In Hard Times, Making Things Last

The other day I was at a patio store buying new covers for my patio furniture. The owner mentioned no one was buying new furniture anymore. Instead he said, “Customers were just buying new cushions and umbrellas. Of late, shoppers were looking to make what they already had last longer”. It occurred to me that health coaching could be framed the same way. We only have one body in this lifetime and we need to make the best health choices so we last longer and enjoy good health.

Health coaching is about using vision and values to set small goals toward optimal health. All along the way, we measure progress toward goals set by you the client. What I find when coaching women are that often times a conflict exists between professional life, family and personal health. The conflict arises around personal energy boundaries. Many women put their own health needs (working out, stress management and real food eating) secondary to the needs of their families or their jobs. Taking care of yourself first replenishes your energy stores so you have the energy to give your family and or career the time, problem solving and creativity skills demanded. Coaching women to set boundaries so they have the energy and time to dedicate to their own health goals is fundamental to success.

The secret to lasting good health is building a foundation for optimal health. Optimal health is about preserving function in the activities that are enjoyable. For women that activity could be as simple as putting on clothes that fit well because you are at a personal weight in which you feel and look good. Those good health functional activities could be gardening, playing with your kids, running a race, taking a yoga class or cooking a fine meal.

In medicine we often define optimal health by a report from the lab showing normal blood test results. This along with a normal physical exam is reassuring if you are a health care provider, but meaningless to the average person who defines their health by how they feel and look. In health coaching we focus on the client’s definition of optimal health and guide her to her vision through a series of client defined goals. As the coach I hold the client accountable to meeting the client’s goals between sessions. When goals are unmet, together we look at internal and external barriers and find a work around for each barrier.