Everyone benefits from coaching, a fact proven within the fitness industry long ago, when personal training was developed into a very acceptable and common practice.
Although there was previously a negative stigma attached to hiring a coach, for reasons such as appearing weak or unmotivated, that mindset has thankfully been replaced by the knowledge that a good coach can be essential for growth and development. Today, there is a coach for almost everyone across all industries, and even for personal development.
Coaches influence individuals, or even a team, to reach their potential or exceed limiting belief developing them to be at the top of his or her game.
Some examples of coaches include business, financial, strategy, team development, sales, life, personal, health and fitness.
What is new to the coaching scene, however, comes from the nutrition/weight loss industry, and that is a food coach — someone hired to coach people how to properly consume real food to reach the intended goal. Most elite or professional athletes have used this type of coaching for decades, although this type of coach was not yet identified as such.
According to statistics, over 70 million adults in U.S. identified as obese (35 million men and 35 million women), and 99 million adults were overweight (45 million women and 54 million men). NHANES 2016 statistics showed that about 39.6% of American adults were obese. That’s quite alarming, and clearly shows there is a need for this new type of coach.
Food coaches are mainly connected to the fitness industry and aligned with nutrition programming being offered within the setting of a lifestyle, multi-modality fitness club that is defined as providing all the necessary elements to develop true wellness and health.
The healthcare industry is taking notice of this new type of coach and seeing the benefits of a preventive approach with their consumers, and rewarding clubs with new business. As long as the food coach has an accredited certification and is utilizing lifestyle-based nutrition programming approved by both nutritionists and registered dieticians, the healthcare industry is developing acceptance for this approach.
Important to consider, however, is that without team development coaching, it would be unreasonable to expect a food coach to also know how to develop customized nutrition programming, business implementation, marketing for new business, and execution of how a food coach can thrive within an existing fitness club setting. There is never one person behind a success story.
For the food coach to flourish and develop a strong presence, that requires all departments within the fitness club to support them. Each department needs to be coached to provide their specific expertise for this new profit center to succeed.
Carolyn Fetters is the CEO and founder of Balanced Habits™, who has partnered with 175 fitness businesses, with various business models, all across the U.S. and Canada. Balanced Habits™ offers team development coaching, along with an accredited food coach certification, ensuring successful implementation of a new profit center for a fitness club. Reach her at carolyn@balancedhabits.com or by visiting balancedhabits.com.
