posted by Beth, Coach for My Plan After 50
Richard is a 55 year old who has worked in the banking business for the last 25 years. Richard decided to invest in coaching after being told by his doctor that his weight put him at high risk for chronic health problems, including diabetes.
Richard’s story isn’t that different than a lot of people’s. Richard had unsuccessfully attempted diets in the past but found that after a couple of weeks he was no longer following the prescribed food-intake suggestions. Richard also had difficulty being committed to any kind of exercise program. However, this new fear of disease gave Richard motivation. His mother had had diabetes, so he was well aware of the complications that came with the disease.
Richard sought the services of a coach to help him in losing weight. The first step that Richard pursued, with the help of his coach, was to set realistic goals for himself. Instead of stating that he would lose 100 pounds in the next year, Richard broke his weight loss goal down into small, achievable steps. In the first month he reached the goal of eating breakfast every day at home rather than stopping for coffee and donuts on the way to work and limiting his afternoon snacks to fruit instead of the candy bars that he had previously been eating.
In regards to his exercising, Richard realized, through talking with his coach, that the routine of going to the gym daily was not what he enjoyed. Previously he had felt like that the gym was his only exercise option, but he had quickly became bored with that routine. With the help of his coach Richard explored other forms of activity that he enjoyed. He decided to play racquet ball three times a week with a neighbor. This was a sport that he enjoyed both for the social aspects of playing with a friend and also for way he felt after the session. An additional activity that Richard decided to add was walking with his wife in the evening. This gave them time together as well as giving Richard the additional exercise he needed to begin to meet his weight loss goal.
Richard set his own goals but had the support and encouragement of his coach. By keeping his goals attainable and being accountable to his coach, Richard was able to achieve the weight loss that he desired.
To me, Richard’s story is a profound example of the power of coaching.
Filed under: Case Studies
