When I first started health coaching in 2013, very few people knew what a Health Coach was, and many hadn’t even heard the term health coach. In short, a Health Coach is a supportive mentor and wellness authority helping clients feel their best through food & lifestyle changes. Each client is unique, and so each health coaching program is tailored to meet the clients' needs.
Just like a sports coach, or a career coach, I help train, guide, educate, encourage, support, and hold accountable. I'm like a guide on the side. I work with individual clients, tun group programs, and conduct health and wellness workshops in workplaces, and in the community, at libraries, fitness centers, and such. I also teach a 25-week diabetes prevention program for people with prediabetes, and work as a health educator for public health organizations.
Increasingly, people are becoming their own health advocates, turning to holistic lifestyle modalities to prevent seeing a Western doctor who most likely will prescribe medication, rather than help the patient get to the root cause of the dis-ease. Doctors and hospitals are absolutely necessary, but my job is to try to keep people well, and avoid needing “sick-care”.
Much of what we go to a doctor for in this country is illness caused by lifestyle.
· We are stressed, or pressed for time, so we don’t eat right.
· We eat fast food, because we don’t take time to cook. Processed food can be a root cause of some brain, gut, and skin issues, overweight, and fatigue.
· We see a mental health crisis now with depression, anxiety – and people self-medicating with food, drugs, alcohol and sleeping pills.
· More and more people are becoming overweight each year which can cause more health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and certain cancers.
· Diabesity is a term used to describe the continuum of health problems ranging from insulin resistance and overweight to obesity and diabetes. Diabesity is the underlying cause of most heart disease, cancer, and premature death.
· These conditions are also 100% preventable and reversible.
Doctors give us a pill, or tell us to lose weight, reduce our stress, but they don’t have the time or resources to help us alleviate the problems.
We know health coaches are not doctors. But they are also not registered dieticians. The term nutritionist isn’t regulated, so technically, anyone can call himself or herself a nutritionist, even with no formal training, license, or certification. Dietitian, specifically registered dietitian, noted by RD after one’s name, or RDN for registered dietitian nutritionist (the terms are used interchangeably), has a specific meaning. A nutritionist or RD is someone who can help you with a diet and calculate the macronutrients of foods you might need, or need to avoid based upon a certain goal or illness, or food allergy. A health coach might also do this, but also includes not only diet and nutrition, but also overall wellness including other factors such as physical activity, sleep, stress, relationships, and anything else that is causing unbalance in wellness.
My most successful clients are those who take responsibility for lifestyle change. They are open minded to trying new things, and do their homework. Change can be hard, and not all clients are ready to make change, so I help them with this by starting with where they are and taking small actionable steps. If they are challenged or are not able to make a change, we look at what is holding them back or getting in their way, and to address those things. People need a lot of support to make change. I ensure that I can support them by listening very closely, not only to what they are saying, but what they are not saying, asking important questions, and using each session to follow up with the action steps from last session.
I offer a short program with 3 sessions, also a 6-session program over 3 months, or a 12-session program over 6 months. The 6-month program is generally a good amount of time to make breakthroughs, and important lifestyle changes with some consistency. But a client program can last anywhere from 3 months to 9 months or beyond depending on their goals.
A typical session is about an hour. I meet with clients every 2 weeks by phone or Zoom. We generally start out with a centering activity like just taking some deep breaths, and relaxing in our chair. Then I ask them what is new and good. I encourage the good and there could be some new positive steps or some new challenges. I also always go back to the action items from the last session, and ask them about the handouts I sent to see if they had questions or what they got from the information. I help them problem solve challenges and then with some guidance, the client comes up with a few actions they’d like to try before the next session. After the session, I send them session notes, and other handouts or other items that might help to support their changes or education.
Professionalism, confidentiality, respect, and no judgment are absolutes for me. The hardest part is when the coaching program is over, because we feel close and have been in each other’s lives. But it’s also a great feeling because the client feels ready to be on their own, and they can always reach out to me. I have a newsletter that helps them keep in touch with what I’m up to, so they still feel connected.
People sometimes ask me about my coaching style. I believe I am compassionate, non-judgmental, a good listener, encouraging, and friendly. I also have to make the client understand boundaries such as holding himself or herself accountable for keeping appointments, and following up with the action items.
One very clear example of a coaching program was a client whose doctor wanted to put her on cholesterol lowering drugs, but she asked her doctor to wait 3 months and check her again. We worked together for 3 months to change her diet, exercise, stress, and sleep, and after 3 months she went for a check-up with her doctor and her doctor was amazed. She asked what did you do? My client told her and she was so impressed. Her doctor did not prescribe drugs and sent her on her way and told her to keep up the good work.
I’ve had lots of other clients’ reverse conditions for which they were taking prescription drugs and these are by far the most satisfying to me. I also see the impact on the families of my clients. With all of that new knowledge, my clients can help their children, family members, and others. It's the ripple effect of good health.