Coaching is a workout for the brain - behavioural change starts in the mind
The fitness industry has tended to focus mainly on the effects of exercise on the body's physical capacity for movement and ability to burn fat and build muscle. The emphasis has been placed on prescribing the right type of exercise to achieve the desired goals of the client (or what they believe those goals should be).
Exciting current research is showing that this aerobic exercise can do much more than give us a better functioning cardiovascular system and good muscle tone; it can actually improve our brain power. How does it do this? Put simply, exercise causes the release of neurochemicals and growth factors that lead to neurogenesis and angiogenesis (production of new neurons and increased blood flow to the brain). The mental benefits are now being recognised for people of all ages. At one end of the scale, for children and their learning environments and performance, and at the other end, for people wishing to avoid memory loss and gain better cognitive functioning as they age.
In the world of coaching, we understand that the exercise habit (and other health-related lifestyle changes) cannot be created without consideration of what goes on in our heads - behaviour change starts in the mind. But now research is revealing another interesting fact. Not only can coaching help us create new habits and behaviours that will benefit our physical health, but it will also improve our mental health. Research comparing the effects of antidepressants and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) (used frequently by coaches) has shown that whereas the medication will work on the limbic system (emotional connection, arousal and rewards), CBT will work on both the limbic and the 'CEO' region of the brain. The left pre-frontal cortex is involved when we take part in planning, goal-setting, self-awareness, insight, and decision-making. These are all elements of a wellness coaching model. When we engage in this kind of mental activity, even though our aim is to promote physical health, we are actually training our brains to think in new ways.
To overcome depression we need to create new brain pathways and connections, which is why CBT is regularly prescribed as an alternative or an adjunct to anti-depressants. When coaching is used to help a person create new behavioural patterns, they not only benefit physically, but mentally as well. Coaching can then be classified as a workout for the brain and if the coach is helping the client with their exercise routine, they will benefit in both ways. What does this mean to people working in our industry? In a nutshell, if we ignore our clients' ways of thinking and focus only on what they are doing we are missing out on the possibility of helping them mentally as well as physically. The future of our industry will lie in this direction.
Fiona Cosgrove, managing director of Wellness Coaching Australia