What is health and wellness coaching?
These days it’s hard to discern the best ways to stay healthy. There’s a lot of conflicting information about health and wellness out there. You add to this the fact that each person is unique in their needs, circumstances and preferences; this can cause so much confusion about how best to care for ourselves. This is where health and wellness coaching comes in. A health and wellness coach works alongside their clients to promote positive lifestyle changes that align with each individual’s needs. We all possess an inner knowing about what we truly need to be healthy and well, but so much can get placed over these basic truths as we’re navigating the challenges of life. A health coach can help sort through the fog of overwhelm to identify the internal and external resources available for you to cultivate well-being.
Health coaching sessions are all about you.
Health coaching sessions center around the main concerns and challenges that are up for you at that time. The client sets an agenda for change that is aligned with them; the health coach is there as a support and guide on this journey. Coaching can help you foster better nutrition, improved sleep, increased fitness, loving relationships, deeper self-awareness, joyful living, healthy finances and so much more! By listening deeply and asking thought-provoking questions, the coach assists the client in identifying their current health goals, crafting a wellness plan and working through obstacles that appear in the process. Once your main goals are identified and a plan is created, a health coach keeps you inspired, accountable and on-track toward a healthier and happier you!
Additionally, holistic health coaching recognizes that wellness involves all levels of our being: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Sessions include the exploration of various areas of life and health to guide the client toward positive, sustainable change. Coaching is a process that unfolds over time. Usually coaching sessions occur within a series to allow time to build sustainable wellness. Sessions are totally focused on you; the coach provides a safe container and facilitates the ongoing discovery of what you need to be truly healthy. A health coach may offer astute reflections and even present information about topics you’re interested in, but they do not create a plan for you or tell you what to do. What would be the fun in that?! Instead a good health coach acts as a witness, guide, support and cheerleader along your journey to greater well-being.
Coaching is a game-changer for up-leveling your health.
Health coaches work in diverse environments, such as doctors’ offices, chiropractic clinics, workplace wellness programs and private practice, both in-person and virtually. Coaches can support clients in following a health plan created by their doctor or other healthcare provider, by assisting in the understanding and implementation of the doctors’ instructions. Coaches can also act as health advocates by supporting the client in identifying questions to ask their healthcare provider, and even exploring alternative therapies and testing to talk about with their doctor. Instead of making recommendations, a health coach will provide information and practices pertaining to the client’s health concerns and interests.
It can be difficult when we see where we want to be with our health and wellness, but we’re not sure how to get there. Health coaching closes that gap and guides you in attaining the health and the life you truly desire. It’s amazing how powerful it is to feel seen and heard, and that is exactly what a coach offers. Health coaches do not diagnose, treat or cure illness. They do guide you deeper into yourself to discover what your body, mind and soul really need. This is your agenda, your time and your mission; a health coach supports and guides you every step of the way. Health coaching is a surefire way to step up your wellness game and curate a life centered around your well-being. Our own healing and transformation ripples out to all of our life and everyone around us. Creating true wellness is possible, and if you work with the right health coach, it will be fun too!
