If there is one thing that a personal trainer must to help his or her Clients achieve true health and achieve their goals then it is to either work in partnership with or learn how to become an expert health coach.
One of the most important things I have learnt from over 15 years experience in the health and fitness industry is that helping your Clients through what you think is an effective workout simply won’t cut it.
I spent years developing my workouts and motivational techniques in the gym only to realise that there was something strikingly obvious missing. I had many Clients that trained at least four or five times a week and ate well but still didn’t achieve their goals.
That’s when I studied to become a health coach or as the CHEK Institute like to call them holistic health practitioner.
The increased and faster results it has brought about for my Clients has been nothing less than sensational.
An expert health coach will look at a Clients health picture in a whole-istic way. Something that is essential for results.
When im talking about holistic I am talking about the six foundational health principles:
- Diet
- Movement
- Thinking
- Rest
- Hydration
- Breathing
All these factors can have a profound influence on one’s health and energy. It’s extremely important to figure out any imbalances and fix any issues if you want to look and feel great.
A health coach will help you identify imbalances in these systems, give you the often fascinating science behind the improvements and a plan of action to fix the problem areas.
They will ask you questions either in the form of a consultation or in detailed questionnaires, questions such as:
- What time do you go to sleep?
- Do you have disturbed sleep, if so how?
- What do you drink on a daily/weekly basis?
- What type of movement do you do?
- Do you suffer from diarrhea, constipation, acid reflux, gas or belching?
- How are your energy levels while resting?
- Do you suffer from loneliness?
- Are any of your relationships causing you stress?
- How much quality rest do you have?
- Do you have an inverted breathing pattern/do you breathe from the chest?
I know a lot of these questions sound simple but let me give you an example of a recommendation and the science behind it.
Say for example that you told me you went to bed late at night, on average you went to sleep at 12:30.
My reply may be: “Ok, that’s interesting, as you have told me your goal is to lose 5kgs in 4 weeks, let me show you how going to bed late might make that impossible or at the very least not so easy. Ideally you should be asleep by 10.30 which means winding down and being in bed before 10.30. That is in an ideal world and I advise making that your aim but at least try to get to sleep by 11 pm. When you stay up late your body thinks it is the longest day of summer. This is because your body can’t tell the difference between electric lights and sunlight. Before we had electric lights the longest day of the year with the most amount of sunlight signalled to your body that winter is just around the corner, the winter being a time when food wasn’t as easy to produce because the ground would freeze over and a time of the year when people practically went on a diet. So your body thinks the winter is coming and stores body fat to survive the coming famine. If you stay up late every night that is the effect every day of the year!
That is one of the many extremely interesting examples I could give you, needless to say a health coach can be an invaluable person to have by your side to help you achieve your goals.
Good Luck with your health and fitness goals…
Tim Garrett
Healthy 4 U
“Transforming Lives Through Health and Fitness”
Tel: +971 052 699 3955
Email: tim@dubai-personal-training.com
www.dubai-personal-training.com
Facebook page: facebook.com/Healthy4udubai
Recent Comments