I’m sure we’ve all felt “stuck” in life for one reason or another. Maybe you’ve had some long-term goals for a while now and aren’t reaching them. 

Perhaps judgment and low self-confidence get in the way of consistent progress as you focus on what isn’t working versus what is. Or, it could be a matter of dealing with some consistent worries, fears, doubts, or disappointments based on your track record of starting on a path to change but losing your way after a couple of days or weeks.

If you’ve been trying to make changes to your health and wellness for a while now, and you are feeling “stuck”, what do you think needs to change? Any ideas? When I ask this question, I’m coming from a place of understanding that change isn’t easy, even if it is a change that you recognize is the best thing for you. 

“When we get stuck, we often wait for external change to happen. But change doesn’t happen to us, it comes from within us. Change is scary and painful, but it’s also necessary for getting unstuck. And when that happens, many opportunities open up.” ~ The Seleni Institute

What if I told you that you have a team of professionals at Metabolic Living ready and willing to help you make sustainable changes to your life? Even better, what if I told you that research indicates that health coaches can help you lower your disease risk, enhance your self-efficacy, and increase your overall quality of life?

We all know that health fads come and go, but health coaching has strong evidence behind it, proving that it is extremely effective for improving one’s health and well-being. While health coaching shouldn’t be confused with therapy, it can be viewed as a similar process since it involves two people discussing obstacles and challenges, exchanging ideas on how to work through those obstacles and challenges, and setting goals accordingly. 

However, rather than the coach being in the driver’s seat, you (the client) are part of a collaborative process that is more of a partnership. Just as we encourage our clients to think of weight loss as a process rather than a protocol, coaching our clients through the process is entirely unique to YOU. We take the time to get to know you as we work to better understand your psychology, preferences, practical circumstances, and physiology. 

While there may be overlap from client to client in terms of the education we provide, no two coaching calls are ever exactly the same. Each call is client-driven, meaning you determine the focus. Upon sharing your week and stats, we do things like celebrate victories and work through continuous challenges with your mindset, movement, metabolism, or meals.

We understand that being the client isn’t always easy. We sometimes have to dig a bit to uncover your deeper “why” in order to understand your motivators or why it’s important to you to change. In fact, research studies show that people who are changing for their own reasons, and on their own terms, have a greater success rate than those who have someone telling them what to do.

If, as coaches, we tell you exactly what to eat, how much to move or exercise, and how to structure your day to minimize stress, you may feel like a failure if you aren’t able to follow our plan 100% of the time. As a result, your motivation may fade and your resistance to change may go up. 

I often compare it to parenting. If I tell my children that they can’t have or do something, that thing they want becomes even more exciting, appealing, or desirable. 

“…humans are also notoriously curious creatures, so when you label something as the forbidden fruit and then say someone can’t have it, you ultimately make them want it even though they might not have even wanted it to begin with.” ~ Anthony Bouchard

As one last piece of research reinforcement, this study shows how important self-monitoring is to the process of weight loss. It also highlights how coach-provided individualized feedback related to the act of self-monitoring increases consistency in a large percentage of individuals. And personalization proves to be more effective than automated forms of social media where tips are provided but you have no one to help support you in putting those tips into action. 

If you are ready to become the detective rather than the dieter, or you’ve been trying to do this on your own and feel like you are getting nowhere, we’d love to support you! Head over to our coaching page for more on how you can get started with your own Metabolic Optimization Health Coach today!

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