Newsweek
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May 24, 2008 11:05 AM
By Christina Gillham
A coach helps you devise a plan and helps motivate you to carry it through
Illustration: Chris Gash for Newsweek
When Sharlene Langner won four free sessions with a wellness coach through a local school raffle, she was skeptical. At five feet and 175 pounds, the Maplewood, N.J., mother of two had tried to diet and exercise on her own but never really had much luck. Commuting to her unsatisfying job didn’t help her situation—by the time she’d get home after her hourlong drive from work, she’d be starving and would fill up on pasta, followed by what she calls a “cookie chaser.” “I was overweight; I couldn’t move around,” she says. When she won the raffle, “I remember thinking, ‘This will never work’.”
Once she met with her coach, Risa Olinsky, Langner’s attitude changed. Instead of telling Langner what to do—“go on a diet,” “lose weight”—Olinsky prodded her with questions. “She asked what I’m all about, how do I motivate myself, how do I feel about myself,” says Langner. “It was never ‘What size do you want to be?’ but ‘How do you want to feel?’ ”
Olinsky collaborated with Langner, who is 51, and helped her figure out what kind of exercise she could incorporate into her busy workweek and how to best control her eating. They decided that Langner would use the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator whenever possible, take walks on her lunch breaks and always have healthy food with her so that she wouldn’t be tempted to snack on junk food. It was not a complicated formula, but it worked: after a year of weekly phone conversations (at $75 for 45 minutes), Langner is 35 pounds lighter, full of energy, more confident and is happily ensconced in a new job in New York City. Having a professional devise a plan with her and stand by her for support gave her the extra push. “When I thought I couldn’t get beyond a certain point, Risa was there to encourage me,” she says.
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