1. FitCoach Training Summary: Helping Clients Find Their Inner Motivation presented by: Suzanna Allen and Shannon Hendrix Buxton
WellCoach launched a new program FitCoach. Shannon and I were lucky enough to attend a workshop explaining some of the basics of FitCoaching. The full training itself is very expensive and extensive, but we were able to learn quite a few helpful tidbits from the workshop.

2. FitCoach Goals “Help clients to sustain a new healthier lifestyle.”
“Finding their best self.”

3. FitCoach Lessons Intro to FitCoaching Coaching Relationship Skills
Behavior Change
Fitness Planning
Generative Moments
FitCoach Session Example
Here are the six sessions reviewed in the training. However, we will not be going over each lesson. We will be focusing on just a few key points in the first few lessons.

4. What is FitCoaching? FitCoaching focuses on three things:
A close partnership enabling the client to learn, grow, and change
A move from point A to point B where the client determines point B
Supporting the client to take consistent action through scheduled coaching sessions
Note, these sessions should be scheduled separate from ExRx or Personal Trng appts
This technique really focuses on self-efficacy. They strongly encourage us (the coaches) to sit back and let the client speak. This allows the client to set his/her own goals and the path to reach those goals.
During these coaching sessions it is our responsibility to take off our “expert hats” and put on our “coaching hats”. Telling a client what to do doesn’t build confidence, elicit best self, or deliver lasting change. So go against your instinct of bombarding the client with information.
It is not our job to change our clients habits and behaviors, it is their job! We put the ball in their court. By doing so they take responsibility and feel empowered to make these changes.

5. Coaching Relationship Skills
Active Listening
Open-ended Questions
Reflections
Coaching Presence
As a coach we need to practice:
Active listening – don’t anticipate! Be there in the moment and do your best not to think about your next comment or question. Take pauses in the conversation if you need to…who knows they may even ramble more information during the pause.
Open-ended questions – Try to ask all “what” or “how” questions. Stay away from questions that only require a “yes” or “no” response. Also try to stay away from “why” questions as they tend to make the client defensive and feel judged. However, it is okay to ask the client “Why is this change important to you?”
Reflections – After the client speaks, try to summarize what you are hearing. This helps the client to feel more engaged and excited about change. It may even make the client realize what he/she is truly saying.
Coaching Presence – We need to be empathetic, calm, have zest (energy), playful (when appropriate), and courageous. Be sure to validate their feelings, but try not to figure out why they are having these emotions…that is a job for a therapist.

6. Behavior Change Transtheoretical Model of Change
Pros must outweigh the cons
Ask “Are you willing to make this change?”
What actions is the client prepared to make to reach his/her goal?
Transtheoretical Model
-Pre-contemplation
-Contemplation
-Preparation
-Action
-Maintenance
Remember they may be at different stages for the different fitness components (cardio, strength, endurance, flexibility, body comp).
Pros must outweigh the cons. AKA “Sitting in the muck”. They need to say out loud the reasons to exercise. And then we to help them discover the discrepancy between present behavior and their important personal goal.
For example, “I want to exercise”. I want to lose 10lbs and go off of blood pressure medication. However, I am too busy to exercise between work, family, and friends. I don’t have the time.
So they want to change but aren’t willing to give up something to make it happen. Hearing themselves say this out loud and then hearing you reflect what they have said will many times make them “see the light” and take responsibility and action.
Finally find out if they are even willing to make the change. After talking it through with you they may realize that now is not the time…and that is okay. If they are willing to make the change then experiment to find out what works. This may take weeks.

7. How Do You Apply This?
Make it a habit to always ask open-ended questions when talking with your clients.
Meet with your client to determine vision and motivators and to set goals before IFA appointment.
Try to regularly follow up with your client.
Ask open-ended questions in appointments or even when you are out on the floor. This will help you to practice and allow them a chance to seriously think about things.
Ideally:
Coaching Session – determine vision, why they want to change, and set goals on how they are going to change.
IFA – establish a baseline. Doing this after the initial coaching session allows you to have already built rapport with the client and you do not want them to feel that the whole process is number focused. It is about them and their goals.
ExRx – help client to set reasonable weekly goals in order to reach their vision (or 3-6 month goal). As a coach you need to tailor their ExRx to their goals not what you think their goal should be.
Follow-up regularly – focus on and validate successes, ask what worked (more so than what didn’t work), ask for percentage completion (have them put a number to it), and check on progress toward 3-6 month goal (are you on track?)
Stay positive! Focus on successes and what worked.

8. DAY 1: Open ended-questions and Active-Listening
HOMEWORK
DAY 1: Open ended-questions and Active-Listening
Practice using open-ended questions for a 15 minute conversation with a friend or family member.
1. Ask them: Tell me about a time when you were really motivated to change something about yourself.
2. Take notes (physically, if you have to!).
3. Describe their experience back to them as accurately as possible.
4. Get feedback in regards to your accuracy, your questioning techniques, and how comfortable the person felt talking with you.

9. HOMEWORK
DAY 2: Using open-ended questions and reflections with strangers.
Practice the technique from Day 1 with a person you have
never spoken to before in your own health facility.
Ask the person: How is your exercise program coming along?
Use open-ended questions to discover as much as possible about their current routine, past experiences, and current goals.
Reflect their statements back to them in a positive manner .

10. HOMEWORK
DAY 3: Using open-ended questions to establish goals, identify obstacles, and create a plan of action! Practice combining the techniques of open-ended questions, reflecting, and active-listening to help the individual establish an achievable goal and plan of action! Ask individuals what obstacles may hinder them from achieving their goals, and what plans of actions they could take to overcome these obstacles.

11. HOMEWORK DAY 4: Follow Ups Follow up with each individual that you
practiced your techniques with. Be sure to
ask:
If they’ve followed the plan that was discussed.
If they’ve noticed any improvements.
If they’ve encountered any unforeseen obstacles.
What steps that have taken to ensure that they will continue to follow their plan.