Nutrition coaching is often seen as a specialized service reserved for celebrities or top-level athletes. However, it has been my experience that newbies and veteran exercisers alike can benefit from an expert’s perspective on the eating portion of their fitness goals. Let’s take a look at several benefits of hiring a nutrition coach:
Over the last twenty-five years, I can’t tell you how many times I have spoken with clients who have started on a mission to improve their nutrition. They’ve related that day one is the motivation high when they feel invincible and like nothing can get in the way of their goals. By day five, things might start to get a little shaky, but they are still hopeful. But a couple of weeks in and their optimism has all but left and they’ve started to believe now just isn’t the right time.
This scenario highlights one of the most valuable reasons for hiring a nutrition professional: accountability. Any coach worth their salt will help you stay on track when the going gets tough, whether it’s day five, or day five hundred. Giving up will not be an option and a skilled nutritionist will help you track, adapt and adjust your eating to ensure you continue to make progress towards your health and wellness goals.
By the same token, we can often get in our own path. The way we perceive ourselves and our past relationship with food can cloud our emotions and we can end up self-sabotaging even the best-laid plan. When working with a qualified nutrition specialist, they will offer unbiased feedback and insights to help you overcome these challenges.
Likewise, I wish I had a dollar for every client who has sat down with me to discuss their nutrition goals and told me they, “eat pretty healthy,” or they, “know everything they should be doing.” Unfortunately, if either of these scenarios were true, they wouldn’t be sitting across the table from me. if instead, you approach your need to make nutritional changes with an open mind, ready to trust your nutrition coach, they can help you wade through the misinformation and pitfalls that have held you back.
Equally important, is the discipline a nutrition coach can help you build. When motivation fades, as it always will at some point, a great coach can help you build habits that turn into structure and translate into consistency. This consistency is the key to long-term eating on-purpose success. This discipline doesn’t fade and will reliably support you when times get tough.
Beyond teaching you the tools needed to overcome your challenges, your nutrition coach can help ensure you are eating safely, with adjustments made to ensure you are keeping a strong focus on your long-term health and well-being. This balance is another key to keeping yourself mentally strong while pursuing these important life habits.
Furthermore, when we seek to build long-term skills, it is important to have someone on your side to help you avoid taking shortcuts. There are plenty of them out there including diets that work in extreme ways to dramatically cut calories. While restrictive diets can work to drop weight in the short term, it is the long game of balance that produces long-lasting change and the best chance for permanent lifestyle adjustments.
This controlled transformation is what responsible nutrition coaching, like Matt Hartsky offers at Transforming Strength, looks like. No dramatic rebounds, no more frustrating lack of weight loss progress, and no more guessing about what, when, or how to eat. Take control of your health with the help and benefits of a professional nutrition coach.