What is Health Coaching?

If you’re reading this right now, you’re probably wondering what exactly a health coach does and if a health coach would be beneficial to your wellness journey or just another expensive medical-related bill! Keep reading to find out more about health coaching and you’ll discover seven reasons to work with a health coach.

Certified Health Coaches are credentialed members of the healthcare industry who have additional training in the science of health behavior change. Health coaches add coaching skills to their health care expertise to help patients better manage a variety of chronic medical conditions. Health coaches are uniquely positioned to tackle the chronic disease epidemic. No other healthcare profession combines health education with training in behavior change.

Why is health coaching successful? People who work with health coaches discover their own solutions and become their own advocates. Working with a coach also builds confidence, self-awareness, and self-efficacy, all crucial components for long-term sustainable change. Many people are unsure where to start and when working with a coach you get an opportunity to have guidance and support.

7 Reasons To Work With A Health Coach

1. You Can Change Your Habits

Shifting long-held habits isn’t easy, but with a health coach, you won’t have to do it alone. This is actually where a health coach can shine.

2. You Can Prevent and Reverse Chronic Disease

Your genes aren’t your destiny. According to the CDC, genetics are only responsible for about 15 percent of diseases. The rest are determined by external factors, like our:

• Parents’ health at the time of conception

• Social interactions and relationships

• Diets

• Environment

• Lifestyle choices and daily habits

3. They Can Boost Your Overall Quality of Life

Aside from treating specific health problems, coaching can help you improve your general well-being. Regardless of whether you have a chronic disease, or you just know it’s time to make some hard adjustments to your day-to-day life, the hands-on, patient-focused approach a coach will take can help you make changes that stick.

4. Coaches Are Your Key to Making Long-Term Change

Studies have shown the changes that patients make when they’re working with a health coach tend to last. In one study, researchers found that patients who underwent health coaching were better able to control their diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia up to one year after the fact.

5. They Help You Take the Steps Your Clinician Orders

Coaches are an essential part of implementing the treatment plan your doctor or healthcare practitioner gives you. While practitioners excel at ordering testing, diagnosing, and prescribing treatment, they often don’t have enough time to fully explain every detail to each patient. A health coach can take the time to help come up with concrete, actionable steps you can take to implement your doctor’s directions.

6. They’re Accessible to You

Coaches are also available for regular check-ins. If you’re having trouble sticking to a change or you’re experiencing some unexpected side effects, you don’t have to wait another two or three months to see your doctor. You can speak to your coach or follow up during your regular appointment.

7. They’re Necessary for All of Us

Coaches are not just necessary for the person who has been diagnosed with a chronic disease, but they are necessary to help reduce the chances of getting a disease. Coaches offer specialized services that your primary care physicians don’t offer.