Pep talk quotes can be a really nice way to add a little fun, perspective and encouragement to your clinical nutrition educations.
Motivational quotes and why they help
I love quotes. I know it’s a little cheesy, but I keep a running list of quotes that inspire and motivate me – AND I actually look at it.
Motivational quotes can be so overdone and can start to feel pretty cliché after a while (or really quickly). But there’s something so helpful in knowing that other’s before you have been through a struggle and come out the other end in one piece or even stronger.
This is exactly why testimonials, Instagram likes and proof of purchase work so well in making us feel more comfortable trying something new. It’s evidence that something out there works. It’s hearing it from someone else who’s been there before you, struggled and been ok in the end.
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How to use pep talk quotes
The key to using pep talk quotes to successfully give clients a bit of inspiration, is doing it in a way that feels natural and not forced.
Obviously a quote won’t suddenly help them stop binge eating, ignore the sodium-heavy frozen pizza or get them to do their finger sticks more regularly. But a well-placed mention of something you once heard that really helped you can sometimes perk up certain clients. They work especially well with those who look for an emotional connection or a story that resonates with them in order to think a little more seriously about change.
Here are three ways to successfully use quotes with clients:
- Paraphrase, don’t quote the quote: This usually makes it much more personal and gives you a chance to connect the concept of the quote to the person you’re sharing it with. And I promise, no one’s coming after you to make a formal correction.
- Don’t force it, let the quote come to you: It’s got to come up naturally. This list isn’t so you can drip feed your clients random sayings they might not care about. It’s to give you a source of additional support when you see a client working through something you’ve seen before.
- Have context, understand your quote: Don’t just spit out a saying a let it hang. You’ve got to have a good understanding of what that quote means to you, and more than that, you’ve got to apply it for your client. Make a clear connection between the quote and the conversation for them. Giving it context will help you client immediately understand how it applies to them and their health goals.
10 pep talk quotes for nutrition education sessions
Don’t sleep on this list.
When used in the right context and with the right clients, these quotes become can become pep talks that will help you motivate you clients with different perspectives and insights that might relate to on an entirely new level.
Download the entire list for easy reference HERE.
#1. The Value of Dedication
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
Calvin Coolidge
Use the whole quote or just a piece of it. It can help you remind your clients that becoming healthy isn’t about being the smartest person in the room or knowing all the recent fad diet tricks.
It’s more about staying consistent with balanced eating and putting in a regular effort to maintain moderation, every day.
#2. Life Choices
You’ve sacrificed your entire life to be who you are today. Was it worth it?
Richard Bach
Many of our clients struggle with connecting past behaviors with current outcomes. When approached in a gentle, non-judgmental way, the essence of this quote can help our clients refocus the way they choose to look at their past and current behavior choices.
With a shift in perspective, you have an opportunity to guide them in thinking a bit about whether they’d like to continue doing the same thing they’ve done in the past.
#3. There is No “Better”
The grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s greener where you water it.
Unknown
A lot of people believe their health status is caused by something they haven’t done or don’t have access to. It could be a gym membership, someone to write them a meal plan, a support system, a chef…whatever. When used in the right context, this quote can help remind our clients that changing health status is hard for everyone. We all have our own struggles and are on our own health journeys.
This is a reminder for our clients to work with what they’ve got and start wherever they are. As long as they’re doing their best, they’ll see the grass grow on their side of the world.
#4. The Cost of Everything
The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.
Thoreau
The price we’re talking about obviously isn’t actual dollar bills here. We’re talking about how much time many of us spend going back and forth between thinking about making a change, and the actual effort into making that change.
The price we’re talking about is the price of waiting. The cost is not associated with success, but with the decision to try or the choice to simply begin.
#5. You Are Enough
The only person you’re destined to become is the person you decide to be.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you’re ever looking for a way start talking about intuitive eating or mindful eating, this quote is a nice way to open up that conversation. Our clients have a lot of self-esteem struggles, which makes addressing the root of that struggle, potentially very effective. This quote can reinforce to our clients that the only thing that matters in the world, is how happy they are with themselves.
No matter the medical, weight or health issue they struggle with that they believe proves their incompetence, reminding our clients that they are enough is always important. There’s nothing written in stone or predestined that promises we will be a certain way. It’s always up to us to become exactly who we decide to be.
#6. There’s Never Just One Way to Change
I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I’ve been.
Winnie the Pooh
Pooh is the king of simple logic. In this deceptively simple quote, he’s reminding us that as long as you begin to move or to change, you’ll eventually find yourself in an entirely new place. He doesn’t tell us we should find the correct path and to avoid the wrong direction. He only encourages us to start moving.
Sometimes a client has decided where they want to go but continues to be anxious about beginning. This quote can help remind them that the direction they walk in matters less than the fact that they are simply starting to make new or different choices.
#7. We Are as Powerful as We Believe We Are
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.
Alice Walker
Belief in ourselves is one of the strongest determinants of our own success. Reminding our clients that they are as strong as they believe they are, isn’t a magic bullet in self-confidence but it is a beginning.
What this quote does is give you an opportunity to bring the conversation back to what your client thinks is possible and encourage them to embrace their personal power.
#8. Just Go For It!
All you need in life is ignorance and confidence. Then success is sure.
Mark Twain
We all know people who dive into projects head first with nothing except their optimism. We also know other people who want to have a well thought out plan, with details and a timeline before they’re willing to start anything.
This quote is a reminder that when it comes to health, having a ton of confidence is more valuable than having a ton of unused information.
#9. Consistency is Key
If you do whatever you said you are going to do every day, you will get whatever you said you would get.
Unknown
This quote can be a valuable reminder that we are a cumulation of what we focus on every day. It’s not about what happens every minute of every day. Framing this as reinforcement that taking a break, eating a cookie or not working out one day, will never mean failure.
Despite what happens from time to time, if your every day focus remains strong and your overall habits stay intact, your destination will always be in sight.
#10. Focus on Change
The secret to change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.
Socrates
It’s so easy to spend most of our energy pushing against all the things we think we’re doing wrong. Our clients are no different. Resistance to making a change or believing a change can take place often happens when we’re working harder on fixing something than we’re working at creating something.
This quote can help us talk to clients about what they’ll DO, rather than what they’ll AVOID. Sometimes it’s just this little change in perspective that can open the door to how a client is able to think through opportunities to do things differently.
And That’s It!
That’s it! Those are the 10 pep talk quotes that you can use in clinical nutrition to support your clients. These are great for intuitive and mindful eating conversations, as you’re practicing motivational interviewing and whenever you get stuck in a stalled client chat.
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