I’ve been wanting to write about readiness for a while, from both the client perspective and the coaching perspective. So here goes…
Navigating change can be exciting and terrifying at the same time, but like all things, you get out of a given situation what you put into it.
When I first start working with clients, we establish an understanding of expectations. Clients make a commitment to be coachable, to be open to new foods, concepts and exercises, to eat nourishing foods, to finding a balance between work and play, to give gratitude, and so forth. I commit to them that I will provide guidance, encouragement, and accountability in addition to information. Seems like a fair deal.
Sometimes people just aren’t ready. You need to be ready to change some things. When someone comes to me for weight loss, but doesn’t want to make changes, you have to just ask, “So how has what you’ve been doing been working for you?” I will be honest with people, that they have to put in the work to reap the benefits. And that the rewards don’t come overnight. What I offer are recommendations for small, sustainable changes, that can be incorporated over a six month period of time, or longer if needed. Expecting overnight results just isn’t realistic, and if someone is promising that, I’d seriously question what they are offering.
My clients who have made the most progress started off ready for change. They understood expectations about doing the work, about setting goals and working towards them, about digging deep to understand the “why” of their goals, and to honestly look at their nutrition and lifestyle to examine where opportunities for improvement exist. So yes, you need to be ready to commit to do the hard work.
The second part of this is my readiness as a coach. I’ve now completed my full year curriculum with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. I have embraced this program fully from the start and am proud of my accomplishment of sticking to my goal of graduation and having actual clients that I can nurture through change. My initial “why” for doing this was two-fold: 1. I wanted to share everything I learned through my own health journey and help people begin their own path. 2. I wanted an exit strategy from my day job to be a full time health coach.
I am accomplishing the first goal by providing support to family and friends, through my own surgeon’s bariatric support group, and with my own clients – all of which who have blossomed before my eyes in such a rewarding way. The second — well, I decided I am not quite ready to make the leap into full time. I spent sometime over the past few weeks reflecting on what I have learned through education and through my work as a coach. Right now, working with several clients at the moment, I am fulfilling my goal to help others. My plan to continue working at my day job is partly due to fiscal responsibility, but it also seems like I am striking the balance I want. I’m making a commitment to put off retirement for the time being (this will be a newsflash to some!).
In other news, I am continuing my education by embarking on a new certification in Sports and Exercise Nutrition through Precision Nutrition, which is challenging and fascinating! I am learning all of the physiological and scientific information about nutrition, metabolism, digestion, absorption, and more! I’ll be sharing what I learn along the way and will be announcing some new coaching opportunities shortly!
Do you have a similar experience about your own readiness? Please share!
