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People naturally resist change, even when change can lead to a positive outcome. It's understandable. There is a certain comfort and familiarity that we experience as we go through the familiar motions of daily life.
There are numerous examples of how people continually engage in daily lifestyle behaviors without conscious thought because they have become habits. Drive to work on the same route without remembering the journey. Brush your teeth without thinking because it's just something you do. Or reaching for a quick snack out of convenience and fuel needs without really thinking about the quality of that food. These are habits. Everyone has them. We naturally resist change because it is challenging, but we are able to adapt to new behaviors when we are effectively led.
A health coach is someone who can guide your behavior change. Here's why and how a health coach can be a necessary and integral part of your healthy lifestyle team.
Health coaches use a holistic lens
Health coaches are trained in the psychology of behavior change as well as nutrition and physical activity. To promote and create change for their clients, health coaches use a multi-faceted approach that allows clients to delve deeply into the causes of current behaviors and the obstacles associated with developing new behaviors. Health coaches don't just focus on helping their clients get physically fit. They focus on all aspects of wellness.
Health coaches focus on purposeful change
Health coaches also help their clients develop SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) goals. Clients generally come to health coaches and exercise professionals with a loosely defined, results-oriented goal (usually weight-focused). For example, “I want to lose weight” or “I want to exercise”. These goals are not specific and focus on theResultagainst a behavioral oneprocess.
SMART goals help clients clarify their intentions and identify obstacles that prevent them from making lasting lifestyle changes. Health coaches also help their clients develop strategies to guide the change process (e.g., how to practice portion control or plan for high-risk situations). In short, a health coach is trained to help you develop a self-directed, personally meaningful and tailored action plan.
Health coaches help clients strengthen their independence
Through their partnership with their clients, health coaches promote the development of positive self-talk and self-confidence - both of which support long-term lifestyle changes. Through cognitive coaching, clients also learn to change their inner voices and get rid of the negative self-talk and beliefs associated with change. This leads to improved confidence and self-efficacy. The higher self-efficacy, the more likely positive changes are to occur and last.
Health coaches provide non-judgmental support
A health coach has a vested interest in the health and well-being of their clients. The interest of health coaches is in helping their clients see the larger change and the purpose of the change (reducing disease risk, improving energy, increasing life expectancy, etc.). To do this effectively, health coaches place the power of change in their clients' hands and inspire them to become the expert in their own lives. Health coaches do this by offering non-judgmental support and constant encouragement.
Health coaches support improved life balance
Health and wellness is so much more than physical activity and diet. It is about achieving balance between the physical, emotional, social, professional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life. Because health coaches are trained to initiate change using a multi-faceted approach, clients can find and maintain appropriate balance in their daily lives. They learn to prioritize their needs to live a healthier life, whether through improving sleep, reducing stress, self-care, nurturing relationships, or balancing diet and activity. Health coaches are key to unlocking this potential for their clients.
Health coaches are unique members of the allied health continuum. They apply their knowledge and skills in a way that motivates rather than directs change. Health coaches actively collaborate with their clients and use skillful motivational interviewing to help clients identify, develop, and implement self-directed methods of change.
Behavior change is far from a simple and straightforward process, and it can sometimes be frustrating and confusing. When it comes to changing behaviors, certified health counselors are central to helping their clients develop lasting changes and continue to manage those changes effectively so that they become a natural part of daily life.
Why do you need a health coach? Because health coaches work to mentor, inspire and motivate. These efforts, along with active partnership trainers working with their clients, ultimately result in a more lasting state of change because clients have practiced and fostered a specific set of skills and tools to support that change.
Do you want to become a certified health coach? Learn more about the ACE Health Coach Certification.