Accountability Coach: Get Instant Motivation
Is an accountability coach the key to weight loss? When it comes to losing weight, we want to do it on our own. And that’s perfectly normal, but is that really the best way?
Here’s a quick quiz to help:
- Do you find that you can come up with a hundred reasons why you shouldn’t go for a run today?
- Are you great at starting a new diet or exercise program, but find your motivation crashing after a few weeks?
- Do you ever notice yourself saying, “I can do it, I just need more willpower?”
If you answered “Yes” to any (or all) of these questions, an accountability coach might be exactly what you need.
Here’s the problem with losing weight:
To lose weight we have to be consistent. But when we don’t see results as quickly as we hoped, it’s easy to lose motivation.
And:
If there’s no one there paying attention to your progress, it’s easy to quit.
But we can turn that around with accountability.
The Power of External Expectations
We are not accountable to ourselves. We’re accountable to others.
Let me explain:
- We don’t drag ourselves out of bed for a 6 am run because we don’t want to let ourselves down. We do it because we don’t want to let ‘someone else’ down.
- Do we pay bills, race home to cook dinner and start on homework because that’s something WE want to do? Not really. We do it because our family depends on us to.
The power of an accountability coach lies in the fact that: we behave differently when someone is counting on us.
When other people are invested in what we’re doing, we’re far more likely to do it. And what’s happening is: we’re setting expectations and feeling the responsibility to deliver on what we said we were going to do.
Bob Proctor nailed it when he said, “Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result.”
Take this scenario for example:
Without an accountability coach:
If we don’t feel like hitting the gym on the way home, we start rationalizing why we can’t make it. It was a busy day, we’re stressed, we’re tired, and we’re hungry. Plus, if we don’t go today, what’s the big deal? We’ll go tomorrow.
With an accountability coach:
We still have that same conversation with ourselves. We’re still stressed and tired. But now…we know someone is counting on us and that they’ll ask, “How was the gym today? Did you make it?”
Just having someone there makes a world of difference. And it’s this external motivation that keeps us going even when we feel like we’ve run out of juice.
Peers versus Pro
There are sources of accountability all around, at work, at home, at the gym, and even online. But the big question is: Should we go with a peer (friends, family, or coworkers) or with a Pro.
The trick is weighing out the pros and cons and seeing which will work best for you.
Peers
This is our friends and family. And the advantage of going with a peer is that you’re around them most of the time. If your partner is a friend at work, they’re there at critical times, like on breaks and at lunch, and can help keep you on track.
You can also find peers in an online group. And the win here is that there are hundreds of people that have the same goals you do, and they can relate to the struggles you’ll run into.
The downside is that family and friends aren’t going to tell you the hard truth. They’ll hold back because they don’t want to damage the relationship. And as great as it is to have someone to go for a walk or run with, what happens if you don’t show up? Are they going to hold you to your commitment? Or. What do you do if your partner goes AWOL?
Pro
When you go with a pro, you’re getting someone that is 100% committed to your success. They’ll be there when you need them, and you count on them to apply that external motivation when you need it.
They’ll be completely honest with you and compassionately challenge you to push past your comfort level. And you will benefit from their expertise and experience working with clients.
Put Accountability To Work
Accountability is hard, but one thing is for sure – it works! We need to surround ourselves with people that will push and challenge us. If you’re ready to move from talk to action, the critical step is allowing someone else to hold you accountable.
This sounds great, and I’m all for it, but…
…I’m still worried that I’m not going to follow through,
…I don’t want to feel guilty for not doing another thing I’m suppose to be doing, or
…I just don’t trust myself, even with accountability.
If you have ever thought any of these, trust me, you’re not alone!
Those types of thoughts are indicators of “Self-Sabotage”. This is what happens when we’re scared of success.
Which sounds absolutely crazy, right? Why would I be scared of success?
Here’s the deal:
There are any number of reasons why we sabotage our success, from the fear that we’ll lose part of our self identity to the idea that we can’t imagine our lives without the foods we crave.
When you stop to think about how life will be different when we finally change, then we can start to spot all reasons why we ‘feel’ we will be worse off.
And without consciously looking for these fears, it’s easy to miss them. That’s where an accountability coach comes into play. They bring an objective point-of-view and can help you spot the warning signs quick and get back on track.
Use this powerful exercise to learn more about self-sabotage: The MyBodyTutor Self-Sabotage Worksheet
Let MyBodyTutor be your online accountability coach!
We’ll help you stick to the plan and beat self-sabotage by providing daily and personal accountability like no other service in the world. This is why we get the results we do!
We will assign you your very own expert Body Tutor who will hold you accountable while guiding and supporting you every step of the way.
