There is no typical client at EMP180°. There is no typical plan or program. Instead, everything is personalized, individualized and strategized. EMP180° EMPowers clients to make healthy sustainable changes to achieve overall good health. The “180°” represents change.
Clients complete a detailed health summary, then meet with a consultant to discuss lifestyle, goals, concerns, habits, and are matched with a personal health coach.
“Everyone at EMP180° has a different area of expertise as highly qualified health and wellness professionals,” said Regional Manager Alison Nelson. “If we have a client who wants to start working out, or who has a long-term goal to run a marathon, we have specific coaches to match that client’s goals.” The EMP180° team also includes certified nutritionists and a registered dietician.
Kim Spivack manages the Potomac location, the newest of the six EMP180° centers in the DMV. Kim emphasized the collaborative nature of EMP180°. “We have varied perspectives so, as a team, we strategize,” she said.
Clients come to EMP180° for many reasons. Alison said, “We have clients that need to lose 100+ pounds and clients who need to lose 12 pounds and are training for a race. Also, maybe it’s not about weight. Maybe it’s about putting on muscle and changing body composition. Everybody’s plan looks different.”
The process includes weekly meetings between client and coach, with a focus on goal setting and lifestyle. Kim said, “We might have night-shift workers, people who travel a lot, or busy moms. We develop a strategy to fit into personal lifestyles and integrate it into their world. We discuss what’s in the coming week and what happened last week, and what can we change. Maybe it’s adding different vegetables. Or they need to walk the dog every day. We set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, timely and results-oriented. The long-term goal is always there, but breaking it into small pieces really helps guide them and helps us move them forward.”
The EMP180° team uses whatever tools work for each client, from tracking progress with a pencil and paper, to using apps for everything from monitoring sleep issues to counting steps.
Like everything else in the EMP180° program, the food clients eat is personalized to reach goals and gain knowledge about balanced nutrition and macronutrients. If clients have dietary restrictions, they might not eat any of the EMP180° food products. Alison said, “Every nutrition program is customized for the individual. We provide some food. It is a combination of our food and clients’ food, so clients lose weight and improve their health.”
EMP180° differs in four main ways from other weight-loss programs:
- It’s not just about weight. It’s a long-term approach to health and wellness to help clients get healthy and feel better.
- Education is key: Learning about nutrition and reading food labels, how to structure meals, and acquiring the knowledge to keep weight off.
- Every plan is personalized and individualized according to each client’s needs, goals and lifestyle.
- Each client has a supportive and encouraging personal health coach for life. Accountability and support are critical to good health that lasts a lifetime.
As part of the EMP180° evidence-based program, clients use the InBody body composition analyzer weekly. Clients step on the device and use hand-held grips to touch eight tactile electrodes to produce a detailed and easy-to-understand report about the body’s fluids, metabolic rate, body fat, muscle mass, and more.