What is a Health Coach and what can they do for me?
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Good dietary nutrition helps build the foundation for wellness, however, it’s not the only pillar. Nutrition extends far beyond food – nutrition comprises all things that nourish the body.
As a Health Coach, I help people nourish themselves with the primary foods of life, including physical activity, relationships, spirituality and career. Research continues to support the use of lifestyle change involving exercise, spiritual practice, diet and other behaviours for conditions such as chronic stress, weight loss, migraine headaches, constipation, and arthritis, as well as so many more.
If over 80% of preventable disease risk factors are influenced by behaviours like smoking, chronic stress, poor diet, or lack of exercise, why are we so unsuccessful at changing these behaviours?
The Standard American Diet is spreading throughout the world and we are following suit like we do in so many areas, and bringing with it the chronic diseases it causes.
While traditional medical professionals play specific roles in contributing to an individual’s overall wellness, the current healthcare model fails to bring about lasting, healthy lifestyle changes. How many of you have actually spent longer than 5 minutes on average in your local GP’s office. I know the last time I visited my GP for concerns of some lumps in my neck, she felt the lumps, had a look at my throat and ears, told me I had an upper respiratory tract infection and the lumps (inflamed lymph nodes) would go away. Oh, but if they don’t, come back in a few weeks… This took the grand total of 2 mins and 36 seconds. I looked at her and stated, “Soooo, should I just rest?” Her response, “Yep” as she ushered me out the door for her next patient…
Physicians, nurses, dietitians, and other healthcare professionals serve crucial functions but may not have the time or intent to discuss other factors that prevent people from carrying out their well-intentioned recommendations.
With a strong focus on behavioural choices along with the basic understanding of dietary patterns and overall health, Health Coaches fulfil an important and distinct role that does not rely on an advanced degree in medicine, nutrition science, or dietetics:
They help clients develop target goals and a viable plan for carrying out regimens prescribed by their medical professionals as well as enacting basic, health-supportive modifications and habits.
By supporting real-world lifestyle and behavioural changes, Health Coaches play a crucial part in health maintenance, disease prevention, and even disease reversal
– supporting the concerted mission of all healthcare professionals to increase health and the quality of life.
What I have learnt through my education and experience, is that:
Primary food overrides secondary food.
The importance of focusing on relationships, spirituality, career, and physical activity are the solid building blocks to achieving superior health.
Diet should be based on the individual, not the theory. Bio-individuality – one person’s food is another person’s poison – food affects people differently. What works for me may not work for you and vice-versa.
Crowd out by adding foods into the diet instead of taking foods away. Deprivation often leads to failure, which creates a whole different level of problems within the individual.
Given half a chance, the human body will heal itself by itself.
The body is programmed to be healthy when provided the right building blocks such as organic, whole foods. Just like animals eat grass and lay down when they are unwell, our bodies also know what to do – we just tend not to listen to them anymore. We’ve forgotten how to do it.
Deconstruct cravings by listening to the body’s messages.
The body is more complex than we may think. The heart never misses a beat; the lungs always breathe, our hair and nails grow without us thinking about it. When the body is craving sweets, chocolate, or alcohol, it’s probably not making a mistake. It’s trying to create a balance for something that’s out of sync in the system.
The same diet and lifestyle changes will help almost everyone recover from almost anything.
The world is a melting pot of different people, cultures, and practices. We’re all hungry to understand the best ways to eat, but there is so much confusion from the thousands of diet books and products out there that steer us away from the concept that basic diet and lifestyle changes can help people recover from almost anything.
It is now clear that that the number one cause of the chronic disease epidemic is not genetic, but behavioural – people making the wrong choices about diet, physical activity, sleep and other lifestyle factors.
Most people know that eating poorly, not exercising, not getting enough sleep and engaging in other unhealthy lifestyle habits is not good for them. Yet they continue these behaviours anyway, or they chase quick fixes that don’t last for more than a few weeks.
Unfortunately, most doctors have neither the training nor the time necessary to support people in making lasting behavioural changes. The same is true for most other healthcare professionals, including nurse practitioners and specialists.
What’s more, doctors are trained in the “expert” approach of simply telling people what to do and expecting them to do it. That might work well when someone is facing a serious, acute health crisis, but it fails miserably when it comes to long-term behaviour changes like losing weight, managing stress, or adopting an exercise routine. Doctors aren’t trained to work collaboratively with their patients. This is painfully reflected by the fact that patients get to speak for only 12 seconds on average before being interrupted with advice from their physician.
HEALTH COACHES ARE THE SOLUTION
People want to feel good, avoid chronic disease and live a long life. They want to see their children and grandchildren grow up and have the energy to play with them. They want to perform better at work, enjoy their relationships, and be well enough to get the most out of life. But there’s a big difference between wanting the benefits of being healthy and consistently engaging in the behaviours that lead to health.
That’s where health coaches come in. Coaches are trained in a number of disciplines that support people in making lasting change. These include (but aren’t limited to):
Positive psychology, which leverages people’s strengths (rather than focusing on their weaknesses) to make changes
Motivational interviewing, which helps people to link behaviour changes to their deepest needs and goals (e.g., “I will change my diet because I want to live to see my grandchildren graduate from college.”)
Habit formation and reversal, which supports patients in making positive habits, or breaking negative ones
Utilising a collaborative approach, the coach acts as a partner or ally, encourages clients to discover their own solutions and become their own advocate and supports them in developing the skills they need to embrace new behaviours.
This empowers the client to become the primary driver of change. It also builds confidence, self-awareness, and self-actuation – all of which are crucial for long-term change.
This piece was written for Levata by Lindsey Hilliard, a certified health coach.
Read more about Lindsey Here