If you have an ambitious goal or a significant life change in mind, it can be tough to do everything yourself. However, there is so much information out there, and no one has the time to read all of it, and this is where working with an online coach may come in handy. This article will discuss why you might want to work with an online coach and how they can help you reach your goals more efficiently.

What is online coaching?

Online coaching is a form of service where a life coach guides their clients online. Many life coaches opt for this kind of coaching because it benefits them and their clients. Life coaches that benefit significantly from online coaching are those who specialize in the health and fitness industry. Online fitness has seen an increase in demand, especially with how the world works in recent times with the pandemic and lockdowns associated with it. Many people don't have a choice but to stay in their homes, and public establishments, like gyms, barred entry for people, or even if they are open, they will only allow a limited number of people to enter. Most people would then exercise at home, and this is where online coaching can prove beneficial. The benefits below mainly apply to health and fitness coaching, but these can also apply to other life coaches who specialize in other areas.

1. Accountability

One significant benefit an online coach can provide is accountability. The online coaching experience makes it easier for the coach to check on the client using various online messaging and communication tools. Check-ins can get done daily or weekly, and this is crucial for clients under a fitness and nutrition program from a health coach. Health and fitness are areas where most clients struggle with maintaining consistency, such as doing workouts and diets. An online personal trainer makes it easier to remind clients to do what they have to do and correct what is wrong with their activities. Contrast this with going to a gym and having a personal trainer train you there. Your trainer can check up on you while in the gym. Still, once outside, you have to be disciplined enough to maintain doing what the trainer has told you to do unless it's part of the personal trainer's program to contact you regularly outside of the gym.

2. Affordability

Online coaching comes with a price tag, but it's cheaper compared to personal training. Hiring a personal trainer is not cheap, and depending on where you are, the service can cost up to more than $100 per session. This cost can go upwards of almost $1,000 per month depending on the number of training sessions the client avails.

Coaches who do online training can charge per session, but it can only cost something below $100. Because the coach doesn't have to meet their client face to face physically, the flexibility advantage for the coach helps lower the cost they have to make for providing their service. Online coaches can also offer a monthly coaching package where they provide multiple services in one bundle. Again, the monthly can cost as low as $100 per month to up to $500.

One thing to be wary of is that you will come across products or programs being sold for an even lower price than online coaching if you search online. These things may come with video tutorials and documents about improving yourself, but you have to do these independently. Online coaching can build rapport with the client by providing "real" coaching, meaning the coach himself will contact and communicate with the client. The communication and contact part is what the client will not get by purchasing the products alone.

3. Flexibility

Online coaching is an excellent model for an online business with the obvious advantage of reaching more potential clients across the globe. Having in-person training limits the coach to clients only available in the local area and some outside the immediate area. Doing online coaching means finding more clients, which means more money for the coach. Online coaching is also advantageous for the client's side because a client can get an online trainer who lives across the sea and still get the advice and knowledge one can get from doing in-person training. A professional coach might not be available in the local area a client lives in, so going online is an excellent way to get some quality coaching service.

Time and schedule flexibility is also a significant benefit of online coaching. People who slack on their fitness journey will likely say they are too busy with their work schedules and activities, so they don't have the time to go to the gym. With online coaching, they don't have the excuse anymore since clients can do their fitness training online in the comfort of their own homes. If the client still feels slacking on attending scheduled sessions in online coaching, the coach can easily make phone calls or video chats to remind them of their fitness goals and get their feet working.

4. Companionship

Despite the online nature of the service, online coaching provides the client with a companion on the journey towards achieving long-term success. Sure, going to the gym to work with your trainer and seeing others work out gets you fired up to do workouts, but after your session in the gym, you're on your own to continue doing your course of health and fitness activities. Furthermore, with online coaching, it's possible to communicate with your coach almost anytime by reaching out through messaging apps, which becomes handy when something is troubling you, or you can't find the motivation to do things and want to talk to somebody. Also, try searching online, and you can find groups on social media sites that share their life experiences working with other trainers online. These provide a good idea for inspiration and motivation, too, as you can see that you are not alone in your journey.

Do your training online.

Nowadays, many of our daily activities have to be done online, including our work and the health and fitness routine we usually do by commuting and going to facilities. Many personal trainers have shifted to doing their business online so they can adapt to the changing times. There might be some initial learning curve and adjustment when online coaching, but it's still possible to learn the skills you want to create the life you want.