How Could It Benefit You to Work With a Health Coach?
As healthcare is expanding to be more holistic, it is helpful to understand the roles that a health coach may play in helping to support one’s health.
The support that a health coach can provide to an individual can take various forms, depending on their needs and circumstances.
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Health coaches generally try to work with clients for an ongoing period, the standard agreement being 6 months of support together. With ongoing support, a health coach has more capability in helping the client move from where he/she is to achieving her/his desired outcomes.
As a trained holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I am trained in diverse dietary theories and also have been trained to look at the importance of health in all aspects of a client’s life. Nutrition is only one part of the picture in my role as a health coach; I advise clients to help them find balance and reach their goals in the various aspects of life, including physical health, relationships, spiritual health, financial health, professional health, and emotional health.
You can see my services at my website.
Here are some ways that health coaches offer health support:
- Encourage Healthy Habits: Health coaches promote regular exercise, balanced nutrition, adequate sleep, and stress management techniques. We work with clients to create actionable goals and use motivational interviewing techniques to help clients address the tension between where they are in their lifestyle habits and where they would like to be.
- Use Active Listening: In addition to using motivational interviewing techniques, health coaches offer a listening ear and emotional support. Sometimes, just being there to listen can make a significant difference in someone’s well-being. The importance of this kind of support to help a client is one of the many reasons why a longer-term program with a health coach is beneficial.
- Offer Information and Resources: Health coaches provide valuable resources to clients about health conditions, treatment options, and support services available in the community. As a health coach, I also help clients understand health issues holistically. For instance, where a conventional doctor may aim to help support clients in treating the symptoms, as a health coach I aim to work with clients to help get to the root causes of inflammation (the leading cause behind many auto-immune conditions).
- Accompany to Medical Appointments: Health coaches can offer to accompany clients to medical appointments, especially if they’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed. While health coaches may not be licensed medical providers, they may also be able to help clients find natural solutions that can complement or replace conventional medical therapies.
- Promote Mental Health Awareness: Health coaches open conversations with clients about mental health, helping to reduce stigma and provide resources for counseling or therapy if necessary. As a health coach, I aim to help support clients feeling empowered to take accountability and ownership for their health and healing.
- Support Lifestyle Changes: Health coaches may provide support and encouragement if the individual is trying to quit smoking, reduce alcohol consumption, or make other lifestyle changes. As a health coach, I help to provide education, support, and motivation to help clients through making difficult lifestyle and mindset changes.
- Be Patient and Understanding: Health coaches understand that health challenges can be difficult to navigate. As such, we offer patience, empathy, and understanding without judgment. We are here to be supportive resources and help in clients’ individualized journeys and goals.
- Help with Daily Tasks and Scheduling: Health coaches can assist with daily activities such as meal preparation, household chores, or transportation to appointments if the individual is recovering from an illness or injury. A health coach may also help a client make better daily lifestyle changes, helping to “crowd out” junk foods and find healthier alternatives.
- Encourage Regular Health Check-ups; Health coaches strive to work with individuals and complement the services provided by their medical doctors. As such, health coaches help to remind clients of the importance of regular health check-ups and screenings for early detection of any health issues.
- Promote Positive Relationships: Health coaches encourage clients to maintain positive relationships with family and friends, as social support is crucial for overall well-being.
- Respect Autonomy: While providing support and guidance, health coaches also recognize and uphold the individual’s autonomy and decisions regarding their health care.
In sum, a health coach can support individuals in attaining their health goals using a holistic lens, providing ongoing individualized support to help clients maintain and improve their health and well-being. Health coaches serve as partners and guides in helping individuals adopt healthier lifestyles, manage chronic conditions, and improve their quality of life. The holistic approach offered by health coaches addresses physical, emotional, spiritual, and behavioral aspects of health and wellness.
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