Whether you are a personal trainer expanding your menu of services, or you are ready to strike out on a new career path entirely, Lifestyle Coaching, sometimes called just Life Coaching, may provide a promising future for you.

Life coaching shares many characteristics in common with personal training, and some essential differences.

 

In either case, you are helping your client reach their goals by providing motivation and enforcing accountability.

Traits of a Lifestyle Coach

There are certain traits and characteristics that many life coaches share in common. As a fitness trainer, you may find yourself already providing life coaching services to your clients as a natural extension of your trainer-client relationship.

You may make a good life coach if you are:

• Empathetic by nature
• An attentive listener
• Insightful
• Genuine
• Experienced

Much of the work of life coaching takes place from a distance, and is performed outside of the actual coaching session. Unlike personal training, a life coaching session serves as more of a review of what has been achieved, and a strategy session for what needs to be done next.

The Role of Lifestyle Coach

While as a personal trainer you have concrete goals based on physical performance, lifestyle coaches may deal with generalities. As a coach, it is up to you to help your clients refine their goals and dreams, and then help them map out a strategy for accomplishing them.

A good lifestyle coach helps clients to:

• Create positive change
• Identify personal or professions goals
• Develop personal strengths
• Achieve a more rewarding life
• Improve professional performance
• Achieve personal growth
• Be accountable for outcomes

Types of Lifestyle Coaches

Just as your personal training clients have unique goals and demographics, the same is true of lifestyle coaching clients. Before hanging out your shingle as a lifestyle coach, give careful thought to the type of coach you will be.

Some areas of lifestyle coaching include:

• work/life balance
• time management
• relationships
• stress reduction
• life simplification
• health
• childbirth
• spiritual growth
• performance
• professional growth
• personal growth
• personal finance
• much more!

Consider your personal strengths and abilities. What are you good at, or for what do you have a particular aptitude? What other credentials do you hold that could lend to your authority?

Lifestyle Coach Credentials

Credentials for lifestyle coaches vary with the area of expertise. If you choose to coach in a specific niche, a web search will reveal training and certification opportunities. Some sources of credentials may include:

• Online programs
• Colleges/Universities
• Weekend workshops
• Specialty training

At minimum, you should obtain a basic Lifestyle Coaching Certification, like that offered online at witseducation.com.

Resources

Certification is the first step to becoming a successful Lifestyle Coach. Begin with W.I.T.S. Certified Lifestyle Coach. Then, if you are not already certified, consider Personal Fitness Trainer, Older Adult Fitness Specialist or Youth Fitness certifications. Broadening your base of credentials correlates with expanding your career and making more money. As a Lifestyle Coach, you can have a significant impact on the lives of others, while building a solid reputation as a W.I.T.S. certified professional.

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