Curious what exactly is an accountability coach? If you are looking to improve your overall wellness or lose weight, should you hire an accountability coach? What are a few ways that an accountability coach may help you along your health journey? Let’s explore several ways that an accountability coach could help you if you want to lose weight, improve your eating habits, or stay consistent with your workouts. We'll also unpack how to know which coach is the right coach for you to hire.
Before we dive into these topics, let’s first address one big concept. The desire to improve your overall health and wellness does not necessarily mean that you want to lose weight. These two things do not always go hand in hand. I truly believe that to my core. Some women come to me with the desire to lose weight, and yes, I do help them with that goal. Other clients do not necessarily wish to lose weight, but they may want to become more consistent with workouts and improve their eating habits. Wherever you are today, it is perfect. Don't feel the need to label your motivation as one or the other just yet. I understand weight loss can be very triggering for some, and I want you to know you are safe in a space with me.
What is an Accountability Coach?
By definition, Merriam Webster defines the word accountability as, “the quality or state of being accountable. Especially an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions.” Simply put, when I hear the word accountability, I think it means to actually do what you say you are going to do. Therefore, an accountability coach is someone who will help you stick to your plans, help you follow through on your promises, and accept responsibility for when you do or don’t do something you said you would.
There are many different types of accountability coaches in the coaching industry. Let’s focus on accountability coaching through the lens of health and wellness. An accountability coach could help you plan out a week of workouts, teach you how to meal plan, check in with you daily or weekly to see if you are following through with your plans, and help you begin to see patterns with your behavior that you wish to change.
Before we dive in more on how an accountability coach could help you lose weight or improve your workout consistency, if you are desiring support from an accountability coach, I invite you to check out a few different ways we can work together here. I support women who wish to lose weight, raise their energy levels, workout more consistently, improve their eating habits, or simply boost their overall health. I’ve helped over 100 women through accountability coaching since launching my coaching business. If you are craving support, education, or community within your health journey, I would be honored to help you. Reach out any time, my friend or you can subscribe to my email newsletter so that you don't miss a THING from yours truly.
Should You Hire an Accountability Coach?
The motivation for someone to hire an accountability coach can vary person to person. Some women come to me with a desire to lose weight, and feel that they cannot do it on their own. Other women come to me wanting to learn better strategies for eating healthier, but they just don’t know where to start. Some come to me completely exhausted and defeated because they just can’t keep the promises they make to themselves. Most of the clients I’ve worked with have tried many other avenues to lose weight or improve their wellness. Many of the women that come to me know what to do, but they just have a hard time with the follow through. The most common theme amongst the women that I work with is that they seem to put their health and wellness at the very bottom of the to do list. Everyone else’s needs and wants come first. Her job, her business, her kids, her husband, her family, her friends, her pets…it all comes first. IF there is any sliver of time left over, that’s when she ‘might’ get in a workout or try to meal prep. Remember the oxygen mask analogy we hear when we hop on an airplane? Put the oxygen mask on you first, mama, and then put the oxygen mask on your children. Your healthy habits are the oxygen mask. You’ve got to be well first before you can take care of anyone else.
What Does an Accountability Coach Help You With?
This may vary coach to coach, but I can share with you the things I help my clients with on a daily and weekly basis. My coaching style is different than most other coaches I’ve met. I don’t have a cookie cutter approach or formula to give you. I don’t think one solution fits for everyone. In fact, I believe that our health and wellness is an experiment. Everything we do while we’re working together is an experiment. Your body will give us the feedback and the data that we need. You’re feeling better and have more energy? That’s data. Is your skin clearing up? That’s data. Are you bloated after you eat a specific food? That’s data. Do you feel amazing after a long walk outside? That’s data. Does your resting heart rate decrease after doing intermittent fasting for a few weeks? That is data. Everything we do together is an experiment, and everything you body tells us is feedback/data.
I like to meet my clients where they are. That looks different from person to person. One woman’s chapter one could look like another woman’s chapter 15. We are all at different starting points, and I like to meet you where you are today. Not where you were 5 years ago or where you want to be in 1 year. Where you are today. We will do an initial assessment of what you desire, what things you want to work on, what is working and what is not working well for you, and many other things to help me build a plan specifically designed for you. We will take a few small baby steps and then build upon those baby steps. Habit stacking and stretch goals are foundation to long-term success and sustainability. Especially with your nutrition, your workouts, and your healthy habits.
The secret sauce is having me - your accountability coach - checking in with you throughout the week. How are things going? Did you make it to the gym when you planned to? How about meal prep? What felt hard last week? How can we make that one thing feel easier for you? These questions and check-ins are not to induce shame. These touch points are to remind you that you have a coach in your corner. These remind you that you have someone who is holding you to the standards you have set for yourself. You’ve got someone to answer to. You’ve got someone to help you through the hard times and to celebrate the wins with you. I’m there for it all.
Which Coach is the Right Coach For You?
I truly believe that investing in coaching, mentorship, and education/training is some of the best money that you’ll ever spend. Last year alone, I spent over $8,000 on coaching and mentorship to help me grow as a woman and as an entrepreneur. When I say it’s money well spent, I am a walking embodiment of that. However, it matters WHO you hire. Here are a few things to consider before you hire an accountability coach (or any coach/mentor for that matter)
Do you like them and vibe with them? Is their energy contagious? Do you feel attracted to or pulled to their content and messaging?
Are they in a similar stage of life as you? For m, personally, I prefer a coach and a mentor who is also a mom since I have two kids. Being a mom and an entrepreneur is a wild balance, and I want a mentor who understands that just like I do.
Do you agree with (for the most part) their coaching philosophy/teaching methodology? For example, if a coach believes in hustle culture, never resting, grind til you’re dead…that’s probably not the coach for me. Those values don’t align with my personal values.
Are they within your price range? I believe to an extent that you get what you pay for. Does this coach have a variety of price ranges and packages for you to work with that could fit into your budget? Are they way too low? Are they way too high?
Have they taught you anything in their free content? Instagram posts, podcast episodes, blog posts (all of this is free content/free training) Have they served up valuable knowledge to you?
Do you just feel a “pull” or a “nudge” inside of you that you need to work with this person in some capacity? In my human design, I make decisions from my sacral center, so I feel this feeling in my stomach light up when I know something is a ‘YES!’ *This may not happen for you if your human design is different from mine. If yours is similar, however, this will make total sense for you.
I truly believe that you’ll know when it’s time to hire a coach or a mentor if/when you need it. Listen to your body or your inner guide, she will tell you when it’s time for support. These questions or considerations above are just a few to ponder on to help you know who is the best coach for you and your specific needs. Everyone’s needs and desires are different, and I believe there is a coach out there for everyone.
To sum it up, an accountability coach is someone there to help hold you accountable to the standards you set for yourself. An accountability coach is there to guide you and teach you, but mostly I’m there to help you keep the promises you made to yourself.
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Rooting for you always! XO