A breakdown of how different lifestyles should look depending on your clients’ goals.
General fitness clients training to “look good naked and live a healthy life” should not be living the same way as a client seeking to be a competitive athlete. There are significant differences in the way you approach and consult with each individual and the different principles they follow.
A starting point for all clients is what we call, “The OPEX Basic Lifestyle Guidelines” or BLGs. These are a holistic approach to nourishment that focuses on contributors to overall health. This is an all-encompassing phrase that looks at daily hydration, food hygiene, sleep hygiene, daily activity, self-reflection, and daily stress management.
The list below is an encompassing view of what makes up the BLGs.
Download a printable version of the Basic Lifestyle Guidelines HERE.
For long-term health and fitness, dialing in these key points can go a long way for the average person. The rapid pace of our society takes our focus away from the simple things that our body still appreciates and longs for: rhythm, movement, nourishment. Don’t underestimate the importance of the basics when it comes to getting general population clients the results they need.
(Note: The BLGs are the cornerstone of our Nourishment module in the OPEX Coaching Certificate Program (CCP). Learn to create holistic fitness and nourishment plans based on the BLGs with the Free Fitness Coaching Blueprint available on LearnRx)
So, what’s different when it comes to high-level athletes?
Now let’s look at the 0.1% of individual’s who will compete at the highest level in competition and are chasing their maximum physical potential. With that quest comes a shift of focus from simple/foundational principles to more specific performance-driven concepts:
In closing, addressing the small things that go unnoticed by more novice coaches will have a profound impact on one’s health and fitness.
If your client falls into the category of someone who is chasing their maximum physical potential, you must dial in the specifics to ensure short and long-term success. At the end of the day, always remember that it’s not the training that gets them to the top, it’s the ability to adapt to that stress. If they can’t recover appropriately, they will not adapt to the stress and will not reach their potential or goals.
The basic lifestyle guidelines for athletes and general population clients differ in the level of depth but are all rooted in the same principles. Learn the principles of the BLGs and how to implement them with different types of clients with the Free Professional Coaching Blueprint, available for free on LearnRx.