HOW TO CREATE A MEAL PLAN FOR CLIENTS

How Creating a Sustainable Meal Plan for Clients Beats a Quick Fix

Whether clients are trying to shred down for summer or are mesmerized by the latest fad diet — their interest in healthy eating seems to come and go like the seasons.

But what if you could create meal plans for your clients that eventually turn into healthy habits? Well, first we have to get rid of the word ‘meal’, there are more factors that influence your client’s success than a single meal. Goals are reached by creating healthy habits that include but are not limited to their ‘meals’.

We prefer to use the term ‘nourishment’, as a plan should include everything the client does outside of the gym. In this blog, we describe what nourishment plans are, why they work, and how you can start creating nourishment plans for your clients.

(Further Education: Looking for more? Learn how to craft nourishment plans that support your programs with our free Professional Coaching Blueprint.)

What is a Client Nourishment Plan

A nourishment plan takes a holistic approach to nutrition and includes everything outside of the gym that impacts a client’s progress towards their goals.

A nourishment plan can include but is not limited to nightly rituals, sun exposure, and macros. These plans aim to focus on the subtle things a client can do within their lifestyle that will help them reach their goals. The foundation for every nourishment plan is the OPEX Basic Lifestyle Guidelines (BLGs). Get a printable version of the BLGs in this course to hang in your gym or home.

Why Nourishment Plans are Sustainable

Nourishment plans are successful and sustainable because of their uniqueness. Just like our individually designed programs these plans are created specifically for a client with their goals in mind. These plans are sustainable because they work with a client to incorporate healthy practices into their life without having to rearrange their life. These plans look to make subtle changes such as refining pre and post workout nutrition that will lead to long-term benefits. Learn the benefits of pre and post workout nutrition in this course.

How You Can Start Creating Client Nourishment Plans

First, learn the BLGs as they are the foundation for all nourishment plans. Before starting to craft a unique plan you have to understand the client, this is done through the consultation and assessment. Once you understand a client’s lifestyle and goals you can create a plan that works with their current lifestyle and provides subtle tweaks to help them reach their goals.

Nourishments plans are substantially better than structured meal plans. They are sustainable and work with a client’s current lifestyle to improve their health with what they can do naturally. Nourishment is just one pillar of the OPEX System of Coaching. The five pillars of the OPEX System of Coaching are each a key skill a coach needs to master. Without mastering each of the pillars, a coach cannot truly be a professional.

Five Pillars of Professional Coaching

• 1. Business of Coaching

  A coach must have a structure to lay the foundation for their fitness business which will bring in clients, and establish systems to maintain this foundation.

• 2. Consultation

  A coach must meet with their client regularly to understand their lifestyle, establish goals and check in along their journey. This will influence a clients’ nourishment plan as goals and motivations are subject to change over time.

• 3. Assessment

  The physical assessment develops an understanding of a clients starting point. The data collected here will directly influence what the nourishment plan needs to address.

• 4. Program Design

  The long-term training program a coach creates for each individual client. The nourishment plan will be one part of their individually designed program.

• 5. Nourishment

  A sustainable plan created to support a clients program and works with their current lifestyle to help attain their goals.

Learn the OPEX System of Coaching with our free Professional Coaching Blueprint.

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