By Pyc Fitness
©2004-2008
One of his longtime frustrations is his weight. While he's lost a lot, he wants to drop an additional 40 or 50 pounds. With four kids in grade school to college, he needs to be here -- and healthy -- for a long time.
Still, he needs motivation, a driving force and good advice.
He found all of that in Ellyn Ludden Byron, a personal coach in Indianapolis with a focus on wellness.
While her niche is a small one, the entire life coaching industry is growing locally and nationally, as people seek more personalized guidance and inspiration to improve their bodies, minds and spirits.
Many types of coaches exist, with different specialties, training backgrounds and certifications. At local YMCA branches, members can meet with "wellness coaches" six times for free to set up goals and a fitness program and get nutrition advice.
At some fitness facilities, personal trainers delve into clients' day-to-day lives to better design a program for them.
For more wide-ranging help, some hire trained life or personal coaches. Many, though not all, have specialized training and are certified by the International Coach Federation, which offers credentials and sets coaching standards.
The group has 11,254 members globally, including 6,000 in the U.S., 55 of them in Indiana, with membership growing by 200 to 400 per month.
Often, coaches delve into a person's entire life -- personal, professional, social, spiritual -- focusing on areas clients want to change. Health, coaches say, is a key part of that big picture.
The focus of Byron's business, Strong Mind 'n Body, is improving performance of young athletes and individual clients' overall wellness.
"I cater to the average person who has some kind of wellness or performance goal, or the older lifelong athlete who wants to perform at the best level," said Byron, a fitness instructor and former University of Wisconsin runner. She also does executive coaching through Team Summit.
She and Turner, a busy IT director for Herman & Kittle Properties, schedule coaching sessions of 30 minutes to an hour every other week. Half of the sessions are at Starbucks. The other half are on the phone.
She asks questions. He tells her about his life, his stress, his work and family commitments, his exercise regimen and what's keeping him from it.
She listens. They set up specific goals. She gives him ideas to intensify his exercises.
"She can just point out the little 'sabotagers.' She kind of makes you tell on yourself," said Turner.
"Maybe I'll say I was too tired to go work out. She'll say, 'Didn't you go to a ballgame and stay out until midnight?' "
As Byron puts it: "I'm knowledge and inspiration and accountability."
While a personal trainer concentrates on the workouts, she focuses more on a client's "inner conversations" and helps fit wellness goals into busy lives.
It's that positive self-talk and motivation that Turner says help him maintain his cardio and strength-training workouts at the Ransburg YMCA.
Crystal Warner is looking for direction, too, from a wellness coach at Ransburg to help her set up a cardio and strength-training program.
She wants to bring down her blood pressure, lose weight and improve her overall health.
"I don't want it to be a quick fix," said Warner, 41, who does free-lance computer data entry from her Broad Ripple home.
Last week, she met with a wellness coach and got advice on the workouts she needs to do to hopefully lose 50 pounds in a year.
"I'm trying to find out the best way to use the equipment, so I won't do more damage than good and can make the most out of my time."
The Y's Coach Approach program, said Ransburg wellness director Matt Larson, is good for people who want help tracking their programs, specific advice while they exercise and nutrition tips. Each branch's wellness director has a health-related degree, while coaches have varying backgrounds.
While personal trainers typically aren't certified life coaches, Geist Fitness owner Joe Damush said the better ones understand they have to get into clients' lifestyles.
Clients at his facility are asked about their typical days, stresses, diet, barriers to exercising and other issues.
"We're just trying to help them get better balance in their lives," said Damush.
Oftentimes, clients come to certified life coach Louise Dunn, who owns Indianapolis-based Riches Within,because they're in a rut and seek major life changes.
"The beauty of life coaching is that it touches all aspects of a person's life, if that person so chooses," Dunn said. "What I do is ask questions that allow clients to see what is going on in their lives."
She cautions that coaching isn't therapy or counseling, but a co-creative process of helping clients discover what they want out of life.
If someone has low energy and isn't getting proper exercise, for example, she tries to find out why and may suggest going to a fitness coach.
"Coaching is described as architecture -- building an extraordinary life from where you are right now," she said. "Very few people are living the life they really want."
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