How to support your customers through the most common health problems while on vacation

How to support your customers through the most common health problems while on vacation

For many people in the United States, the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's looks very different than the rest of the year. There are more irregular schedules, (hopefully) more days off, and usually more activities related to preparing for the holidays.

The irregularity of the holidays usually means that your customersare not always on their game. Your exercise, nutrition, and wellness goals often take a backseat as you settle down toward the end of the year, whether that means preparing for a lavish holiday party or hiding out from it all.

What are the most common holiday health issues your clients may be struggling with and how can you support them?

Check out our quick reference infographic below and read on if you want to learn more.

The role of a health advisor in supporting clients during the holidays

Adjust goals

As the holiday season begins, take a moment to have targeted conversations with your customers about their expectations for the holiday season. How do their vacation priorities, to-do lists, and emotions impact their pre-vacation goals?

If necessary, make new, more relaxed goals that realistically adapt to the season.

Be honest about your availability

How your customers spend the holiday season, so do you. They also have challenges and are working on them. While you've had an honest conversation with your client to adjust goals, take a moment to think about your availability during the holiday season.

If you want to be there to support your customers, that's great. However, make sure you can keep this commitment as you also look for the perfect gift, business planning for the New Year, family time, and much-needed rest.

Communicate your availability to your customers and make sure they know how and when you are available to support them. Ultimately, make sure you keep your commitment.

Avoid guilt-tripping or disciplining customers

There's always a chance that your customers won't achieve these goals even if you plan ahead and work with them to adjust them. Failing to meet their goals, especially after making a commitment with you, can be a source of guilt for customers.

As their health coach, you want to avoid contributing to the Cycle of Shame by disciplining them or making them feel guilty, which can increase anxiety and have negative physical and emotional effects. This can also negatively impact the honesty and trust that are important in a coach-client relationship.

How to support your customers through the most common health problems while on vacation

As a holistic health coach, you will work with clients on their physical and emotional health. The holiday season can be challenging for both your customers and you. Here are some ways you can support her in the areas of nutrition, exercise, and emotional health.

Exercise and physical activity

Some of your sports-loving clients will have no trouble keeping up with their exercise routine during the holidays. For these clients, their frustration may come from having to prioritize other vacation events and activities over exercise.

However, most people will struggle with the opposite situation. The business, excitement, or emotionally stressful aspects of the holiday season impact their motivation or ability to stay active.

Remember that physical activity This may be exercise during the day that may take priority over exercise, which is a scheduled activity with a set time.

Physical activity and movement struggles

When the weather gets colder, people want to stay put. Burnout from the rest of the year Vacations and holidays are associated with inactivity. Busy schedules for holiday events travel and no access to regular equipment

This is how you support your customer

Suggest ways to stay active (playing with kids, walking the dog, taking the stairs, parking far away, doing chores). Set rest days and training days that are realistic with vacation obligations. Suggest no-equipment workout routines at home. Remind them that even 10 minutes to get the body moving is better than nothing. Avoid shaming customers if they can't work out. Encourage them to pick it up again after the holidays.

Food and nutrition

This can be a sensitive topic for anyone at this time. The presence of a toxic diet culture during a time of year when food is closely linked to feelings and memories can cause significant anxiety around eating.

As health coaches, we must work to shift away from a culture where we worry about food and drink. Restrictive diets are more likely lead to bingeing and are not beneficial long-term change in health behavior.

At the same time, we need to adjust goals for clients who have or are at risk of a chronic illness that is directly affected by even short-term dietary changes. For a person with type 2 diabetes, for example, a night of loading up on sweets and baked goods could mean ending up in the hospital, which is very unlikely for someone without a metabolic disorder.

Below are some suggestions for adjusting goals for customers with different needs.

Food and nutrition struggles

End-of-year holidays linked to anxiety over not following meal plan Feeling like all holiday meals are “unhealthy” Customers with chronic illnesses feel like they have to choose. Travel and lack of control over the food available

This is how you support your customer

If your customer is generally healthy:

Avoid restricting certain foods as this can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Remind them to focus on balanced meals. Remind her to listen to her body's needs. Ask them to list non-food aspects of the holidays that they look forward to and encourage them to focus on those. If they'd like, work with them to identify holiday recipes that meet their dietary goals.

If your client has or is at risk of developing a chronic illness that is acutely affected by diet (such as heart disease or type 2 diabetes):

Encourage them to focus on aspects of the holidays, not just the food. Remind them of the impact eating habits have on their health. Talk about your concerns and obstacles. Work with them to create or find delicious holiday meal recipes that meet their dietary needs. Encourage them to “test” healthy holiday recipes beforehand. If your client agrees, work with family members to get everyone on board with the holiday meal plan.

Finally, it's important to avoid shaming customers for their food choices. If you notice that your client is struggling with their relationship with food, make a note to work with them on it.

Emotional and mental health

For most people, the holiday season is one marked by strong emotions. These emotions can range from predominantly positive to profoundly negative. For some people, the smell of pine trees can bring back joyful memories of Thanksgiving at their grandparents' house, and for other people, just the sight of Christmas decorations could remind them of a traumatic event.

Additionally, the holiday seasoncreates stressorsrelated to budget, holiday shopping and tight deadlines.COVID-19can also make people afraid to get together with loved ones.

As a health and wellness coach, it is important to remember that everyone experiences the holiday season differently, and we must not assume that it will be happy or busy for everyone.

Emotional and mental health struggles

A person may associate vacations with traumatic events or unpleasant memories. Social pressure to be “happy” during the holidays Inability to be close to family and friends Loneliness Performance and social anxiety before gatherings Shorter days and longer nights can affect people with seasonal affective disorder. A combination of the above and existing mental health problems

This is how you support your customer

Offer your customer the opportunity to share what their holiday season will look like. Tailor your health and coaching plan to your needs. Listen and show empathy. Work with your client to identify types of exercises that will help themDealing with stress and anxiety, including yoga, cardio or weight lifting. Suggest mindfulness meditation andStress relief techniques. Co-designing obligations to practice sleep hygiene. If your client is stressed about the risk and restrictions of COVID-19, suggest these ways to help them copeCOVID-19 related anxiety. If appropriate, share your own experiences so they know they are not alone. If you feel like you can no longer handle the anxiety or stress on your own, suggest professional support.

Are you in love with the holiday season and having trouble imagining why it isn't as enjoyable for others as it is for you? To readThis postIf you want to understand why the holidays might be a concern for some of your customers.

... more about that in the next part.
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