Back to School: COACH
The British School of Coaching (BSC) is launching a series of new blogs that focus on different aspects of wellbeing for both coaches and their clients. BSC already hosts an endorsed Wellbeing Coaching qualification. This course provides an opportunity to understanding wellbeing rather than being seen simply as physical health. In addition there is a one day course to increase the understanding of mindfulness as well an opportunity to try out mindfulness techniques.
This wellness blog has been developed in response to extending the dialogue with coaches, as a way to support coaches to consider their own wellness as well as that of their clients. It isn’t prescriptive, but a mechanism to keep a live debate going as well as caring for the coaching community.
Wellbeing at its simplest level is about personal happiness – feeling good and living safely and healthily. This means not allowing work to undermine our basic purposes and needs in our lives, and by extension those of our families and loved ones. In this respect, wellbeing is a hugely significant aspect of our work and careers.
A new blog will available on the BSC website every two weeks throughout the next six months. It will be based on five tips for maintaining wellbeing for all coaches to be to contribute to. Using COACH acronym as our framework the blog will be structured in the following headings of:
1. Care
2. Opportunities
3. Action and awareness raising
4. Conversations and feedback
5. Health
As autumn begins it marks an important time of the year to both harvest fruits and vegetables as well as prepare and celebrate new beginnings. For families it’s back to school with a new routine, new classes and subjects to study whilst for others it’s the beginning of a new experience of going to college, starting an apprenticeship or new year at university.
As this photograph depicting the autumn season shows, there are always a number of different paths to follow. Coaches are no exception. The autumn brings new opportunities as well as a time to take stock in advance of the winter period.
With this in mind, the wellbeing blogs have been written to consider the wellness of coaches and their clients.
1. Care
This section will cover suggested tips for coaches to share with each other how they care for themselves and clients.
For this blog the tip is about posture.
Poor posture at work is a major cause of back pain, workplace stress and repetitive strain injury, that we all know can result in lost time, reduced productivity, poor health, and low morale.
Questions to myself? Am I able to give my best coaching experience in my current coaching environment? Are there any improvements I could make that will benefit both me, and my clients?
2. Opportunities
Autumn parts the beginning of new courses.
Questions to myself? Is there anything I’ve always wanted to study/ become involved in but haven’t had the time to do? Are there any local courses available to me? Club or enrolment evenings or is it getting involved in the local pantomime I want to do?
Learning more about local produce and harvest – this could be through the British Food Fortnight 17th – 2nd October 2016. This is the biggest annual, national celebration of British food and drink.
www.britishfoodfestival.co.uk/
3. Action and awareness raising
Vitamin D – Making the most of a walk in the autumn sunshine.
In the UK, sunlight does not contain enough UVB radiation in winter for our skin to be able to make vitamin D. During the winter months, we need to consider how we continue to get our vitamin D from food sources (including fortified foods) and supplements. For colleagues in the Middle East it is equally important to consider I am getting enough Vitamin D. Wherever you live there are a wide variety of sun lotions, sprays and creams. Is it protection factor 50 I need in the summer and protection factor 30 in the cooler months? Whatever your skin type, check out the labels or talk to the pharmacist if you’re not sure which is the best for you.
The last few weeks there has been a lot of media coverage on vitamin D to include the impact it can have for people who suffer with asthma.
For further information please see the NHS Choice website.
4. Conversations and feedback
Coaching reflection – A personal example
The inspiration for my reflection is from the Olympics. Watching the athletes, whether able bodied or those competing in the Paralympics, is very inspiring – especially their self-belief that by practicing every day you will improve. This can be directly translated into the wellness-coaching environment. Marginal gains theory is a model I have recently been read about and applying. If you have not tried it it’s worth a look. I have found it to be a very powerful tool that can be used to support clients especially if they are feeling ‘stuck’.
For further information please see: ‘This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened’
jamesclear.com/marginal-gains
This section is for coaches to provide their hints and tips for maintaining wellness. If you have any models or thoughts you would like to share in this blog please email them to: amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com
The next Coaching Network event will be held on Saturday 19th November 2016 from 9.30am – 1pm at The Mount – Orrell Road Orrell, Wigan, WN5 8HQ. This will be an opportunity for coaches to shape this section of the blog as well as use in coaching network supervision sessions. For more information on the network event please email amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com
5. Health
Packed Lunches – they don’t have to be boring!
A healthy, varied diet should provide all the nutrients needed.
Going back to school often means adjusting into a new routine. This may include preparing pack ups, not just for the children but all the family. There are lots of foods that can be used to make a packed lunch varied and tasty. The supermarket websites are a great source of the wide variety and choices available to us.
For further information please visit: www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts
The next wellbeing blog will be published in a few weeks time. Its focus will be: Autumn Harvest
Author: Sally Bell, September 2016
