What is Health Coaching?
Coach and client walk down a pathway together at night in the forest. The coach’s job is to hold the torch and illuminate what is before them. The client chooses how the path will be followed.
Navigating the path to total wellness in today’s world has become complicated. Everywhere you look there’s advice on all the things you ought to be doing: eat your 5-a-day, get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, meditate 10 minutes a day, reduce your alcohol intake, sleep more… The list is endless! Meanwhile, life conspires against you with work pressures, family commitments, unexpected vet bills… you know, life!
You want to feel better, but you can’t seem to make the changes that you know would help stick.
Enter the Health Coach, stage left. A Health Coach is your ally, who walks alongside you on your journey to better health and wellbeing. They empower you to take charge of your own health by providing guidance, support and accountability. They help you to move towards your vision of an ideal life by making sustainable lifestyle changes that work for you.
A Health Coach understands and respects that you are the only expert on your own life.
They are non-judgmental and trust that you are naturally resourceful, providing you with support, education and motivation to find ways to break through barriers on your way to your ultimate wellness vision.
A Health Coach assists you in mobilising your internal strengths and external resources, and in developing self-management strategies for making sustainable, healthy lifestyle and behaviour changes.
The health coaching process is future-focused. It helps you to understand with greater clarity where you want to be, where you are now and how you will close that gap. It is a client-centred process to facilitate and empower you to develop and achieve self-determined goals related to health and wellness. Through this process, they help you to rediscover and trust your own inner experience, achieve your own insights and set your own direction.
For the whole journey together with a Health Coach, you will be in the driving seat.
Health Coaches work across all areas of Health and Wellness including:
Nutrition – real, unprocessed food and optimal hydration
Exercise and movement
Stress management
Sleep
Self-care
Social Support and connection
Meaning and purpose
That’s what a Health Coach is but what do they do?
The specific responsibilities can vary depending on the needs of the client, but some common tasks include:
Understanding a client’s health and lifestyle: The coaching journey will typically begin by conducting an initial review of a client's current health status, lifestyle, and health goals. This enables them to tailor their coaching to the specific needs of each client.
Based on the review, Health and Wellness Coaches work with clients to develop personalised health plans that include specific goals and action steps to achieve those goals.
Providing education and resources: Health and Wellness Coaches help clients learn about healthy eating, exercise, stress management, and other areas related to health and wellbeing.
They may also provide resources such as recipes, plans, and educational materials.
Offering support and accountability: Health and Wellness Coaches provide ongoing support and accountability to help clients stay motivated and on track with their health goals. This may include regular check-ins, encouragement and problem-solving.
Where appropriate and with permission, a Health and Wellness Coach will liaise with other health professionals to ensure the appropriate support is provided. This may also extend to referrals to trained health professionals for specific advice or consultation and, if requested, to facilitate the introduction.
Overall, a Health Coach is someone who empowers people to make sustainable lifestyle changes that improve their overall health and wellbeing, allowing them to live the life they want. To become their healthiest, happiest selves.
Now you have a better understanding of what a Health Coach is, what they do and how they can help. It’s also important to highlight what Health Coaches are not and what they can’t do.
What a Health Coach is not and what they can’t do…
Health Coaches do not:
Tell their clients what changes to make.
Provide medical advice.
Diagnose, treat, cure, or heal any disease or condition.
Make specific recommendations. They always let their clients choose their own course of action.
Recommend or tell a client to take supplements or to follow a particular diet. Health coaches educate clients on supplements that might be helpful and leave it up to the client to decide if they want to take them.
Run tests or interpret lab results. This is out of the scope of practice for a Health Coach and it’s illegal. Don’t believe anyone that tells you otherwise.
Use all-or-nothing types of statements. Instead of “will”, they use “may”, “can”, or “might”.
Make health claims without scientific basis.
Provide therapeutic interventions for psychological conditions.
Below is a link to the UK & International Health Coaching Association Scope of Practice, to which I adhere as a practising Health Coach.
So if you’re interested in working with a Health Coach who will empower you to take control of your own life story, and help you to optimise your health and wellness to start living your best life, I’d love to hear from you.
It would be my honour and pleasure to walk your wellness path with you.
