Welcome to Midlife Mojo, the podcast all about how to be fit and flourish in your fifties, with me, your host with over 25 years of experience in the health, fitness, and wellness industry, Lisa DuPree. We'll be talking about all the things that support living life to the fullest.
Today, we're diving into a topic that could be a game changer for your health and fitness. And that is working with a coach. The reason I wanted to do this episode is because I just recently started working with a couple of coaches myself.
One coach related to my podcast and one related to a big fitness related goal that I have, and that is to actually do a fitness competition. And so, you know, even though I am a coach myself, I've been in health and fitness for decades, these are new skills. These are things that I don't know how to do, or I have an idea, but putting it into practice is something I needed some support with and, the saying came to mind, the cobbler always wears the worst shoes.
And that's just a really old expression that means that we spend a lot of effort serving others and do little to support our needs. And so it took me a while to really be okay with actually spending the money for a very specific thing that I wanted to accomplish. You know, I've had the podcast for a little over two years.
I want to grow it. I'm trying to do some different things. And so this person that I am working with is a specialist in doing these very specific things. And it's been super helpful. For the fitness related coach, like I'm a health and lifestyle coach. Doing a fitness competition like a physique competition is something related because there's fitness involved and there's like, eating a specific way involved, but it's, it's different from just being healthy, increasing your health, increasing your fitness. It's a very specific way of doing things.
And so I've been working with somebody who is a specialist in that area to kind of get a different perspective, learn how to do things differently and also learn how to do things I don't know how to do. Because it really helps to have this different perspective.
Somebody who is an expert, they can help get you out of your own bubble of your perception, see gaps, provide insights where you have blind spots with things that are keeping you stuck. And it provides accountability. So these are the things that I started thinking about and I was like, okay, this applies to working with any coach, because if you're trying to change a habit, you're trying to do something differently you're trying to achieve a goal, you're going to need to be most likely learning new skills, changing some old habits, facing fears of not being good enough to be successful or not being able to achieve your goals.
I really wanted to sit down and give a perspective on why working with a coach can be a game changer, especially in midlife. And so I have six key benefits I wanted to highlight because, if you've been thinking about, or you have tried to change your lifestyle, something within your lifestyle, like your diet, your exercise routine, how you manage stress or any other kind of self-improvement challenge over the years and you find yourself stuck just in that thinking, contemplating mode or starting to fall back on to certain old habits, you know it's a frustrating cycle and it can really leave you discouraged and uncertain. So the secret sauce I really honestly believe in my heart is working with a qualified health and wellness coach.
You might be thinking so why do I even need a coach? Can't I just do this on my own? I can go to the University of YouTube or Google and find out all the information. And depends on what it is. You can find out a lot of information online. And it's also true that you may be able to do some of this yourself because you know, that self motivation, that discipline, all these things are important to draw on.
However, if it's something that you are stuck with, or you've started, installed, or tried new habits and haven't been able to really cement them and change your lifestyle and create a new normal that aligns with what you want for your goals, these six benefits that I'm going to mention can be things that are going to be game changers.
It really up levels your efforts and helps you get there more efficiently and effectively and quicker. So let's dive into the first one. The first one, straight up, I think one of the most important is accountability and motivation. Because one of the biggest things that you're going to come up against when you're trying to change something is staying motivated.
And keeping at it when things get busy and there are obstacles, things come up, roadblocks come up. Things are going to try to get in your way. You have other priorities, you have competing priorities. And this is where a health coach can be invaluable. A health coach will provide external accountability.
They'll check in with you regularly, monitor your progress and help you stay on track towards your goals. So if you think about it, when you have to report back to somebody, you know, somebody's in your corner to support you and they're going to ask you about how you're doing, what's your success, what have you learned, where are you needing support.
They're going to do that every week. You're much more likely to follow up on your commitments. And especially if you're doing something that's uncomfortable, like getting comfortable and getting support when you're doing things that are uncomfortable is super important. I found that out for me.
Cause a lot of these things I'm trying, like being on video doing the podcast is super uncomfortable for me. It's outside my comfort zone. And if I didn't have somebody helping me and supporting me and I didn't say this is what I was going to do and I knew somebody was going to follow up with me if I said, this is what I want to do.
Yeah. It makes a big difference to help you follow through and just push past that discomfort and that fear, and just going to put it to a side and just do the thing. And you know, there's going to be these inevitable moments when your motivation is just not there. And if you have a coach, they can be there to encourage you, remind you of your big reason why, you're big, strong incentive for saying what you wanted to do and actually doing that in the changes that you're looking for, and then help you push past any temporary setbacks, whether that's mindset related or physically related, emotionally related, environmentally related, any of those kinds of things. That accountability is key.
The second benefit is personalized guidance and support. Everybody's set of circumstances, their preferences, their barriers, their abilities are all different. And that's why a one size fits all approach rarely works when it comes to health and fitness and well-being. A skilled health coach is going to really take the time to assess your individual situation, understand your specific goals and create this customized tailored plan just for you.
And in addition to that ongoing support and troubleshooting obstacles as they come up, it's going to be an adjustment. It's learning and correcting, learning and pivoting, putting that learning into practice. It's that personal guidance from somebody who knows the behavior change process and how it works.
They can help navigate that path to success more efficiently and effectively. And when you have that person in your corner who believes in your ability to succeed and provides that support and guidance in the most timely basis that can help you overcome obstacles and it builds your self-efficacy.
As a coach, one of the main things that I am doing in my practice of coaching, working with my clients is helping build my client's confidence and their self efficacy. Self efficacy is your belief in your own capability to make the positive changes that you want to make.
So this enhanced self efficacy can be a powerful motivator. It fuels your commitment and determination to stay the course and make the things happen. Just do the hard things. Even when you don't feel like it, your motivation isn't quite as high as it was maybe in the beginning, or you're coming up against competing priorities and challenges.
Benefit number three is expertise and education. Health coaches are trained professionals with in-depth knowledge of behavioral change, nutrition, exercise, stress management, and other wellness areas. And the best health coaches stay up to date on the latest credible research and best practices. So if you're working with a certified health coach, and nationally board certified health coach is what I would definitely recommend, that allows you to be confident that the strategies that they are providing and working with you on are evidence based and effective. They're not just going to be, you know, fly by the seat of your pants and giving you information that is not going to work out.
You know, there's just an overwhelming amount of information out that you can find on Google, on YouTube, and a lot of it is conflicting information. But being able to parse out that information, and having access to a trusted source of expertise who can help educate you on the optimal approaches for your specific needs and your goals can really be invaluable in saving you a lot of time and frustration and effort. So you can really focus on making progress and doing the things that you want to do and accomplishing those.
All right. Benefit number four is the perspective, the objective perspective. So when you are in, when you're in it, when you are trying to change things, when you are trying to work on a goal, when you're trying to change a habit, it's hard to see things clearly. We all have our blind spots. We have our negative thought patterns, things that sabotage our efforts without us even realizing it. And this is where the value of an objective perspective comes into play. A health coach can be that unbiased perspective, helping you identify any self-limiting beliefs or unhelpful mindsets that may hold you back.
And the health coach can then help guide you into reframing those thoughts or developing a more empowering or a growth mindset as it relates to things that are going to support your overall success. This is one of the things that I found was super helpful working with a coach, even though I know, like I know these things. I'm really practiced in using these things with other people.
But when it comes to applying it to myself, I know myself really well in some ways, in some ways, I have really big blind spots. There's a whole bunch of chatter that goes on in my head. So I have all these things coming up like, Oh, why I can't do this or why it might be better to do something else, A versus B or something like that.
At any rate, having a coach and having that outside perspective has been really honestly game changing for me to make progress on what I set out to do, especially with exercising in a different way than I'm used to. I've been exercising, I don't know, it seems like my entire life. I have a master's degree in exercise science.
I have taught health at a college level, which includes nutrition, physical activity, stress, time management, sleep, all these things. I've taught this for over 15 years now. And its just, I get stuck in one way of seeing things. And when you're working towards something that is slightly different from what your area of expertise is or what you've already done or always known to be true, it's, it's just super helpful to have that kind of reality check and have somebody that can help you with that.
All right. Benefit number five is the goal setting and action planning because I will say, I think probably one of the biggest things that I see where I'm working with clients and it's an area where I feel like they're just not setting themselves up for success is setting vague goals or unrealistic goals.
Because, when you get to the point you're highly motivated, like I'm going to do this, I'm taking action. You want to get it done yesterday, there's just that fire. And then you maybe start on an unrealistic plan and it backfires and you end up setting yourself up for failure and then being disappointed.
And so that's where working with a skilled health coach can help you define clear, realistic, achievable goals, smaller steps. Breaking down these big goals in to smaller chunks that are structured action plans and it outlines specific steps that you really need to take in an incremental basis that will help you achieve these goals.
It changes so that it's a lifestyle. It does become your new normal. It's not just something you do temporarily to kind of get a specific outcome. For a lot of people it happens to be seeing a specific number on the scale. I'm not a big proponent of that one number on the scale.
And so, helping somebody set other goals that are going to get them to where they want to go, seeing whatever that number on the scale is, it's like having a better roadmap, a more accurate roadmap, not an outdated map to your destination. And, and that coach is helping you with that, because they're navigating.
Benefit six, last one. And I would say this is probably one of the yeah, they're all important, but this is really important. And it comes down to habit formation.
It doesn't happen overnight. It's not like flipping a light switch on. It is the result of consistently practicing new habits until they just become your new normal. They become second nature. Health coaches are experts in helping you hardwire these new habits, these new actions, these new mindsets, beliefs about yourself and what you are able to accomplish, how you've accomplished it, and building a different story around your health and well-being.
And these things take specific techniques like repetition, learning, reflection, cue stacking even environmental design. Working with a coach, all these things get rolled into the process. It's what it's all about when it comes down to the meat of it. Coaches are able to provide their clients with tools and strategies to make any of these new habits stick, transforming what may have felt impossible or like a chore into a natural part of your daily routine and really cement them there so that you are having that lasting change.
So those are the six things. Yeah, that was a good bit. There's more of them. I had to whittle it down to six because I wanted to keep the podcast under 25 minutes. So had to really whittle it down. But really overall the expertise, accountability, that personalized support that a health coach provides can be that missing piece to finally helping you just break through and make your goals happen.
When it relates to your health your well-being and your overall fitness and if you're thinking something like oh, well, that all sounds great but how do I know if working with the coach is right for me? That's a really valid question. A couple of things to be aware of. If you are somebody that's struggling to stick with habits and changing behaviors, despite your best efforts, or if you feel like you've hit a plateau and you just can't seem to get over that hump, that was one of the things with me, why I decided to work with a coach, when it came to the podcast is, I've been doing things, I've been making progress, but I felt like that I was hitting up against something that was not allowing me to take things to the next level.
And so if you just can't seem to get over that hump, or you've hit a roadblock working with a coach could be the game changer. It could be the linchpin that helps get you to that final finish line of where you want to go. Or if you're starting a new chapter in your life, in midlife, something's changed.
You're embarking on a new fitness goal, like I am, with doing a physique competition and it's a long-term goal. It's going to take me a year, maybe more to get there. I don't know how long it's going to take, but it's not going to happen overnight. Or you're making a significant lifestyle change. You're changing your job.
Some things are changing in relationships and you want guidance and support to help set yourself up for success from the start. A coach is going to be able to help provide that framework and that structure for you to hit the ground running and make sure that you have a clear path.
So if this resonates with you and you're interested in exploring coaching further, I'd love to chat. I do have a couple of openings for my coaching practice and I'd love to see if we'd be a good fit to work together. You can find more information on my website, LisaDupreeCoaching.com or shoot me an email at Lisa@LisaDupreeCoaching.com.
And just remember no matter where you are, any step you take toward improving your health and wellbeing and fitness is a step in the right direction. No matter where you're going, keep showing up for yourself and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Until next time, stay strong, stay healthy, and keep your mojo rising!
