The Importance of a Good Coach
Are you confused from the information overload on the Internet about the ‘right’ thing to do when it comes to health and fitness? Are you struggling to get the results you want even though you are doing what has been ‘proven’ to work? Well there is a way you can overcome all of this and it’s really rather simple. Read below to find out how…
The topic of health and fitness is a big one. Huge in fact. It has been over complicated, and then over simplified. It has been filled with fact, fiction, half-truths, assumptions and Chinese whispers. The Internet is filled with ‘sworn by’ ‘scientifically proven’ contradictory statements, and where one thing works for someone, it may not work the same for somebody else. So where do you even begin when you want to know what’s right or wrong and what will work best for you? You hire someone whose job it is to know.
Becoming serious about your health and fitness should be your priority. The benefits are undeniable and filter through to every other aspect of your life. Once you have made the decision to live your life as the best you that you can, hiring a coach, and hiring a good one, is the next best decision you can make.
A good coach will:
1. Hold you accountable to what you said you would do
They should be someone you don’t want to let down and will help keep you on track to your goals. If you don’t see them face-to-face each week, they should have a check in system where you are required to keep them updated as to your progress. Knowing someone else has an interest in your success often makes you try that much harder – it’s too easy to skip a workout if it’s only you that you’re letting down.
2. Be a positive influence
They should be someone that you look up to and respect, and that will help you stay on the right path to getting the results that you want through encouragement of doing the right things. They should keep you motivated and committed by essentially just being your coach.
3. Educate you
A good coach will be able to explain simply to you why they have you doing what they do. If they can’t explain why, it’s time to get a new coach.
So you now realise the benefits to having a coach, and have made the smart decision to hire one. The next hurdle is now knowing how to filter out the good coaches and know whether they will be the best fit for you. A few tips to help choose a good coach are:
4. The listen more than they talk
A good coach should have a thorough sign up process and should want to learn as much as they can about you, and not tell you as much as they can about them. You want someone who is going to understand your goals, your concerns, your lifestyle, your level of commitment, your current state of health, and medical history.
5. They write a program that works for you
Once they have a good understanding of what it is you want to achieve, they should be able to put together a program that will not only get you the results that you desire, but that you enjoy and that fits into your lifestyle. If you have a coach telling you that there is only one way to get to where you want to go, it’s again time to get a new coach. Now in saying that, there are optimal ways to reach certain goals, but those optimal ways aren’t always realistic for the average Jo, so a good coach should be able to personalise a plan specifically for you.
6. They should have a good portfolio of successful transformations
…And not just of themselves. Social Media has created an industry of good-looking people with good physiques that are good at sales and marketing. Does that mean that they are good at coaching? Absolutely not. The proof is in the pudding. Make sure your coach is able to prove to you that they can get the results that he or she is claiming to be able to get.
7. A good coach should be knowledgeable and invest in their education
How can a coach ask for you to invest time and money in them when they wont invest time and money in themselves? Ensure they have continuous education. As mentioned earlier, the topic of health and fitness is huge and there is so much muddled information out there, it’s often hard to know which tip to follow. This is where continued education is really important.
You want a coach who makes sure he or she knows their facts from fiction and who won’t lead you down the garden path. Making the decision to improve your health and fitness is an important decision to make and beginning that journey isn’t always easy. Surrounding yourself with the right people will make the world of difference as we all need someone that helps us reach our goals and that doesn’t deter us from them.
This is where a good support team comes in handy and this team should always include a good coach. Not only will they make sure you are travelling down the right path, they will help keep you on it, so make the investment today – you’ll be thanking yourself in year to come.