What Is Health Coaching, Anyway?

Health coaching. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t. If you have, you still might not be entirely sure what a health coach is or what they do.

Seeing as how I am about to graduate from the world's largest nutrition school and become a professionally-trained holistic health coach, allow me to explain.

Think of me as an extension of your doctor.

The average doctor visit is about 19 minutes, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). That is simply not enough time to exchange information, receive quality care, and have your questions answered.

Have you ever heard any of the following recommendations from your doctor?

• It would be helpful for you to lose weight.
• You need to modify your diet.
• You could really benefit from regular exercise.
• You need to find ways to reduce your stress.

So many of our common ailments (high blood pressure, high cholesterol, digestive problems) could be eliminated if doctors had the time to sit with patients and create individualized plans for them to establish healthy habits.

Unfortunately, they don’t.

A Healthcare Crisis

The number of overweight or obese adults has reached almost 68 percent of our population in the United States. Americans absolutely must commit to healthier lives if they want to avoid everything from diabetes and heart disease to stroke, cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Research has proven that physical activity along with dietary changes significantly reduces the risk of these chronic health conditions.

And that is where the health coach comes in.

I meet with you for 50 to 60 minutes each time we talk. In the initial health consultation, I get to learn all about you and your unique health goals. In turn, you get to learn all about how the health coach will help you become the healthiest you’ve ever been using my six-month program.

Why six months? Because that’s how long studies show it takes to ingrain healthy habits that will last your entire life.

More Than Just a Diet and Exercise Plan

What I love about my health coaching program is that it’s so much more than just helping you make healthy food choices and incorporate regular exercise. Don’t get me wrong, that is the essential foundation of what I do, but I also work with you on your “primary foods.”

Primary foods are what my training considers anything that “nourishes” you that isn’t actual foods or beverages. Examples include: your career, your relationships, your sleep and your spiritual or religious practices. The term "holistic" refers to all these areas that my training recognizes greatly influence our health and wellness.

Secondary foods are the actual foods and beverages you consume.

Think of what you could accomplish and what your life would look like if you had a support system that encompassed all of that.  So the real question is: What’s holding you back?

Start your path to a healthier, happier, more successful life with a qualified holistic health coach today.