Chris Grothe, a native Mississippian, talks about how he became a trainer at Fondren Fitness and shares insights into holistic coaching and healthy living.
Coaching and Expertise
Grothe is highly specialized with nearly 12 years coaching experience, a diverse knowledge base, and a variety of training certificates. He has several certifications through CrossFit and Training Think Tank (TTT) and is currently studying holistic lifestyle coaching with the San Diego based CHEK Institute. He also studied biomechanics and kinesiology at Mississippi State University.
“I got into holistic coaching through the CHEK Institute and currently hold an HLC 2 which stands for ‘holistic lifestyle coach level 2’. I’m the only one in Mississippi that has that certification,” Grothe said.
Holistic Lifestyle Coaching
“For real lasting change, it takes more than an hour a day in the gym. It’s what you do outside of the gym–it’s your lifestyle that makes the biggest hindrance or help to your health,” Grothe said.
Grothe breaks holistic lifestyle coaching into four main pillars: mental and emotional health, nutrition, sleep and meditation, and movement.
Mental and Emotional Health
In the first piece of holistic lifestyle coaching, Grothe encourages his clients to create clear values, identify any potential roadblocks, and craft a step-by-step approach to making regular mindful decisions about health.
“We spend time defining our purpose in order to start making more mindful decisions on a daily basis,” Grothe said.
Nutrition
Next comes nutrition, which Grothe addresses through assessing his clients’ metabolic type, utilizing food logs, and encouraging body mindfulness.
“I coach clients not so much on a specific diet or on their macros,” Grothe said, “but more on their metabolic type and how to eat the right kinds of foods for their metabolic type. Being present with your body is also important, and so is being able to communicate that way and give your body what it needs.”
Sleep and Meditation
Then sleep and mediation are addressed. Grothe encourages his clients to be aware of their peace of mind just as much as their level of sleep. This helps establish mental and physical awareness, while also allowing clients a chance to center themselves each day.
“Sleep is important, but so is what we call ‘quiet’ or your alone time. The time you give yourself to rest and restore,” Grothe said.
Movement
Last but not least is movement, which includes everything from cardio exercises to stretching and is made specific to individual clients.
“I do a lot with core stability and core functioning, but ‘movement’ can be catered to each person’s specific needs,” Grothe said.
All of these elements are processed into actionable and unique steps Grothe’s clients take over the course of eight weeks. This process is different from traditional coaching practices in that it takes a personal and multifaceted approach to improving a person’s life and health.
“Holistic is the opposite of an allopathic approach,” Grothe said, “So we’re not treating symptoms, we’re trying to find root causes and address the root causes first. And it’s different for every person. For some, it’s their nutrition that needs to be improved, whereas for others it’s more about their mental or emotional state.”
“Seeing the big lifestyle changes… are more sustainable and valuable to me than getting a client’s deadlift numbers up,” Grothe said. “It’s important to consider not only our lives individually, but also our relationships with others. We should ask ourselves: What’s our impact on the world? What kind of legacy do we want to leave behind? What kind of person do we want to grow into?”
Motivational Tips
Grothe had this to share for anyone wanting tips on achieving their fitness goals:
“Focusing on health first would be my number one advice. If we make health our number one priority, then we can show up as the best version of ourselves which gives us the best ability to achieve our health goals.”
Ready to train with Chris? Visit our Training page to learn more and to schedule an appointment. Learn more about our trainers by checking out our blog.