While optimizing metabolic health is critical for preventing chronic diseases and improving overall wellness, there can be many challenges you and your clients may encounter along the way. As a coach, understanding these challenges is essential to guiding clients effectively. In this article, we’ll explore common pitfalls and solutions to overcome them.

Pitfall 1: Lack of Awareness and Understanding

Many clients may not fully understand what metabolic health is or why it matters. They may focus primarily on weight or appearance rather than the internal markers – like blood sugar or blood lipids – that define metabolic health.

Solution: Education and Clear Communication
One of the most important roles of a coach is to educate clients about the key indicators of metabolic health. Clear, simple explanations of why the key metrics of metabolic health are critical to their long-term health can increase motivation.

• Action Step: Start by explaining how good metabolic health is linked to prevention of chronic diseases like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, energy levels, and longevity. Use tangible examples, such as how controlling blood sugar can improve focus and mood, to make the information more relatable.

Pitfall 2: Overemphasis on Weight

Clients tend to focus exclusively on weight loss, viewing weight as the most important marker of health. While weight management is important, it doesn’t tell the whole story of a person’s metabolic health. It’s possible for someone to be within a “healthy” weight range but still have poor metabolic health.

Solution: Shift Focus to Include Key Metabolic Markers
Encourage clients to broaden their view of health beyond the scale. Help them understand improving blood sugar control, reducing waist circumference, or lowering blood pressure can often be more impactful to health than just losing weight.

• Action Step: Help clients track what they can within the 4 metrics for metabolic health: blood sugar, blood lipids, blood pressure, and waist circumference. They may only be able to assess blood sugar and lipids once a year at an annual physical, but blood pressure and waist circumference can be easier metrics to track. Tracking other metrics helps clients see and celebrate non-scale victories. 

Pitfall 3: Unrealistic Expectations and Quick Fixes

With the prevalence of fad diets and quick-fix health programs on social media, many clients expect rapid results. However, improving metabolic health is a process that requires sustained lifestyle changes.

Solution: Set Realistic, Sustainable Goals
As a coach, it’s important to set expectations early. Help clients understand that while certain health changes can start within a few weeks, other improvements may take several months or longer.

• Action Step: Break down goals into smaller, achievable steps. For example, instead of setting a goal to “lower blood pressure,” start by encouraging clients to practice daily stress reduction techniques and lower sodium intake if indicated. Track progress on measures you have access to and celebrate even small wins to keep clients motivated.

Pitfall 4: Inconsistency

Consistency is key to achieving optimal metabolic health, but many clients struggle with sticking to healthy habits over time. Whether it’s busy schedules, lack of motivation, or limited access to healthy foods, inconsistency can be a major challenge.

Solution: Build Sustainable Routines
To help clients stay consistent, focus on building small, sustainable habits rather than large, drastic changes. For example, if a client struggles with exercise, suggest starting with short, daily walks instead of committing to more strenuous activity.

• Action Step: Encourage clients to integrate healthy habits into their existing routines. For example, if a client has a busy schedule, suggest meal prepping on weekends to ensure they have healthy food options during the week.

Pitfall 5: Confusion about Nutrition

With all the conflicting information on diets, many clients struggle to understand what they should eat to improve metabolic health. Some may fall prey to fad diets that don’t result in health improvements, or worse – harm health.

Solution: Simplify Nutrition Advice
Focus on guiding clients toward a balanced, whole-foods-based diet that supports metabolic health. Encourage them to prioritize nutrient-dense foods, such as vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains.

• Action Step: Provide simple, actionable nutrition tips, such as eating more fiber, reducing processed food intake, and incorporating healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. Remind clients that balance and moderation are more important than restrictive dieting. 

Final Thoughts

Achieving optimal metabolic health is a long-term process that requires consistent effort and support. As a health and wellness coach, you play a crucial role in helping clients through challenges like these on their journey to better health. By focusing on education, setting realistic goals, building sustainable habits, and offering practical solutions to common barriers, you can help your clients improve their metabolic health and reduce their risk of chronic diseases. 

As a final thought as we wrap up this series of four articles on metabolic health, by understanding the importance of metabolic health, how to assess a client’s current status, how to customize lifestyle interventions to improve metabolic health, and how to help clients through challenges along the way, you can have life-changing impact on your client’s current and future health.

About Erin Glynn, PhD
Dr. Glynn is an expert in metabolism, exercise physiology, weight management, and metabolic disease, with over 30 published research articles in these fields. After a decade conducting academic research in these areas, Erin transitioned to researching and developing dietary supplements and health programs – leading a global R&D team of nutrition scientists. In 2023, she left the corporate world to found Nuchi Health – a company with a mission to provide credible, no-hype nutrition, health, and wellness education for consumers and health practitioners. Dr. Glynn hosts the Nuchi Health Podcast and serves in leadership and advisory roles for the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and Unicity International.