Why Coaching is a Process, Not a Programme
Read Time: 10 minutes
Author: Jamie Scott
Nutrition coaches just write a diet plan, and fitness coaches a training plan, right? This reflects a widespread misconception in the health and performance industry, which is entirely understandable - we live in a world where we're accustomed to purchasing plans, downloading them, and getting on with things. But this confusion reveals a fundamental misunderstanding about what professional coaching actually is, and more importantly, why that distinction matters for anyone serious about their health and performance.
The Product Mindset vs. The Process Mindset
When someone focuses on coaching as "just a programme," they're operating from a product mindset. They want something tangible they can hold, follow, and tick boxes against. A programme or plan, in this context, is a static document - a set of instructions written once and handed over. You pay for it, you get it, transaction complete.
This isn't necessarily wrong. There are times when a straightforward training programme or diet plan might be appropriate. But it's crucial to understand what you're actually getting and, perhaps more importantly, what you're not getting.
A training programme or diet plan is created based on a snapshot of information about you at one point in time. It assumes your circumstances won't change, your response to the intervention will be predictable, and that you already possess the knowledge and skills to execute everything correctly. It assumes you'll know what to do when things don't go according to plan—which they rarely do.
Coaching, by contrast, operates from a process mindset. It recognises that sustainable change is rarely linear, that your circumstances will evolve, and that learning happens through doing, failing, adapting, and trying again.
What Coaching Actually Looks Like
When you engage a coach, you're not purchasing a product - you're entering into a professional relationship. This relationship is built on six key pillars:
Ongoing Assessment and Adaptation
Your plan isn't set in stone from day one. A coach continuously evaluates your progress, your response to interventions, changes in your circumstances, and adapts accordingly. Had a terrible week at work that derailed your nutrition? Your coach factors that in. Responding better to training than expected? Your programme evolves. This responsiveness is impossible with a static document.
Education and Understanding
Perhaps the most valuable aspect of coaching is learning the 'why' behind recommendations. A diet plan might tell you to eat 150g of protein daily, but a coach helps you understand why that number matters for your specific goals, how to practically achieve it within your lifestyle, and what to do when you fall short. This education creates lasting change that extends far beyond any single plan.
Accountability and Support
Having someone professionally invested in your success changes everything, but this works in both directions. Yes, you have a trusted expert to problem-solve with when challenges arise, but you also have someone who will honestly assess your efforts and call out patterns that aren't serving you. True accountability isn't about guilt or shame—it's about having someone who won't let you off the hook when you're making excuses, while also providing professional support when motivation wavers or life genuinely gets complicated. A good coach distinguishes between legitimate obstacles and convenient stories we tell ourselves, and they're not afraid to challenge you when needed.
Problem-Solving Partnership
Every individual encounters unique obstacles on their journey. Maybe you travel frequently for work, have digestive issues that complicate nutrition recommendations, or struggle with sleep because of stress. A static programme or plan can't anticipate these individual challenges. A coach works with you to find solutions that fit your reality, not some idealised version of how life should work.
Holistic Approach
Good coaching recognises that your health and performance goals don't exist in isolation. Your stress levels, sleep quality, work demands, family commitments, and dozens of other factors all influence your progress. A coach considers your entire life, not just the narrow focus of whatever programme you might be following.
Professional Expertise
This isn't about credentials alone, though proper education matters. It's about having access to years of education and experience that can guide your journey. When you hit a plateau, encounter an unexpected response to training, or need to navigate competing health priorities, professional expertise becomes invaluable.
The Hidden Costs of the Programme-Only Approach
Here's what's often overlooked in the programme-versus-coaching conversation: programmes might appear more cost-effective upfront, but they often prove more expensive in the long run.
Without ongoing guidance, people frequently find themselves purchasing plan after plan, hoping the next one will be "the one" that finally works. They accumulate a collection of abandoned nutrition and training programmes, each representing time, money, and motivation spent without lasting results. More concerning is the opportunity cost. The months or years spent following unsuitable approaches represent missed opportunities for genuine progress. During that time, with proper coaching, sustainable habits could have been developed, genuine lifestyle changes implemented, and lasting results achieved.
There's also the psychological cost. Repeated "failures" with programmes often lead people to conclude that they're simply not capable of change. In reality, they were likely following approaches that weren't suited to their individual circumstances, without the support needed to navigate inevitable challenges.
When Programmes Make Sense
To be clear, programmes do have their place - I offer both nutrition plans and training programmes. They're appropriate when you have existing knowledge, stable circumstances, other support systems, and realistic expectations about what a static plan can achieve.
I'll also specifically recommend programmes when someone isn't ready for coaching yet. Through initial conversations, it often becomes clear that while someone wants to make changes, they're not at a stage where the communication and feedback cycle of coaching would be effective. Sometimes life circumstances make this process impossible - for those overwhelmed with stress, a clear plan without regular check-ins is more appropriate.
In these cases, experiencing the "behaviour gap" - the difference between having a plan and implementing it - can be valuable preparation for future coaching. It helps people understand why sustainable change requires more than just knowing what to do.
The Coaching Investment
Professional coaching represents an investment in a different kind of outcome. Rather than hoping a programme will work for you, you're investing in developing the knowledge, skills, and habits that will serve you for life.
This is why coaching relationships often extend well beyond initial goals. The client who initially wanted to lose weight discovers they've developed a completely different relationship with food and movement. The athlete seeking performance gains finds they've learned to optimise their entire approach to health and recovery.
The goal of good coaching isn't dependence—it's education. The most successful coaching relationships are those where clients gradually need less frequent check-ins because they've developed the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions independently.
Making the Right Choice for You
The question isn't whether coaching is inherently better than plans or programmes - it's about being honest about what you actually need and what you're trying to achieve.
If you're looking for convenience, have limited budget, and are comfortable with an approach that doesn’t constantly adapt to you, a nutrition plan or training programme might suit your current priorities. There's nothing wrong with this choice, provided you go in with realistic expectations.
But if you're serious about achieving lasting change, optimising your approach for your individual circumstances, and developing the knowledge to maintain your progress long-term, then coaching represents a fundamentally different - and more effective - approach.
Understanding the distinction between coaching and programmes is just the beginning. True change happens when you commit to the process, not just the programme.
