I believe many of us are familiar with the recommendations for living a healthy life. They go something like this:
- Eat well
- Get ‘enough’ sleep
- Engage in physical activity daily (or multiple times weekly)
- Self-care
Sounds simple, right? Then why are so many people unhealthy? A huge reason is that life gets in the way. We have careers, families, responsibilities, etc. Adulting keeps you busy and stressed out at times.
The problem with this logic is that we become stuck – telling ourselves repeatedly that we cannot become the person we want to be (or know we can be) because of XYZ. Does this sound familiar to you?
Enter wellness coaching!
What is a wellness coach?
A wellness coach (or a health and wellness coach) is a supportive guide who helps clients set health goals and much more. In addition to being a mentor who holds clients accountable, health and wellness coaches can be vital members of your healthcare team, bridging the gap between traditional healthcare and enacting sustainable and positive behavioral lifestyle changes.
Coaches straddle the line between mentor, teacher, and guide. A coach can give you an experienced, outside perspective, mindset support, and a system to address your current challenges.
Through fostering a positive mind-set around health and well-being, wellness coaches empower and motivate their clients to become their own experts. Wellness coaches have the tools and knowledge to share with their clients about holistic health and how to enact sustainable behavior change.
A wellness coach’s scope of practice is to provide clients with a holistic perspective on health, focusing on not just food, but also other areas of life that can impact wellness (career satisfaction, relationship quality, and how you feel in your home environment). By learning how to tune in and listen to your body, wellness coaches provide the safe space for clients to explore this; you will become the expert on what makes you feel amazing and what makes you feel depleted.
What a coach is not
Some clients feel their sessions are therapeutic, and they leave feeling lighter, clearer, and less frustrated. But coaching is different from therapy. Be clear, I am not a therapist and wellness coaches are not therapists. I am a strong proponent of mental health professionals and have used therapists many times throughout the years. I would highly recommend having a coach and a therapist.
It is not the role of the wellness coach to tell the client what is best for them. The uniqueness of everyone informs the foods and lifestyle practices that will work for each client. Typically, a wellness coach will not prescribe a specific meal plan, workout, or lifestyle regimen*.
*I am also a certified personal trainer and nutritionist and can prescribe specific eating and lifestyle regimens to my clients.
Who hires wellness coaches?
Here’s the truth: NO ONE does it alone. We all get help. Let’s be honest about that so we can move forward.
Many famous and successful people have their own coach (life coach, success coach, executive coach, etc.) who have helped them through career and life challenges. A wellness coach is no different, just a resource with a health centric approach.
Popular reasons for hiring a wellness coach include a desire to:
- Lose weight/build muscle
- Prioritize self-care
- Improve relationship with themselves and others
- Create work-life balance
- Reduce overwhelm and understand what’s best for them
- Increase energy and motivation
- Learn better stress-management techniques
- Eat healthier
- Exercise more
- Increase positivity
Typical amount of time to work with a wellness coach is between two and six months. Why? It takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, or for a new behavior to become automatic. Yes, I realize 66 days is just a little over two months, but I encourage clients to work with me longer because we are often trying to create MANY new habits, not just one.
Wellness coaching is the perfect service to complement personal training, nutritionist/dietitian services, and doctor’s visits because they can help their clients implement the diet and lifestyle goals and instructions provided to them, breaking down each goal into manageable, actionable steps.
Overall, the experience of working with a wellness coach is collaborative as the coach provides a personalized and holistic approach to health and the client can explore this approach with a supportive and motivating guide.
Would you like to work with me? Schedule your free, no obligation clarity call now!