A health coach does not prescribe medications or engage in counseling, so what does a health coach do?
You may be wondering.
Because of my clinical background,I also did not understand a health coach’s role in patient care.
Their pivotal role in preventing and managing chronic disease through behavior change became clear during my certification as a health coach and behavior change expert.
For instance…
Did you know that a health coach can support you to prevent and manage lifestyle diseases like diabetes, and high blood pressure, etc by changing unhealthy behaviors?
A recent study published in Frontiers in Public Health demonstrated that individuals with type 2 diabetes who received short-term health coaching saw a significant improvement in their blood glucose levels.
How is this possible?
In this article, you’ll learn you will the core duties of health coaches and how they can help you prevent and manage lifestyle diseases.
Who is a health coach?
A health coach is a trained healthcare professional that supports an individual to become aware of unhealthy behaviours, increase their internal motivation for behaviour change, co-create client-directed behaviour change goals, and boost their confidence to change.
What does a health coach do?
1. Raising your health awareness
A health coach can help you identify certain lifestyle behaviors affecting your overall health.
if you struggle with getting quality sleep, a health coach can guide you to identify the real causes and not the ones you perceive or think are the problems.
For instance, you may think that stress is the cause of your sleep deprivation but a health coach digs deeper to identify other causes you may not have considered that can affect your sleep. Examples include food, or poor sleep hygiene behaviors etc which can also affect your sleep.
2. Boosting your internal Motivation
Motivation means the ‘The will to change”
If you don’t have a strong reason why, you will not change unhealthy behaviors.
I hear this from my clients almost every time: “I don’t feel like exercising because I don’t have the motivation”.
Motivation is not a feeling….
The reason is clear….They don’t have a strong emotional reason to change.
For instance, during the coaching process, a skillful health coach can guide a hypertensive client to discover that eating healthy and exercising can significantly reduce blood pressure and cut medication costs.
Will this motivate the client?
Probably yes because of the clear health benefits.
A health coach uses various proven coaching techniques, including research-backed ones like motivational interviewing, to help you find your strong reasons for changing your behaviors.
3. Setting Achievable Behavior Change Goals
A skillful health coach will guide you to set the right behaviour change goals without overwhelm.
For instance, if you want to lose 10 pounds in 8 weeks.
10 pounds is the specific outcome you desire but it may seem overwhelming.
This is where a health coach will guide you to set process goals.
Process goals focus on tiny steps that you can take that will lead you to achieve your outcome goals.
Process goals break down larger goals into manageable steps, enabling you to concentrate on the journey.
An example of an effective process goal for losing 10 pounds in 8 weeks could be to lose 1 pound per week through healthy eating and engaging exercises.
Losing 1 pound of weight per week sounds achievable and helps the client to focus on reaching it.
4. Provides Accountability and Manages Goal Progress
Accountability means to report on the actions taken to reach a committed goal.
Can you remember when you told yourself you would stop an unhealthy habit (E.g. stop eating junks) but failed to achieve it?
Why?
Because self-accountability has been shown not to be effective.
Research by the American Society for Training and Development says that up to 95% of individuals are more likely to achieve a goal when they stay accountable to someone other than themselves.
A coach can help you stay accountable and adjust your actions and progress to ensure you reach your desired health goals.
5. Boosting confidence for lasting change
The feeling of progress and experiencing a transformation are the keys to behavior change confidence.
This is called “Self efficacy” in coaching.
There are various ways a coach can build your confidence, but one of the most effective is the goal and progress status review.
What a health coach does not do and why?
A health coach does not typically tell you what to do or give unsolicited advice because you must be willing and own the behavior change process.
It is like learning how to drive.
The driving instructor only guides you when teaching you how to drive. You are in the driver’s seat and responsible for moving the car to a specific destination.
So, when it comes to behavior change, you are in the driver’s seat and in charge of your transformation.
Interested in health coaching services?
If you struggle to consistently commit to behavior change actions like eating healthy, avoiding sedentary lifestyle, or experience high stress levels and poor sleep, then a health coaching service can be helpful.
A proficient health coach will guide you to overcome these struggles using behaviour change and positive psychology principles.
I am a double-certified health coach and behavior change expert by the American Council on Exercise.
I have a virtual health and wellness coaching practice that helps individuals to change unhealthy behaviors in a lasting manner.
Feel free to book a no-obligations free coaching strategy call so I can help you with your health needs.
Click here to book a no-obligations free coaching strategy call.
Which lifestyle behavior would you like to change?
Let me know in the comment section below
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Remember, Own your health daily.
