Your Biggest Frustration with Incorporating Healthy Habits into the Everyday

As the writer of the blogposts at the Highland Lake Inn Wellness division, I recently completed a large survey to gather and present information about obstacles that individuals encounter in starting or maintaining healthy habits in the everyday.

So, the question is: ‘What is the biggest frustration you are experiencing right now about incorporating healthy habits into the everyday?’ With the information gathered, or so I thought, I could directly address the client’s, or the potential client’s, 2-3 main issues.

The surprise came in the results of the survey. All included, a long list of completely different answers kept coming back, all counted, at least 27 different issues that individuals told me that keep them from moving forward in this area of their life. Most all of the survey participants indicated wanting to make a change at some level, but the sheer number of individual issues lead me to a much different conclusion.

Here are some of the answers: overcoming habits, high anxiety, no time,  conflict in the household, attitude, planning and completing tasks, getting enough sleep, too much to do, not concentrating on foundation work, water intake, organizing, prioritizing, adding on little changes, overcoming constraints, mindset, ambivalence, packaged foods, emotional eating, snacks at work, putting in effort, and many others, including my favorite, ‘lack of committment to one’s own good.’

What have we learned? That not one size fits all when it comes to behavior change. That no issue is too small to be important. That obstacles come in all shapes and sizes. That the individual, targeted solution is going to be the lasting one. That many of us do know ourselves better than we think. That we even know what would be the next step for ourselves if we could manage to take it. That problems have many sides to them that need attention.

Why is that encouraging? Because, as a health coach professional, it is once again confirmed that it is valuable to accept and take each person, each situation, just simply at face value and then proceed forward one step at a time. Using your inner knowledge, the ‘simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity’ as it has been phrased, is the unfolding of the wellness plan, the transformation that comprises true success.

What are your obstacles? Please feel free to comment in the space provided below,  and contact us at any time to find out more.

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Answering Your FAQs on Health Coaching

The Highland Lake Inn has teamed up with the BodyVision SL Health Coaching Company to offer state-of-the-art Wellness weeks in beautiful New Hampshire with a team of experienced, caring, and results-oriented coaches. 6 dates are available to suit your schedule and include loads of quality extras that get you to your goals and keep you there. All information is available directly on the Inn’s website by clicking HERE.

But, what is a health coaching program all about? How would a potential client know it is for him/her? Below are key points as outlined by the American College of Sports Medicine and Wellcoaches, Co., as printed in the ACSM Certified News.

“Personal coaching (one-on-one) is a new service in all areas served by coaches – life coaches, corporate coaches, and most recently, wellness coaches. You may remember the situation ten years ago when personal trainers had to work hard to explain to client prospects what personal training was all about. Now wellness coaches meet the same challenge – how to describe coaching to client prospects. Here are five common questions asked by client prospects of wellness coaches, followed by answers to guide you:

1.Why does the world need personal wellness coaches?

The majority of people struggling with fitness, nutrition, weight, stress, and health (100 million estimated in North America) do not have time to go to a gym, do not like the gym environment (e.g. want more privacy), or want support. Meeting a coach (live, on the phone and with the support of web tools) is more appealing.

Many people have wellness issues which are intertwined and need a holistic approach that a wellness coach provides – e.g. they overeat because they are stressed out, or they don’t exercise because their energy is low due to poor eating habits, etc.

Health and fitness experts, including personal trainers and dietitians, are well trained to provide advice and solutions to clients’ issues. Unfortunately for many people, even though they know what they should do, they don’t do it. Often the problem is great intention, followed by poor execution.

This results from the fact that people lack the mindset needed (including readiness to change) to tackle the long tough path of behavior change. Wellness coaches are trained to use a systematic coaching process, based on behavioral psychology principles (readiness to change, choice theory) and counseling skills (listening deeply, asking powerful questions, giving effective feedback), that help clients create the mindset needed to make lasting changes.

2.How would a wellness coach help me?

A wellness coach empowers you (a client) to establish a higher level of wellness by partnering with you to:

- define your personal vision for wellness
- get clear on what you want to change
- get connected to why it matters a lot to you to make the changes
- develop strategies to overcome your particular obstacles
- take small weekly steps toward your goals and vision, maintain the new mindset, and creatively solve problems along the way

3.What do I commit to in a wellness coaching program?

As a coaching client, you would be on board with the following:
- I am ready to establish the mindset to make changes and improve my wellness
- I am ready to invest at least three months to make lasting changes
- I am ready to take responsibility and make changes in at least one area of wellness – fitness, nutrition, weight, stress, and health
- I am ready to think deeply about the issues around my wellness and become more self-aware
-  I recognize that the path to successful change and a higher level of wellness is slow and steady, and not a quick fix, and that there will be setbacks along the way to success.

4. How long do I need to work with a wellness coach?

Most clients need weekly or biweekly coaching sessions for 3-6 months to make lasting changes, and then often are ready to move to a “maintenance” mode of monthly coaching sessions to stay on track. Clients who are obese may need to work with their wellness coaches for a year or two, or longer, to reach their weight loss goals. (The specially designed Highland Lake Inn program begins with a week in New Hampshire and is followed by telephone contact to your coach for a year)

5. Will I get a return on my investment in wellness coaching (time and money)?

There is probably no more important investment than improving your health, fitness, and wellness, both short term and long term. For your fee, you will able to make lasting changes that may have struggled to make alone. You will look and feel better in the short term, and you may make huge savings down the road if you delay or prevent a medical condition. How can you beat that!

Of course, the best approach to helping people understand coaching is to allow them to experience it.  A first free session is included by phone to make sure all your additional questions are answered and you can see what moving forward looks like. Reserve your first, no-obligation, session HERE.

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