Personal training, online coaching, nutritional guidance and group training sessions are an amazing place for personal growth. For starters you normally pay a certain fee for coaching whether it is online or face to face. You start to plan goals, make a conscious effort to make better life decisions and you start to change your life in small steps.
But as more and more athletes sign up for expert advice, there are a few things I’ve noticed from the other side, the coaching side, that people need to consider before putting the money and time into something.Your coach can be a huge asset in your training and nutritional program but what you don’t know is that there are things your coach can’t do for you if you are not willing to do it yourself,
You need to have your own motivation. Many times you have a personal trainer or nutritional coach who you see maybe weekly and a little more often than that if you want to pay for that. Your coach is there for you in the moments that you see them or personally reach out but what you do with the rest of your day is up to you. If you think that results will follow when you only do what you are instructed to do when you are with your coach you are going to be on a LONG journey !
This is why goals are extremely important to have. You are going to have days where you fall off track. Days that you can’t make it to the gym. Days where your will power will fail you. Have a plan ready for times like these. Your coach can help you identify your goals, negotiate timelines to meet them, and be mindful of key milestones, but your coach cannot give you the purpose or your “why”. That is deeply personal and unique to you. If it’s important enough to you, nothing will get in the way.
So many people are looking for that one diet or training plan that will get them to look like their favorite fitness athlete. Having physical goals are great but what happens when your body is just not designed to do that? What your coach can give you is guidance in the trial and error process of finding out what works for your physiology and your lifestyle. They cannot give you immediate and final answers. Many people want something set in stone like if I workout ___ times a day with ___ diet, my body will look the way I want it to forever. Sadly, it’s ever changing.
Take the time to learn what works with your body both nutritionally and training wise. You might see the person next to you needing a lot of cardio while you need none. Maybe that person works on higher fats and low carbs where you are higher carb person. You can’t based what you do to work for someone else! . Be prepared to try, fail, adjust, and learn with your training/ nutrition coach.
This is the biggest one that needs to be handled. Your coach can’t fix your physiological issues with food! Your coach is not a magician. They cannot wave a magical wand and fix your issues with food. Whether it’s eating too much, too little, or drinking alcohol, either sporadically or all the time, everyone has a weak link to one degree or another.We all have that one deep issue is causing this issue that needs to be uncovered and fixed. It can be a bad breakup, body image issues, or even a childhood trauma, whatever it is, your coach can help you become aware of a psychological issue, but they can’t make it go away.
Ultimately, you’re the one who needs to ask yourself the hard questions, and you don’t want to really commit to the plan, it will never work out to give you the results you want. keep and open mind when you are thinking about hiring a coach or trainer to obtain your goals. They will guide you through very rewarding journey. Your coach is a powerful tool in the decision to reach your goals. Use them for motivation and support. You will learn a lot about yourself if you allow them to help you.