Life Coach

TammyLanham

I've been working with a life coach since January 18th and have lost nearly 18 pounds. Was wondering if anybody else is working with one or a trainer, etc. and what kind of results are you seeing?

audjrey

I AM a life coach/fitness trainer and get results with my clients every time. Most are truly worth the money. Key, however, is to find one that truly listens as well as commands.
Congratulations on your successes!!

crystaltrejo

wish I could afford one.

baldzach

I AM a life coach/fitness trainer and get results with my clients every time. Most are truly worth the money. Key, however, is to find one that truly listens as well as commands.
Congratulations on your successes!!

How did you get into this field? I would LOVE to do this for a living. My background is marketing, but I've been looking into personal training for a while now and I think I could just about pass the NSCA credential. I would love to know a bit more about your background. (Sorry if this is a hijack from the OP).

Aeriel

Nope, I did this all on my own.....or rather with the support of friends/family . Lost half the weight the first 3-4 months and then about half that the next 3-4 months....slowing down but almost at goal too.

TammyLanham

The life coach I use offers a free session to get you started - it's worth taking advantage of that to get a jump start. He also offers really affordable packages. He's not afriad to kick my butt when I need it either!

audjrey

In response to baldzach:

[/quote]How did you get into this field? I would LOVE to do this for a living. My background is marketing, but I've been looking into personal training for a while now and I think I could just about pass the NSCA credential. I would love to know a bit more about your background. (Sorry if this is a hijack from the OP).
[/quote]

It's been said people are born to a path and others become it. In my case I think it's been a combination of both.

My interest in the health and fitness industry occurred between the ages of nine and twelve. Back then I was introduced to the wonderful worlds of gymnastics and running. I used to wake at 6:30 a.m. just so I could run a mile before going to school. Each night after school I practiced one gymnastic move for 3-5 hours until I had it perfected. Sometimes one move would take me months to perfect. Sadly, my body simply was not able to contort to some of the moves no matter how hard I tried.

I entered a gym for the first time when I was 17. I still remember picking up a dumbbell and the intense sensation of deep internal familiarity of holding such an object in my hand. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do with the darn thing, and there wasn't anyone around for me to ask, so I put it back down and walked away, but the overwhelming sensation never left me. I know that sounds strange and a little corny, but I think that moment was a pivotal landmark on my life's journey.

I had always been a twig of a figure growing up, and because I grew up as the youngest of six siblings in an unstable and violent environment, strength and the need to look and feel strong became paramount. Somehow, even though I didn't understand it back then, I intuitively knew strength was the key to the solution of my problem.

Later, when I was 18, I heard about a two-day one-weekend YMCA aerobics certification course and immediately applied. Unfortunately I was unable to fulfill the entirety of my apprenticeship and was never formally certified.

Twenty years later I re-certified as a YMCA group fitness leader specializing in what's called Muscle Works using a wide variety of props (stepper, bands, bars, tubing, plates & weights, dumbbells, stability ball, etc). It was then that I learned how not only to hold a dumbbell, but how to yield it to maximize its power. Now I know it's strange to think a dumbbell has power, because in truth it does not. And, yet, the power a dumbbell has to make one powerful is its power. It was this realization that was the innate sensation I felt all those years ago. Being a warrior of justice, fairness, and equality of all living beings, a dumbbell represented the opportunity for a strength beyond sight. When women lift weights they feel a strong inner power emerging from behind the depths of an even stronger and inner weakness. One woman I trained and coached told me it was as if she had been turned inside out, as if the outer strength she had developed from lifting weights had now become her core of inner strength and determination while the inner weakness emerged in the form of receptivity, genuine concern for others and honest compassion for all living creatures.

As is my customary style, I created my own version of Muscle Works with a primary focus on developing overall strength, stamina, and almost perfect physical symmetry. I created and developed exercise programs for the four primary body shapes while considering body type. And because I created and choreographed all my own routines (low-impact, high-intensity interval circuit training - a.k.a. kick-*kitten* bootcamp), as well as helping other instructors create theirs, I was asked by many Y clients if I would develop programs for them that they could do for the other 3-5 days that I wasn't teaching. Consequently, I created safe strength exercise programs for pregnant women as they continued to progress throughout their pregnancies, individuals with joint and mobility issues, people with physical disabilities, impairments, dis-ease and illnesses, seniors, teens, and t'weens. My client base grew naturally outside the Y as more and more people talked and heard about my services.

Ironically, I've never charged for my services. And at this point, I'm not sure I ever would. But you know what they say, never say never, right!?

Someone once told me I'm paying off some type of karmic debt. Who knows? All I know is I truly love and care for people and want to help end suffering, especially the suffering from the pain we inflict upon ourselves.

During that time and because I had accumulated 20 years worth of fitness information, and because I was now taking the personal trainer program through the YMCA, and because I was (at the time) a life-long long-distance endurance runner, and because I had run several races, and because I had many runners in my class, I naturally evolved into a trainer for runners.

Most recently, and as a result of my ex-husband becoming diabetic, I've re-thought how I perceive health and diet. And it has occurred to me that varying physical activities require varying dietary needs. Runners need more instant fuel in the form of simple and complex carbs, whereas weight lifters need more dense fuel like proteins and fat. The average person who dabbles a little in both requires a little of this and a little of that. And each human body is different and responds differently to stress, diet, exercise, rest, etc., so it's all about getting to know the individual and constantly tweaking physical and dietary programs to meet their individual needs. There is no such thing as one prescription for all. That's probably the most challenging opportunity you'll ever have to tackle, but it's also the area of greatest learning and most fun.

Becoming a certified life coach was a formality to something I've done most of my life. I think it is the perfect compliment to all my years of ongoing education and experience as a fitness leader, pioneering spirit, and life mentor.

In spite of growing up in poverty, money has always come easy to me. I come from a long-line of pioneers & entrepreneurs. I started working in my family business by the age of nine. I became an entrepreneur by the time I was 12. I owned an Organic Waste Management company selling horse manure to local gardeners. Fancy title, don't you think lol! I never dictated my price but allowed others to pay what they deemed appropriate. As a result, I was earning a 400 percent profit margin and raking in some serious loot.

My first introduction to finances came when I had to figure out, all by myself, how to spend my money wisely. With only so much money to spend and so many competing desires and a much-needed requirement for necessities, like clothes (I always wore hand-me-downs), I quickly learned the value of a dollar.

From that experience I was able to counsel young men and women on how to manage their finances and careers. I saved many a young man from financial ruin by teaching them how to prioritize their debts (pay their bills first, put money in their savings next, and then spend the rest wisely) and their lives! I've coached several women before, during and after in the creation of their own successful businesses and have helped teens establish their first businesses when no one else would hire them.

In 35 years I've had over 250 jobs and 8 careers. I've worked in accounting, collections, marketing, advertising, public relations, administration, sales, hospitality, housekeeping, retail, interior decorating, professional driving, freelance writing, and many other things I can't even recall anymore.

I used to volunteer for a non-profit organization to promote awareness of domestic violence against women and children. As a result of my speaking engagements, and because I too am a survivor of domestic violence, I found myself counseling women and children in troubled situations. I've counseled young women within minutes after being raped, seniors grieving over the loss of their spouses, families dealing with a mental health issues, and people with every form of addiction possible. I've mediated in domestic squabbles, resolved long-standing family conflicts, and have helped many people learn to love them selves again.

So that's about it in a nutshell, of course there's much I have left out - such as my life-long battle with eating disorders, low self-esteem and poor body image. These are areas of my life that I draw from when trying to help others.

If I could pass along any advice to anyone thinking of entering any type of field whereby they want to help others it would be this:

Having gone through an ordeal and coming out stronger is what makes you a potential leader for others providing you don't allow yourself to get caught up in thinking, "my way is the only way". Do that and you'll seldom be trusted. Recognize that we are all unique and that just because something worked for you or for another client doesn't mean it will necessarily work for everyone you meet. And no matter how much you learn from experience or books, you'll never know it all, and are, consequently, learning while at the same time teaching. Always be humble. Always listen and be receptive. Yet most importantly, never let your excuses become another's or let another's excuses become yours. You know what you know and what you know is almost always intuitive. Of that you can be certain. As for the rest of your knowledge, take it with a grain of salt and always be the student while at the same time growing into teacher.

Hope this helps.