Samantha was one of my best pre-school friends. (Names have been changed.) We ended up going to different elementary schools. Even though we couldn’t hang out during the school day, we spent a lot of time together after school and on weekends. During one of these visits, my friend’s mother told me the story of how Samantha made a friend out of an enemy.

After numerous skirmishes between the girl and Samantha, the teacher pulled them aside and asked them to find something they could both agree on. Apparently it wasn’t easy. After numerous attempts they both conceded that diarrhea brown wasn’t a flattering nail polish color. From that small agreement, they quickly realized that they did indeed have lots in common, and they quickly became inseparable. 

I’ve heard people say that health and fitness coaches make them feel uncomfortable, and I wonder if that’s because people think they have nothing in common with the broccoli eating, gym going coaches. 

But – really – everybody’s fighting their own battles and similarities are everywhere. It’s true that health and fitness coaches may be further along the healthy lifestyle path than you are, but they too are real people with real struggles. Some fitness coaches have undergone major health transformations to be where they are now. Even those that have always been very healthy encounter obstacles that make maintaining a healthy lifestyle challenging.

Of course, different health and fitness coaches have different approaches and philosophies. Their style may not work for you, and that’s okay. However, if you are shying away from getting the support you need on your health and wellness journey because you don’t feel like you have anything in common with coaches, I encourage you to reach out to them and start talking.

Thanks for reading. I hope you have a safe and healthy month!