Return to: Getting Started- Coach

Why Use Coaches?

You are determined to make a change. Don’t dive in quite yet. Now it’s time for you to make some important strategic decisions.

• Rely on just self study or get some outside help also

• Have one coach or go with a variety of coaches

• Packaged program or ala carte

Our case history wasn’t very good, until we got coaching. Prior to that, we had tried some different programs, reading material on our own. We had some brief periods of success, but then put it back on and more.

When we took a more serious step forward and found a coach, in this case a nutritionist (see that section for more information), then real sustainable results began to happen.

Plus, it was a coach who was one of the catalysts that spurred us on our way. Our doctor in our annual physical said that we had put on too much weight. We did not want to be that heavy for the next year physical.

Why can a coach make a difference?

• Accountability. There is nothing like having someone else to be accountable too. If you just keep it to yourself, it can be easy to let it slide.

• Measurement. A good coach can set up a good system for measuring your progress, to help keep you on track with the targets you are accountable for.

• Tailored. A coach can tailor it to you. We have our likes and dislikes. We have our capabilities and other things we struggle with. A tailored program, rather than a cookie cutter approach, can have greater odds of success.

• Education. There are a number of things we learned from our nutritionist that we could not have picked up easily elsewhere.

• Safeguard. A good coach can do a safety check and make sure you don’t go in the wrong direction or go too fast. The coach can pick up on things that might be hidden to you. I was once CFO of a healthcare firm that provided home health care and used information taken from the patient and fed into our computer system. We could catch warning signals before the patient felt the effects. You could have something lingering inside you but not know it. Play it safe.

• Efficiency. You can fire away with questions and pick up information quickly. A coach has probably seen your situation before. It is a lot more efficient than trying to get up to speed on your own.

• Support. There is a lot to be said for having a good support system.

We strongly urge getting some outside help. At the very least, we suggest both a physician and a nutritionist. Some might find that a personal trainer, psychologist / psychiatrist, or spiritual coach could also help.

Do what fits you. Find help in your weak areas and get the safety checks you need. Find a way to have accountability and support.