goal setting is essential for ACHIEVING HEALTH goals.
One of the most important jobs of a Health Coach and Nutritionist is to assist their clients in setting goals. A health coach provides the support and encouragement to help you set and achieve your goals.
It is critical to have specific and obtainable goals. The first step as a health coach is to help the client identify their goal’s. It is often necessary to break these goals down into a few smaller goals; to eventually achieve their dream goal. If the goal is too big the client gets overwhelmed and quits.
A common pitfall people when setting goals, is not setting specific goals. For instance, people set the goal of “losing weight”, “Feeling Better”, “Having More Energy.” These are all good goals- but they are too vague. A few examples are:
Goal to lose 5 pounds a month for 3 months
Goal to feel better by reducing stomach pain and inflammation. Eliminate stomachache pains after eating. In 30 days identify at least one food trigger to reduce stomachaches to twice a week.
Goal to increase my energy so that I have enough energy to take my dog on a 15 min walk after work for 30 days. in 2 months be able to walk dog 30 min. 3 days a week and 15 min for 2 days a week. in 3 months achieve goal of 30 min walk my dog a day.
Achieving Goals will increase your motivation. It is for this reason it is important to start small. Think how rewarding it is when you not only achieve the goal but do much more.
Another critical thing about goal setting is that you set goals that are important to you. If you don’t care about the goal, you will be unlikely to achieve it. What is it you really want? If you don’t know the answer to this question; It might take some brainstorming with your health coach.
One of my favorite parts of being a health coach is providing the encouragement of all the accomplishments of my clients.
