5 Mistakes I’ve Made As A Health Coach And Successful Woman

1. Trying to be, do and have it all

There’s no better way to hinder your body and life transformation than to get caught up in boring clutter and the (non?)-essentials of a busy life. In the book the Power of Less (my favourite productivity tome), author Leo Baubauta suggests clearing away the non-essentials of your life, and it’s a lesson I’ve taken to heart when it comes to what I expect of myself. I’ve found that I am at my happiest (and most productive!) when I focus on just one thing at a time. I don’t even mean day to day, but in general – i.e. work on just one big project in my business at once. I believe it’s a myth that we can really be, do and have it all, and really – who would want to? The fun is in finding the really really cool stuff to focus your energy on, and then getting rid of the rest.

2. Following the rules of nutrition and/or fat loss

I used to follow the ‘rules’ of nutrition and fat loss and I looked like this:

Now I eat like this:

And I look like this:

Actually, I look leaner than that 🙂 that was taken after 2 weeks over-eating in the US! (More photos next week; I’ve been slack there I know!)

3. Believing that just because something worked before that it will work again

This is one of the worst mistakes I’ve ever made on a personal level, but also professionally. The prime example here is thinking that the ‘old’ rules of fat loss will work. The reality is that 20 years ago it truly WAS easier to be in shape. There was less environmental and food toxicity, more eating at home, more everyday movement, less technology, less processed food, maybe even more sleep and less stress … the list goes on.

If there’s one thing we can rely on when it comes to living our best life and being truly fit and healthy, it’s CHANGE. Getting my head around this idea has allowed me to focus on results rather than day-dreams.

4. Assuming that something that works for me will work for my clients

This is another big no-no for any health coach, and something I was guilty of time and again in my first few years as a trainer. From 2000-2005 I pretty much trained all of my clients like bodybuilders (and – sorry if you were with me back then – put them on tuna and broccoli diets), because that’s what I was doing. And why was I doing it? Because that’s what my coach told me to do based on his eating and training habits! When it comes to health and fat loss, and definitely when it comes to what to eat, one size does not fit all.

These days I assess my clients thoroughly using Biosignature as my key tool, and I structure a personalised program based on that assessment. From there I tweak and tweak and tweak until we get the desired result – there is no assumption in success.

5. Doing what I should do rather than what I’m drawn to do

Ugh. This one gets me again and again. I hear what someone else is doing with their business, their blog, or even with their training and nutrition, and curiosity gets the better of me. I’m like a bird drawn to bright shiny objects … I just can’t keep away. This can definitely have its advantages, but all too often it end in frustration and resentfulness as I grind away at something I never wanted to be doing in the first place and that doesn’t even fit in with my values and my goals.

I’m getting better … these days I regularly journal about what’s important to me, and it helps keep me on track. I try to drown out the ‘noise’ of all the shoulds and coulds 🙂

What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve made in your quest for a healthier and happier life?

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