Who among you has ever needed to talk to someone? Yes, someone to hear you out. Someone who really listens. Someone who can give you advice, encouragement or expertise. They listen with their ears, yes. But, they also understand what you are saying, by seeing it first hand. They can practically touch that feeling you are having.
Do you ever think to yourself “I wish someone could help me with ___”? This could be anything: a challenging meeting, a new restaurant or even a dreaded conversation with a friend.
We all know professional athletes have coaches. Corporations across the globe use a bevy of professional coaches. Some believe the reason for Tim Cook’s success as Apple CEO after the death of Steve Jobs is due to his own ability to coach his staff. A Fortune magazine article says “…he behaves much more like a coach who trusts his players than the manipulative mastermind Jobs was.”
So, ask yourself. Why don’t you use a coach?
Are you approaching your fitness the same way theses athletes and corporations approach their top priorities? How important is your longevity? Furthermore, how important is it that you exercise properly and maintain 99% perfect form, remain injury free and actually accomplish your fitness goal?
At Fitness on the Run, we espouse another set of eyes on all exercises. I always have a trainer watch my movements. I want to ensure I complete the movements correctly and want to receive the best training effect possible. With another person’s expertise, they will see necessary improvements, inefficiencies and even successes that you won’t.
Better yet, a trainer knows how to subtly communicate to you that you need some corrections. We learn the skills of communication through our certifications.
When you are on your own, the responsibility to complete the exercise correctly, prevent injury, accomplish the goal of the exercise and approach the session in a holistic way is all yours. Getting someone to watch you is almost as important as many gulps of water in this August heat.
Imagine there was a book about how to “be.” Really a book about how to live your life and what to do when things go well… and when things are rocky.
Life throws all kinds of surprises your way. If you had a guidebook on how to manage all of the “unexpecteds” and that would hold your hand through all of the good and bad choices – boy wouldn’t that be great!?
While, yes, you can charge ahead unfettered by other’s perspectives. Would you really be living your life to its fullest?
You could probably make your way through your life by reading a book or blog or, better yet, by passing off the latest challenge with a “I’ll do it better or different next time” or conjure an excuse why it didn’t turn out your way.
But it’s a lot more fun to master this “life” thing with support from people more experienced than you.
Enlist the support of the dozens of specialists in our area who have the expertise you need to navigate. At Fitness on the Run, we have a pool of specialists from Physical Therapists, Chiropractors, Surgeons, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, etc. who we trust to refer our clients. We encourage open communication between those specialists and our clients. We hunger for expanded knowledge based on a client’s needs.
Granted, the right coach will care much less about whether you wear a sweater or clean your room, but like parents, they are living, breathing, three-dimensional storehouses of experience, wisdom, and expertise.
You’ve probably had some good teachers along the way, such as school teachers and professors and camp counselors. But the less formal teachers, like your great aunt or your once-in-a-lifetime-
Real wisdom. Wisdom that you still hold dear. The stuff that defines you. That came from the people with whom you’ve associated. Most likely, they are people of influence, like a family member, a teacher or a coach.
