4 Reasons To Meet Your Life Coach at the Beach

I once suffered from chronic debilitating back pain because of what should have been a completely manageable skeletal issue, but had become increasingly worse due to a job that involved being sedentary for hours at a time.  Whether I was in my office, working with teams, on a plane, or in a boardroom, I was sitting, sitting and sitting!

The suggestion that sitting is the new smoking is no longer novel, but what it takes to combat this serious threat to our health and well being is not easy to implement.  Much like every other big change we want to make, it has to be done through many small changes across our day, week, and month. We may not see the big transformation that we seek, after one day or one week, but over time, the compound effect is sure to change our lives.

As a Professional Transition Coach, I meet with clients from all over the world on Zoom or Skype and that has me sitting.  However, by adding the option of Movement-based Coaching, I’m able to meet local clients on the beach or the trails, and coach them while in motion.  I encourage you to think of novel ways you can include movement in small but consistent ways in your day, and want to share 4 reasons why my clients and I do well when we’re in movement.

1. Being shoulder to shoulder and moving in the same direction is a perfect analogy for the work of co-creating.  It creates a natural sense of camaraderie, connection, and partnership - all qualities that lead to the kind of trust necessary to create extraordinary results. The present moment is the only place change can happen, and movement keeps us present in our bodies and in the moment.

2. People often ask me the difference between coaching and therapy.  At the risk of oversimplifying, therapy explores the past, while coaching is about creating a new future, one that is different than the default future we would experience if we just stayed with the status quo.  By staying present in our bodies, we stay present in our minds and are able to create new options and different results. As Eckhart Tolle explains it, “The present moment is the field on which the game of life happens. It cannot happen anywhere else.”

3. There is a great deal of data to support the claim that movement and exercise quiet the prefrontal cortex.  Why is this important? Because that’s the part of the brain that judges, criticizes, editorializes, conspires, worries, and generally keeps up a constant stream of chatter that restricts our ability to have awareness and clarity.  Without clarity, we are unable to move forward in our lives effectively. With clarity, we are unstoppable!

4. We are more creative, engaged, and optimistic when we feel good.  Movement releases all those good feeling endorphins that allow us to access our higher wisdom.  We move from focusing on the problem to focusing on the solution. This, of course, is the most powerful shift of all!

    

I hope these reasons inspire you to take your self, your body, and your challenging life issues out into nature and move forward in your life and body.  

If you’re curious about Movement-based coaching or want to explore what working with a Professional Transition Coach can do for you, reach out and let’s have a conversation.