{"id":29671,"date":"2022-12-14T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=29671"},"modified":"2022-12-11T12:57:19","modified_gmt":"2022-12-11T20:57:19","slug":"understanding-health-coaching-letting-the-client-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/understanding-health-coaching-letting-the-client-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Health Coaching \u2013 Letting the Client Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Health Coaches are trained to take an interesting approach in implementing a plan to help their clients. Successful Health Coaching programs have designs within that let the client set their own path to better health. That\u2019s right. The client is often the one to determine which actions to take in obtaining, or retaining, the next level of better health that they hope to achieve.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does this sound crazy? Well, if you think about the way things work in the world of sports, it makes great sense. Coaches coach and players play. The \u201cplayer\u201d in this instance is the client and the client is playing the game of life. It is their life. It is the client\u2019s game to play. A coach\u2019s role is to prepare the player (or person with the desire to improve their health) for action. A coach is there to guide. A great coach is one that asks the right questions; questions that bring awareness to the client’s needs and ultimately provide answers which will empower the client to proclaim their own path forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is not to say a coach does not have a philosophy to which they adhere, or a knowledge base used to guide their clients. Nor does it mean that a coach will not step in and offer a more sensical path if the client chooses a step that clearly is not beneficial, or worse, potentially harmful. It simply means that the client can take the lead in determining the direction of their greatest gift, their own health. Instead of leaning on the coach like a crutch for support, the \u201cplayer\u201d stands on their own two feet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Being told what to do and how to act is not a very effective way for making wholesale lifestyle and\/or behavioral changes. The growth must come from within. The client must see and feel the importance of each step for themselves. Empowering the client to be aware enough to see the next possible, available, or achievable step is rewarding and the key to long-term growth.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is common for a Health Coach, especially at the very beginning of the coach\u2019s and client\u2019s time together, to ask the client to simply observe their own behavior. As the great Yogi Berra once said, \u201cYou can observe a lot by just watching.\u201d Seems simple, right? It is simple. The path to better health does not need to be complicated. <\/span><\/p>\n

Pay attention to your own behavior and make note of what you observe. Or better yet, write down what you observe. <\/span><\/p>\n