Look at next week’s schedule. What if you could breeze through all those appointments, fit in a few urgent cases and take Friday off?

Are you done laughing?

Oh, I didn’t mention the best part. Your clients are smashing their goals like superheroes on crime.  

Here’s how you can live that scenario not just next week, but every week.

Know your client’s priorities.

Did you roll your eyes?

Perfect. 

Now, I invite you to hear me out. 

The goals and reasons your clients put on their intake form have nothing to do with their true priorities. Understanding these priorities does not involve six deep conversations, an intricate values test and a mind map. 

It involves basic biology.

How they were made, what drives them on a chemical level and how their DNA is expressing at this moment in time will intersect at the precise point where action equals results. 

The Power of Precision

If we’re really going to clear your schedule next week, we need to get specific.

You know the client that comes in with the weight loss goal, has tried everything and sits on the precipice of several life-threatening diseases, so this time they’ve got to make it happen? Our professional eye looks at the client, draws a line to the future goal and tackles the obvious things first. This client’s priorities look like numbers; both on the scale and in their bloodwork. 

But what if this client’s biological priority is family? 

Instead of the obvious discussion about what’s on their plate and how often they hit the gym, what if our first question is ‘How’s the family?’

We’re not just making conversation here. 

This person’s biological necessity is to make sure that everyone that they call family; from those in their household, to those in their workplace and community, stays safe. If there is turmoil around them, they will not allocate resources for themselves. 

We might spend hours across weeks dialing in their diet, exercise and even mindset with only a few small changes in their numbers. 

These are the bodies that will carry extra weight for survival. So in times of stress, the numbers on the scale will rise. 

Why? 

Because biologically they are predisposed to give, nurture and care for others. And to do all of that, you have to have extra. This is a beautiful biological response that harkens back to times of hardship and famine. So, in trying to bring these numbers on the scale down by increasing the exercise (stress) and decreasing the food (also stress), we are working against nature itself. 

You might have noticed by now that the biggest player here is stress. 

Remember that point of intersection we talked about before? 

When we can remove stressors from this point, the client’s biological priority, then that frees up resources to tackle the other pillars of health. 

Contained in our simple question, ‘How’s the family’, is the magical key to unlocking stellar results. 

Look at it from your client’s perspective. They stepped off the scale that morning and stepped into your office braced for the standard protocol: diet and exercise delivered through your brand of expertise. 

What happens in their body and mind when you ask that simple question? “How’s the family?”

Barriers drop. Stress melts. Their mind turns full-force toward the real cause of their distress. Maybe it’s a coworker or a child, a neighbor or a dear friend, or even that they don’t feel they have someone to call family. 

Back to you.

You don’t have to be qualified to assess their psychological status to have a simple conversation. You don’t have to have the answer to why their son is failing math or why their neighbor just built an enormous wall between their backyards or whether they should quit their job. You just have to know that their biology is craving stability and safety in this realm. And it is not getting what it craves.

For that session, your protocol might look like directing them to identify a single person in their world that they can completely relax around. Someone that doesn’t offload their problems. Someone that doesn’t expect anything from your client except their company.

What you don’t do is more important than what you do.

Now. this probably isn’t something you want to put on the header of your website: “I’m not going to do anything, and you’ll want to come back for more!”

But in reality, you didn’t give them a prescription that heaped on the stress. You didn’t tackle the priorities they stated on their intake form. You probably didn’t do anything you learned in your certification or degree.

Instead, you gave them the precise protocol their biology craved.  

You are a magician.

So, there are priorities and there are biological priorities. When we work in alignment with the way that each person is created and how they are presenting in this moment, we facilitate the most significant outcomes possible.

Back to you and your schedule.

When you dive beneath the surface-level desires scribbled on intake forms to tap into the rich vein of your client’s true motivations and needs, you enter the realm of absolute efficiency. 

Then you sail through your weeks, turning challenges into triumphs (and even reclaiming your Fridays!). It sounds like a dream but Precision Health is here now. It is grounded in the undeniable science of individuality where action is informed by the most authentic version of each person. It’s where the efficiency of our strategies multiplies, not by doing more, but by doing right.

If you want to get more precise with your clients and spend less time for better results…and maybe get your Friday’s back, too, check out our Level 1 Course for health professionals.

P4 medicine (predictive, preventative, personalized, participatory) was coined by Dr. Leroy Hood of the Institute for Systems Biology to demonstrate his framework to detect and prevent disease. The P4 approach is something that aligns with our education in Precision Health and an important piece of the puzzle in the elimination of preventable lifestyle disease. 

Lets take a look at the 4 principles in a little more detail.

P1 – Prevention⁠

Prevention is the ability to understand the pathophysiology of disease and the factors that may influence disease so that you can take action to stop, or recognize disease in early stages. The key goals of preventative strategies are to provide interventions that increase the chances of reversal or treatment of disease. A simple example of this can be found in smoking cessation, which would be an important preventative step in reducing the risk of cancer.  ⁠

⁠As the old saying goes, ‘Prevention is the best cure’.

P2 – Predictive ⁠

⁠Predictive medicine involves identifying biological markers (such as genes) and other risk factors (be it lifestyle or environmental) that relate to disease to be able to understand and plan for the effects of illnesses in advance. Advances in health technology such as use of Artificial Intelligence, testing/diagnostics and biometric tracking are bringing incredible power to predictive medicine through both initial and ongoing assessment capabilities. At PHA, we use assessment technology and predictive analytics to gain a deeper understanding of a person’s health needs and the ways in which we can support their current health status.

P3 – Personalized ⁠

⁠In personalized medicine both care and treatment are based entirely on the individual. ⁠

⁠Through identifying genetic or epigenetic factors associated with an individual, you can provide a greater level of personalization in both prevention and treatment of disease. There is no one size fits all treatment plan when it comes to health or disease management and often, 2 people with a similar condition will need a completely different approach to achieve the desired outcome. Personalization must be applied in all areas of health intervention, from exercise and nutrition recommendations through to stress management plans, sleep strategies and prescriptive medicine. 

P4 – Participatory ⁠⁠

Participation is the final and most overlooked component of P4 medicine. ⁠

It is important that patients are well involved and actively participate in their own care. A major focus of this approach is to empower patients in taking responsibility for their behaviours and habits, whilst under the guidance of the health professional to overcome barriers that may occur along the way. A participatory approach to behaviour change can benefit the patient-physician or client-coach relationship by inspiring trust, cooperation and adherence. ⁠

⁠

The PHA Level 1 Course has been developed so that health professionals can apply all elements of P4 medicine through the application of precision health assessment technology alongside personalized health coaching techniques that inspire clients to take control of their personal health journey.⁠

Working from home has increased over the last few years for reasons we are all aware of, but recent statistics show that this change in working environment could well be here to stay. According to projections, 25% of all professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022. Additionally, sudden changes in lifestyle as a result of the pandemic have led to mental and physical health issues among the global population. This factor has dramatically increased awareness around behavioural and mental wellbeing and created huge demand for health coaching to the point that the global health coach market size is projected to be worth around US$ 27.8 billion by 2030. 

Put simply, there is a growing demand for Health and Wellness coaches, many of whom can now successfully operate their businesses from home and whilst there are many benefits to this new way of living, there are a number of challenges that can arise from the blurred line created between your work and home environment that may negatively impact health. 

Working from home challenges: 

• Irregular working hours
• Burnout 
• Feelings of isolation
• Maintaining a proper sleep routine
• Poor nutrition/eating habits 
• Getting the recommended level of physical activity
• Less time spent outdoors 
• Trouble staying motivated

As health professionals, it is important that we are aware of such issues and have ways to deal with them so that we can effectively take care of our own health and that of our clients as more people step into the working from home space.

Here are some tips to stay on top of  your daily habits and reduce the negative impact of working from home:

1. Find ways to move throughout the day 

For many, the routine of working from home means less non-exercise related daily activity and you would be surprised at how much the walk to the bus stop, up and down the stairs of your apartment and other activities of daily living really add up. It has been found that sitting all day can even offset the health benefits of exercise, which means that even if you are working out a couple of times per week, sitting down for 5+ hours per day can actually eliminate some of the health benefits gained. To counteract this, try to get 10 to 12 minutes of movement for every 45 minutes of desk work spread throughout the day (preferably some of which is outdoors to achieve the benefits of sunlight). A stand up desk can also be used to support your goal to increase activity and offset the risks of long term sitting. The optimal ratio seems to be about 1:1. Meaning for every 30 minutes you sit, complement it with 30 minutes of standing. Switching regularly is most beneficial as long periods of standing for some may feel uncomfortable and aggravate niggles and injuries.

2.  Create a predictable pattern of eating 

The body loves to work off predictable rhythms and one of the benefits of the daily commute is that it forces you into a daily pattern at least 5 days per week. When working from home, you have the luxury of having breakfast or taking a lunch break whenever suits since some days you don’t have to worry about arriving anywhere by a specific time. Research looking into regular vs irregular meal timings has shown that those who are inconsistent with the times they eat their meals and the number of meals they have each day will have more issues with their blood sugar and weight control compared to those who eat on a set routine with a regular eating pattern. As a result, it is important that you create a daily routine that allows you to have the same number of meals around the same time of day to reduce the metabolic affects of meal timing irregularity. 

3. Try to sleep and wake at the same time each day

Similarly, sleep quality is not only affected by the number of hours you sleep but also the regularity of the time you go to sleep and wake up. It can be easy to continue to work for that extra few hours, or watch another couple of episodes of your favourite TV show, knowing that you can balance it out with a few extra hours in bed the next morning. But this irregular sleeping pattern can contribute to a host of disorders such as obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and blood sugar. Setting yourself a regular working schedule can ensure you go to sleep and wake at a similar time each working day to support the metabolic system. 

4. Make time for social activity 

Working from home means less time ‘at the water cooler’ and as a consequence, lower socialization. If you share a home with others, ensure you spend time with them to talk about things outside of work. Invite friends over to share a meal or schedule time to catch up outside of the house to reap the benefits of nature and social time. If friends and family are far away, scheduling time for regular phone calls or visual meet ups can be a great way of reducing feelings of isolation and improving overall mental wellbeing.

5. Create clear boundaries between work and home life

It is important to create separation from your working environment and home life. Where possible, try to set up a space in your home to use as an office where files and work related technology can be stored and distractions minimized. This will ensure a greater level of productivity, lower stress and make it much easier to develop habits and work routines that are separate from your personal life.

If you live in a smaller place and do not have the luxury of a spare room for an office, designate an area of the house to use for work hours and create small changes that allow you to differentiate between when that area is in use as an ‘office’. It could be as simple as turning your dining table into a desk during the day, with your laptop on display and other visual cues, then at the end of the day packing it all away, to return it to a dining table once more. The simple act of setting up at the start of the day and packing up at night can be an effective way of helping you to switch off and establish a work-life pattern.

Take home:

Whilst there is a sense of freedom associated with working from home, creating structure and routine will help to develop clear boundaries between work and home life as well as the development of regular healthy habits that can help to reduce stress, burnout and other health pitfalls associated with working from home. Give the tips above a try and feel free to share with any clients who are currently struggling with finding balance at their home office.  

References:

Working from home: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/02/01/remote-work-is-here-to-stay-and-will-increase-into-2023-experts-say/?sh=3fd18d7d20a6 

Health coaching valuation: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/05/07/2225601/0/en/Health-Coach-Market-Size-to-Worth-Around-US-27-8-Bn-by-2030.html 

Sitting and exercise: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/22/1277 

Sleep timing and health: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/study-links-irregular-sleep-patterns-metabolic-disorders#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20has%20found,sugar%20and%20other%20metabolic%20disorders. 

Meal timing and health: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/meal-irregularity-and-cardiometabolic-consequences-results-from-observational-and-intervention-studies/1969DB83C64B09E221A4B8929B7D8A8C