Are you curious why a health coach needed to hire her own health coach? For someone who craved routine and a tightly packed schedule, there were areas of my life where I knew I was not living optimally. I wanted freedom from my constant battle of what to do and when to do it because there was already so much on my plate. Sometimes even when you know what to do, it is hard to push yourself to do it. Here’s the truth: all good coaches need coaches too. There is nothing wrong with investing in yourself, no matter what the investment is, and life is too precious to wait on investing in your own health.
When I hired a health coach, I was in the middle of my graduate degree. Grad school was by far one of the most demanding times in my life. As a type A, type 1 enneagram, my life was already used to structure and routine and I thrive off of it. So, when it came to juggling three jobs and a full time course load, it didn’t really dawn on me just how much I was struggling.
It was in the second year of school when I started to realize how much it was taking a toll on me. I was not afraid to prioritize my health, however I knew that I wasn’t really prioritizing the right things. I often felt like I had to hold up that area of my life because I had to practice what I preached to all my students and clients. One of my jobs was working as a personal trainer, so I was already at the gym during the week, which meant that my workouts were not something that I was willing to sacrifice in my demanding schedule. I pushed myself in the gym even on days when I could have spent more time doing homework or just simply resting.
It was hard for me to take time for myself to fully rest. I had so much going on in both my personal and professional life that it all became just too much to handle on my own. So, when I made the decision to hire a health coach it was to create more freedom, not to cause any more stress or give me more than I could handle. Hiring a health coach allowed me to worry less about my own health so that I could continue to pour into others. Having accountability is huge and having someone to guide you into a new level of health is life changing.
Even though I knew that I was ready and eager to let someone else take the reins in my journey, there were still a few concerns that came up when I was deciding whether this was the right investment for me. The three big concerns you feel when investing in a health coach:
- Time
- Money
- Yourself
What you have to understand is this: there will never be the perfect time to hire a health coach or invest in your health. There will always be circumstances or things in life that might “get in the way” or make you feel like now is not the right timing. So, my question is this: when is the right time for you to put your health first?
Your health is the most valuable thing that you have. If you keep putting off the management of it, then you will only make things worse in the long run. Time is a construct, and YOU get to decide what you do with you 24 hours in a day. It might feel like it is hard to make time to take care of yourself, but believe me, it is better to start now than to wait until the “right time.” When you understand that it doesn’t have to take time away from your schedule, but rather can add time by giving you freedom and more energy, investing in your health will always be worth it.
Financial commitment is another concern when hiring a health coach. The money that you pay needs to at least equal the value that you are getting, and almost always in the end you see how the value exceeds the cost. What you get out of health coaching directly relates to what you put into it. The coach cannot do the work for you. You have to show up for yourself. I know this is often the hardest part, but your coach can literally coach you through it.
We all have bad days, but one bad day with a coach is better than one bad day without one. Let’s face it, this healthy journey can be lonely, hard and overwhelming. There are so many emotions to feel and grow through. Understand this: a coach who is well qualified and educated will care about you and your success so deeply that you will wonder why you ever waited to hire one to begin with.
When you walk away from a coaching experience feeling empowered and educated, and know that you have evolved as a person, the value of your health is priceless. You just can’t put a price on health. What you do now lays the foundation for your future. When you put in effort now to become more in tune with your body and how to best care for it, you are setting yourself up for success and a healthier future.
The final concern: yourself. Getting out of your own way can be hard and scary. You have to be ready to commit and put in the work. It is time to start believing in yourself and stop making excuses. The things that held you back in the past will continue to do so until you un-learn them and start telling yourself all the reasons why you can and will succeed.
This is a journey. One that we are not really meant to have to do on our own. Motivation is fleeting and will not always be there, so it is up to you to lay the foundation and understand why this is so important to you. This is where the value of a coach comes in, because they can fight for your goals instead of fueling your excuses. As a coach, I will fight for you, educate you, and help empower you to take back your power in your health and wellness.
Are you ready to start your health journey now?
Take the leap – wellness is waiting.