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You’re tired of deprivation, dieting and feel frustrated while trying to lose weight.
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A recent diagnosis requires you to make some major lifestyle changes.
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You are feeling overwhelmed with all the information on the internet.
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You are having trouble sticking to healthy habits.
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You want to improve your diet and change your lifestyle but you’re not sure where to begin.
If any of this sounds familiar, a health coach can help you make your desired lifestyle changes towards your health and wellness. A health coach uses a unique combination of skills to facilitate behavioral changes that will motivate and empower you to achieve your wellness goal and be able to sustain them.
The driver to getting healthy is unique for everyone. For some it is a recent diagnosis or a life changing experience which requires major lifestyle changes, for others it is to stay disease-free and live a long healthy life and for some others, it is simply to look good and feel great in their bodies. Whatever maybe the reason for change, starting a wellness journey and sticking with it could be overwhelming. Changing long-held behaviors, habits and attitudes is challenging and needs more than just making a resolution. Apart from planning, it requires encouragement, support, motivation and accountability to help you start the journey and stay on course.
A health coach helps you see a broader, more comprehensive, in other words, a holistic view of your life. They listen to your needs and challenges, and help you set goals that suit your lifestyle and align with your values and beliefs. A health coach encourages reflective conversations that help you feel more confident in your pursuit of health goals. From where you are in your health journey, to where you want to be, a health coach can help you develop an understanding of how the whole picture (lifestyle, exercise, attitude and nutrition) fits together. Unlike health fads that come and go, health coaching has strong science behind it, backing its effectiveness for improving your health and overall well-being. Health coaching is not about short-term fixes rather it can help you make lasting lifestyle changes.
Here are some of the benefits of working with a health coach
Personalized approach
A health coach will help you create personalized strategies for achieving your goals (there is no one-size-fits-all approach to wellness). They can also help you implement doctor-recommended changes to your diet and lifestyle that you may be otherwise be struggling with.
Credible Information
If you find yourself overwhelmed with all the information out there and are unsure of its credibility or how to use it for your benefit, a health coach can be a good source to get scientifically proven, research-based information. They can also provide you with customized information that you need.
Accountability and Focus
Whether it is reaching your desired weight, controlling your cravings or sticking to your exercise routine, staying accountable through regular check-ins with the health coach can help you stay focused and accomplish your goals.
Navigate challenges
A health coach helps you get to the bottom of challenges, connect with your goals and brainstorm possibilities which you may miss on your own. Positive interactions with your health coach make you believe in your own ability to make healthy choices every day and overcome any obstacles that may come your way.
Sustainable change
Most of us are aware that quick-fixes, fad diets and supplements do not bring in sustainable behavioral changes. A health coach encourages exploring different approaches and stays nonjudgmental so that you can find what works best for you. A health coach will help you create a personalized roadmap with simple methods that will support you to find lasting habits.
Autonomy and Empowerment
A health coach does not direct you or force you to do things, rather they collaborate with you to help you come up with a plan that works for you. As a client, your autonomy to make decisions and set goals for yourself is the highlight of an effective coaching engagement.
Apart from all the above benefits, to help you meet your objectives, a health coach can also help you with a few other things, such as- sharing resources about eating healthy on a budget, meal planning ideas, pantry makeovers, etc.
As health coaching becomes more common, a growing number of doctors are connecting their patients with health coaches as part of their treatment plan for various conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Many organizations, schools, colleges and insurance companies are also encouraging using health coaches for health and wellness.
It is important to note that health coaches are not medical doctor, therapists or psychologists. They cannot prescribe, diagnose or treat. When looking for a health coach, it is equally important to make sure to look for certified and trained health coaches.
There are millions around the world who have benefitted from engaging health coaches. You can be one of them too. Remember, your effort to improve your health and wellness is a journey, and not a destination. Just take the first step and with a right coach your journey will be easy, effective and fun.
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