The 8 Principles of Online Coaching
Have you ever wondered why something works? Let me give you an example, two people, Ron and Tom, both similar in their health and fitness, both start a new diet and workout program.
They are both super successful, losing the weight, getting stronger, loving the results. Everything is working perfectly.
BUT…
6 months later, Tom gains all his weight back and some. Ron is still good though, making even more progress over those last 6 months.
The difference doesn't come down to how they got there. Because any diet CAN work, as long as you’re eating less calories. We know that for a fact. We also know not everything is for everyone.
And if you’re not guided in what you do, with solid principles, odds are your results will come and go faster than leslies seat on city council.
The reason Tom gained his weight back is because he was focused on the methods to get there, instead of the principles. You see this a lot though, yo-yo diets, crash diets, cleanses, they’re all the same. Providing you a method to get the results, without having a foundation to work off of.
This makes losing weight, and keeping it off, extremely hard to do.
That’s why Im going to share with you the 8 principles of online coaching. These are the exact principles that guide all of my programs. To make sure that everything is covered, and nothing gets missed. So that you not only get the results, but you know how you got them. What you did to get them. And how to keep them. I’ve helped hundreds of people get results and keep them, with this exact foundation.
Let’s get started.
Trust and communication
This is without a doubt the most important principle of all. Without trust, you can never let yourself be open to the idea of making changes for the better. You need to know that no matter what, everything you’re doing, is guided in your best interest. And that needs to be communicated to you. Clearly and without guessing. Communication drives everything. You need to be listened to every time. And know that when you’re talking, your coach is listening. That they understand you, and that they respect what you say. Because this is about YOU. 100% of the time. No one else.
Relationships and knowing your environment
Being in a coaching program is like being in a relationship. You talk everyday, learning about each other. You should feel comfortable sharing things about yourself and how your weekend went. This is all part of having a healthy environment. Built on trust, honesty, and feeling safe. Knowing your environment and understanding it, will help you learn more about yourself too. You’ll learn what to look for so that you can make simple and effective changes, and how to make it fit into your current lifestyle.
Accountability and positive reinforcement
You have to be accountable to someone. We all do. Daily check-ins help a ton with that. And being positive, is a huge pusher for that too. Imagine sharing with your coach that you felt horrible for eating cake. And then they made you feel like crap for eating it. They shouldn’t treat you like Larry! You probably wouldn't be too happy about that would you. And the next time you ate cake, you wouldn't tell them. That type of negativity isn’t good for anybody. Especially you. That's why positive reinforcement is important. Instead of being mad and upset about that, focus on the positive. You wanted cake, and you had some. Big deal. Life is about balance, and the more you realize that food is food, its neither good nor bad, you can start having a great relationship with it. Same situation, two very different outcomes. Which one looks better to you?
Results and managing expectations
Of course the main reason you hired a coach is to get results. Along with that, comes with setting expectations and managing them. Without knowing what results you want, and having expectations, you have no idea how to track progress. Or how to even know if you’re doing the right thing! Without a gas gauge, you would think you’re doing great. Until you run out of gas in indiana. On the side of the road with no cell service. Imagine working hard, for 6 months to lose weight. Just to have the holidays come and you gain every single pound right back. Sounds horrible doesn't it? Don’t let that be you. Not this time. Not ever again.
Mental health and self awareness
Learning who you are and loving that person often gets overlooked. Are you stressed a lot? Do you constantly put yourself down? Even when you see progress, in all areas, do you still not believe it? That’s why your mental health and self awareness are so important. When you see change you need to believe it. And realize that you made the change. No one else. Don’t sabotage yourself because you think you’re not worth it. You are worth it. And you need to believe that! Say it out loud for the people in the back!
Personalization and simplicity
There is no one like you. Ever. So your program should be personal to you. Not a blank template where everyone gets the same thing. For the record, you and Johnny Karate should not be doing the exact same exercises. Your program should be a part of you. It should reflect your personality and your goals. And should be super simple and easy understand. No fancy exercises that are super complicated and take more time to setup than it does to actually do the movement. You shouldn't have a 10 page document with every single question you could possibly ask ever, listed out. It should bring you some sort of peace and calmness, knowing that everything has its place for a reason. Thanks Marie Kondo!
Balance and confidence
Being rigid, and stiff, never worked for anyone. Just ask the tin man. You need balance, because your life isn’t one thing. Its a mixture. You shouldn't feel guilty for going to happy hour on a Monday. If someone brings in homemade chili to work, you can have some. Actually maybe not at work LOL take it home and eat it where it’s safe. And you know that these things happen in life and its ok. You need to be confident enough in the big picture to know that you can have fun in life and still see progress.
Self reliance and sustainability.
I believe you should be in charge of your own health. That you can make your own decisions, and changes. And your coach should teach you that. You need to learn why things happen the way they do, and how to make them change. Your coach should be sharing why things are done this way, so you can do it on your own. Which means that later on down the road, you can still keep your program going. You know exactly what you need to do and how to do it. It’s easy to maintain into your lifestyle and actually takes away some stress in life.
I hope this makes you think a little bit more about what you do and how you approach your health and fitness. Do you have reasons for everything? Or just following the newest trend? Is there a process? If so, what does it look like? If you can't get an answer to those questions, I’d be very hesitant about starting that program if I were you. Go through and see if your program covers all of these. I want you to get the results you want, and keep them.
Don’t forget, there are methods to do anything. Tons of them. But they mean absolutely nothing if you don’t follow the 8 principles of online coaching to build a solid foundation to work from.