Accountability

Recently, I finished a course on life coaching for yoga instructors, focused on taking the practice of yoga “off the mat and into life.” It was a great class, chock full of thought-provoking discussions, exercises, and readings. One of the class requirements was to do a set number of practice coaching sessions on willing participants, following the prescribed “coaching model.”

I was very nervous to dip my toes in the coaching waters for a variety of reasons. However, I forged ahead and in the end, I had many great sessions. I learned a tremendous amount about what struggles my friends and students are facing on the health and wellness front. Finding time to exercise, emotional eating, and health concerns were common themes. In the sessions, I helped these clients narrow the focus of their overarching issues and develop some short-term action items to help move them forward towards their wellness goals.

I had some sort of follow-up session, either in person or via email, with each client. A common theme in all of these follow-up communications was accountability. Several women shared that knowing that I would be checking in on their progress, they were truly motivated to work on their action items. Trigger foods were removed from the house, appointments were made, food logs were started, exercise schedules were created and followed, and more.

It was very gratifying to see the progress these women made in a relatively short amount of time. Often, just pausing to think about our goals (wellness or otherwise), write them down, and then share them with someone who will support your efforts, can spur us into action and subsequent success. And very often, this initial success inspires us to work even harder.

This is not to say we all need to go hire a coach to help us work towards our health and wellness goals. I do think it is essential to have a partner or support system helping you along the way. Is there a friend you can partner with to do weekly check-ins on your fitness goals? Perhaps you can explore an online community to support your weight loss efforts. Consider enlisting your spouse to check in with you during your “stress eating” hours. Think outside the box and aim to be accountable to someone other than yourself.

Be well.