How many times have we all been to a conference, participated in a retreat, have we all ra ra’d up, and then hit… back to reality, and your current reality is not your physiological happy place. Despair is a devastating emotion.
We all have. Very often there is a big difference between theory and reality. We all know someone who knows all the rhetoric from the textbooks, but there is an endless cycle of “but, but, but” why this knowledge is not applicable in their case.
Our health is worth everything. Let’s face it: what good is it to ourselves, our families and our company if we are not healthy? According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 75% of our chronic diseases can be prevented by modifying our lifestyle, but we must make sure that we modify those aspects of our health; otherwise, we will not improve our health. And of course… we need to find a program that fits our hectic and crazy schedules, our tastes, medical risk factors… there are a variety of specific needs that must be met to ensure a successful program.
Weather. This seems to be the universal scapegoat for not exercising, preparing healthy foods…time is an excuse, and the right program for you will address this limitation.
A study conducted by the American Heart Association in 2011 showed that remote health training can be as effective as in-person training in improving measures that potentially contribute to heart disease.
There are a plethora of corporate health programs that provide generic health information available on various websites. The true talent and value of a health coach is one who looks at your current lifestyle habits, designs programs for you, and tests them with you, working with you in that important phase of implementation. Granted, retouching or going back to the drawing board is inevitable. Once again, more theoretical rhetoric, if the testing phase is not there. Have you ever seen a personal trainer prescribe the same workout and exercises for all of their clients? I sometimes watch personal trainers make clients do movements that are clearly contraindicated for the clients’ obvious physiological limitations. Lunges are definitely not for everyone, and don’t get me started on crunches. However, trainers have their repertoire of old supportive exercises, regardless of clients’ skeletal weaknesses.
Yes, we can encourage someone to join a gym, but if they’re only going to go a couple of times a week, that’s not cool. We need to design a lifestyle that integrates physical activity throughout the day. We know that it is our sedentary time that has become the plague of our time. The danger of depending on a gym is that people think “Okay, I can’t go to the gym, so I guess I’ll work out tomorrow, tomorrow…” depending on a gym for our physical activity can be deadly. de-identify, physical activity programs should be designed with the demands of that person in mind. How about a parent who works and drops the kids off at daycare, goes to work, picks up the kids, cooks dinner…they’re excited to attend an exercise class on the weekend, is it good for them, but it’s not enough? . A good program will address these challenges.
What if the person is in a stressful relationship? We know that relationship stress can cause many symptoms of metabolic syndrome that lead to heart disease. Even if the person is fit, it is necessary to manage the stress of the relationship. What if the person smokes, thinks the only food comes from a drive-thru, spends more time on a plane than in his living room, has 100 pounds of fat to lose, drinks alcohol to excess, is in a wheelchair? wheels, are you worried about an illness? prevention, concerned about cancer prevention, mental focus, have known medical issues… A good health coaching program will guide you through your risks and lead you to a proactive and physiologically rewarding lifestyle.
An effective health coaching program will take a detailed assessment of your own medical needs and risk factors, lifestyle patterns and habits that need modification or elimination, and create that program that will be tried and true for you. And most of all, the “R” in relapse is for reality: a good program will help you recognize the signs and build a track to get back on track.
There is a health training program that is right for you and your employees. Be picky, don’t settle for pre-packaged, or have someone dictate what’s available. Your health requirements are the determining factor.