James Clear's bestselling book Atomic Habits has really contributed to a new emphasis on the importance of client habits within the fitness industry. It's easy to see why - the book breaks down the mechanics of habit formation into simple, actionable steps. For fitness professionals looking to help clients build healthy routines, Atomic Habits at first glance seems like the perfect playbook. However, while the book captures basics, most fitness pros lack nuanced training to put those habits into practice. As a result, overreliance on Atomic Habits can minimize the complexity of true behavior change.

What are Atomic Habits?

Atomic Habits explores how small, incremental, everyday routines and rituals can drive significant long term transformation. Clear examines the components of habit loops - triggers, routines, and rewards - and how tweaking these elements creates change. Introduce cues, make tasks simpler, develop rewards, track progress - do this consistently enough and transformative habits take hold. Sounds easy, right?

The Good: Habit Basics

There's no denying Atomic Habits nails the fundamentals. Breaking down the drivers of automatic behavior into digestible bits helps demystify the process of habit installation. These basics give pros actionable steps for structuring habit development plans. The book also offers clever tricks for routinizing behaviors - put sneakers by the bed, start flossing just one tooth, leverage accountability partners and tracking. These strategies when matched correctly with the person and habit are not only effective, but also based on science. As such, when applied correctly, such tactics can lead to positive client outcomes.

The Bad: Overconfidence in Application

Here's the catch though - while Atomic Habits provides the habit ingredients, most fitness pros lack training in how to combine those pieces into recipes tailored to each client and each behavior. Developing truly customized programs requires a more nuanced grasp of behavior change methodology. It demands identifying pivotal behaviors to target to get the most bang for the change buck, identifying the root cause of the current behavior to be changed, matching the replacement to the cause, not the behavior manifestation, and all while staying in scope of practice.

Yet many professionals inspired by books like Atomic Habits believe they can do “habit coaching”. This overconfidence can lead to cookie-cutter plans built on assumptions versus using a curated process designed specifically for fitness professionals that prompts the key questions, assessments and protocols for behavior change. Checking in, cueing a new behavior and a “keep up the good work” are insufficient for creating new habits. Habits that last are those that match the client, environment, and lifestyle. Good habits are those that help a client move in the right direction and entail behaviors that that are easy and enjoyable, eventually becoming a way of life. Yet all too often, when habits fail to stick, coaches assume lack of client commitment rather than poor habit design ill-fitted to individuals.

The Ugly: Opening Pandora's Box

Limited grasp of habit mechanics also risks undue emphasis on what is not working, sessions that are too long and taxing and not conducted in places that feel focused and safe to share challenges. The key to making habits is small incremental changes. A one-hour session reviewing every detail of their eating patterns is not focusing on small changes over time. Instead it can leave the client feeling like they must revamp everything. Additionally, these sessions need to be shorter, 15-30 minutes, and not on the training floor. Finally, we need to be very clear and purposeful in our questioning to get clear insights to make small but highly impactful changes. See our previous article on motivational interviewing for clarity on that.

Attempting habit change absent proper knowledge of potential pitfalls along the path can undermine progress and trust.

Start Small, Stay In Scope

This isn't to say Atomic Habits contains no value; rather, fitness pros must recognize both its merits and limits. Supplement habit basics with assessments, active listening, motivational techniques, mental health awareness, and readiness principles. Rather than tackle lofty life overhauls off the bat, start with subtle micro-changes. Guide clients to progress one tiny win at a time, celebrating small victories that build self-efficacy and momentum. And know your scope - when to refer out for specialized support.

In case it’s not clear, we believe that behavior change coaching is definitely something that is in our purview as fitness professionals to provide and is something that the clients of today and the future need and expect. Just like with exercise and nutrition science, coaches need to be trained in behavior science. We created the 360 Wellness Coaching Certification for that reason. We wanted to create best practice systems for fitness professionals to make the biggest impact with the smallest changes. Coaches are extensively trained to guide clients towards positive change while remaining in scope.

The takeaway? Atomic Habits delivers habit essentials, but sound application takes so much more. As professionals, we must recognize both the value and restrictions of generalist resources. With the right supplemental training and self-awareness, we can positively impact clients while avoiding unnecessary pitfalls. Start small, stay in lane, and don't assume casual reading grants applicable expertise. There are no atomic shortcuts to truly catalyzing change in those we serve.

To learn more about behavior coaching and how this can improve your income and impact at www.healthybehaviorinstitute.com.

Janine Stichter & Scott Schutte