My wellbeing: mindset coaching

HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE COACHING – and why mindset matters

Did you have good intentions of going to the gym regularly in the new year, but it has already fallen by the wayside? If you would like to work on your physical fitness, Shay Liggett, Director at Mind You Performance, recommends looking into mindset coaching to help you focus via a mix of coaching and mentoring.

“Most clients that come through our doors will want a physical transformation – they want to go to the gym, lose weight or improve their health – the focus is on the physical first,” Shay explains.

“What we have noticed however, is once they start to change their routines, some blocks appear. There are habits and behaviours that they need to unpack. Perhaps that is a sleep routine or time on the phone – things that people struggle with making a lifestyle change rather than just focusing on physical changes, because they can then revert back to what they were doing before – that’s where we focus on the mindset part.‍

“An example could be that a client wants to lose weight but focuses on the number on the scales and the stats. It sometimes takes away from why they are doing what they are doing – this is why we get our clients to focus on how they want to feel and how they desire to experience their life. Then they are no longer focusing on that they want to lose 10 kilos, but that happens as a byproduct because of their change of mindset.”

Shay says that people have a desire to make a difference, but their motivation can be impacted when they are not getting the results they are expecting. “Often, many can’t really see the blocks they have in preventing them to make long, impactful changes in their life, so I think a big benefit of health and performance coaching is having someone to lead you through,” she says. “Yes, you have a plan to perform in the gym and correct technique – we can help busy professionals like dentists who have time constraints be more efficient – creating an efficient program that is tailored to them that is well-rounded and fits in their lifestyle.

“The other benefit is having accountability,” she adds. “You would be more inclined to succeed when someone is guiding you and supporting you through the process.
A year is a good time period to spend with a Health and Performance coach as it gives the person guidance and support during different periods and holidays and how to manage that. For example, during the Christmas period many people have an ‘all or nothing’ mentality. ‘I’m not going to do anything and then I’ll start in the new year’ and that often leads to a stop-cycle of ‘dieting’ resulting in procrastination to get back into routine. Our clients however, we highly encourage instead of adopting an ‘all or nothing approach’ to just take their foot of the gas. If they usually train five times a week, then it is three times a week. If they go on holidays, it might just be a goal to get moving, maybe go for a walk. That mindset shift of: ‘How do I incorporate this to enhance my life?’ more than a stop-start cycle of exercising is the sort of mindset shift that we help our clients navigate. As a result clients are living a more fulfilled lifestyle gaining freedom, flexibility and getting results for the long-term.

“Many people are focused on outcomes and results instead of the journey,” Shay adds. “The journey or lifestyle change allows you to focus on how you want to live your life on a daily basis – we want to be better every day, and this is what we help clients to see.

"For dentists to perform at the high level they do without facing burnout, it is important that we take care of ourselves first,” she adds. “My philosophy is that if you prioritise yourself first; then we can perform better and can look after our patients better.”

Mind You Performance offers a free consultation, mindyouperformance.com