Coach’s Corner – Helping Clients Through the Holidays

Holidays are a tough time for so many, and the 2020 holiday season might just take the cake for stress, depression, overeating, isolation, and more. As a coach, you might be the one voice of inspiration and motivation in your clients’ lives.

I know, you may be struggling with motivation too. Thankfully, motivating others is usually motivating for you too!

I’ve written a lot about staying motivated and on track through the holidays over the years. From holiday eating tips to a guide for being successful at the start of the year, I’m confident that you can find the right tools.

But what about your clients?

Start with allowing them some grace, and then gear up to stay in front of them and help them navigate through this stressful time.

Teach Preparation

Whether your clients are staying home this holiday season, traveling, or simply having a meal or two with family or friends, encourage them to be prepared before the food is on the table. That might mean bringing their own meals or snacks, providing a healthier option to a heavy side item, or knowing that the holiday meal is going to be the meal where they don’t follow their meal plan (and being okay with that).

Stay Top of Mind

Holidays are a hectic time–pandemic or not–so stay in front of your customers with regular check-ins. Send them a holiday card, drop them a direct message, or give them a quick phone call to see how they’re doing and offer support. Sometimes just a quick message is enough to remind them of the health and fitness goals you established together.

Provide Accountability

It’s difficult enough to stay on track without the holidays throwing us off–even for coaches. If you want your clients to experience success and come out of 2020 better off than they are now, provide some accountability! One idea is to start a group with prize money at the end. Everyone contributes $5 to a pot and everyone who follows through on their goals is entered to win the prize money at the end.

If you’re running an online group, be sure to post some creative check-ins and encourage your clients to post on them. I often offer a small prize to one of the people that comment as a special thank you (I either pick the winner at random or say the first one to reply to this post will get something fun in the mail from me). People love to get gifts, even when they don’t know what it will be.

Schedule a Meetup

Most places still aren’t allowing large gatherings, but that shouldn’t stop you from Zoom workouts or check-ins in real-time. If you’re working from your computer all day, you could host a drop-in call where customers can pop in to ask questions “face to face” when it’s convenient for them. Just give them your personal meeting room Zoom link and stay by your computer during the times you have the room open.

I think we can all use a little bit of added support this year, whether you’re struggling with your health and wellness goals or just need an extra shoulder to lean on. The support you offer your customers will probably do you some good too!