What I learned while school supply shopping that you need to apply ASAP to your practice.
I'm back with another edition of my-life-turned-teaching-opportunity... :)
Today, my kids and I went school supply shopping. This was a really big shopping trip for us! While we’ve been doing some form of table time and morning bins the last few years, this is the first year of intentional schooling - Kindergarten - for our son. Needless to say, picking out all of the items on the list came with a different type of excitement than in the past.
One thing I noticed while we were exploring the aisles of school supplies was that each item came in a couple of different options ~ the name brand, a lesser brand that was reasonably similar, and the knockoff.
Where am I going with this? Hang with me. I promise this is going to be relevant to you and your clients in a moment.
As we worked through our list and put various items into the cart, I found myself evaluating which items needed to be the name brand and which could reasonably be the knockoff. Some items - such as markers - seem to work better from the higher-priced brand whereas other things - like liquid glue - were pretty much the same from company to company.
When it comes to your clients - they are no doubt going through the same mental analysis every time they enter the grocery store...
"Do I really need to buy organic vegetables?"
"Conventionally-raised meat is a few dollars-per-pound cheaper, maybe I can save a little here?"
"Do I have to splurge on the Himalayan Sea Salt or can I settle with plain old sea salt?"
"I bought the good bread, maybe I can get away with the cheaper rice?"
"This product contains seed oil, but it is way down on the ingredients list. Is that good enough?"
As a coach or nutritionist, you have an incredible opportunity to help your clients cut through the overwhelm of simply trying to navigate what foods they should and should not buy at the grocery store. It may seem like a no-brainer to you to grab (fill in the blank), but knowing how to best navigate the store (or farmer’s market) can go a long way to make adopting a newer way of eating easier.
So, here are my action steps for you today:
Make sure that you are discussing this very practical stress when supporting your clients through dietary changes. - The specific stress your client is navigating could be unique to them! Ask questions during calls and listen carefully so you can address the core of their struggle.
Develop a resource that guides clients on how to navigate the grocery store and what items to prioritize. - In a perfect world, we’d purchase amazing products every single time, but that isn’t always realistic. Clients need to know where they can cut corners to stay within budget and what items are best purchased premium.
Be transparent in your newsletters, social media, and at seminars to show clients simple ways to make grocery shopping easy. - Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to be perfect all the time! It's actually helpful for others to see that you - the nutrition professional - is not adhering to a 100% approach 100% of the time.