pace herself and her strategy for the race. She picked one hour as her goal for running the race and now felt excited instead of reluctant.
As the race drew closer, Linda’s commitment didn’t waiver. The results were extraordinary: she placed first in her age division and 33rd of 200 women with a time of 58 minutes. She had a better race time than many women half her age.
The key to Linda’s success was commitment. Once she sorted through her goals and was able to prioritize them, she gave herself a starting point. Once she had a clear vision of herself running the 10k she was able to commit to turning the vision into reality. Now, as a trained lifestyle coach herself, she helps others to do the same.
Linda has this advice to share with others: “When you’re clear about a goal, only then can you truly commit to it. My goals weren’t clear at the beginning and I had a hard time committing to preparing for the race by eating properly, getting enough sleep and setting boundaries on my time. I always tell my clients that it’s never too late to rewrite your own story; You can become the person you have always wanted to be by changing your attitudes and habits.”
Linda is scheduled to run four more races in the next four months. She now knows that, with the experience of running that first race, she can only get better.
What is Lifestyle Coaching?
* Lifestyle coaching involves a powerful, collaborative relationship between a coach and an individual. It enables you to realize extraordinary results through a process of discovery, goal setting and meaningful action. Coaching facilitates a deepened understanding or awareness that opens doors to new possibilities.
* In each meeting, you choose the focus of the conversation, while the coach contributes observations, questions and/or expertise. This process helps gain clarity and understanding about where you are today and where you want to be in the future.
* Coaching helps you create a clear path to your goals. It enables you to uncover your true motivation and make more permanent lifestyle changes.
Is Your Body Sending You Signals?
Do you feel tired when you wake up?
Do you crave fatty foods?
Do you drink more than two caffeinated drinks per day?
Do you frequently get colds or flus?
Do you feel aches or pain in your body?
Do you have a hard time falling asleep?
Do you feel tension in your body?
Do you have frequent headaches?
Do you feel lethargic during the day?
Do you experience an upset stomach more than once per month?
If you answered yes to two or more questions, it may be time to evaluate how well your lifestyle is serving you.
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