What is a Health Coach?

ith the craze for healthy living and the number of opinions and advice we receive on healthy habits, “new” roles and professions also appear, as is the case with Health Coaches. It is a profession that has been around for many years, and even locum tenens companies recruit health coaches as well as doctors and other healthcare staff, but its journey to mainstream popularity is quite recent.

What is a Health Coach?

Their main role is to help people include healthy habits in their life to benefit health and well-being in the long term, by working essentially on their lifestyle.

Today we usually just go to the doctor when we feel unwell. But, just because we are not sick does not mean that we are well and bursting with energy. Sometimes it even seems normal to live with a certain discomfort: headaches, stomach aches, fatigue … does this sound familiar?

The key to health coaching is to give tools and accompany people in the process of increasing their well-being and happiness. And for this, both diet and other aspects can impact our health.

There are two axes: primary nutrition and secondary nutrition. Many people start the coaching program with objectives related to secondary nutrition, that is, nutrition itself.

This includes losing weight, controlling cravings, eating better, etc. The idea is to work at the same time on primary nutrition, which houses the other areas that make up a healthy life, such as professional career, spirituality, rest, stress, physical exercise, and personal relationships, which have a very high effect on general well-being.

Getting Started

For those who are thinking of starting, the first thing to have is will. Later, you must set objectives that are real, concrete, and, if possible, measurable, since these are going to be your guiding star. Through a gradual process and tools that allow generating awareness, healthy habits are incorporated in small steps. As in everything, there are no magic solutions.

The good news is that the wellness industry can be a great ally. There are more and more options to accompany a healthy lifestyle from technology, clothing, personal care, gastronomy, and food, which focus on motivation and perseverance, leaving aside prejudices and unattainable goals. Choosing what makes us feel comfortable with ourselves is as important as choosing foods that do the body good.

Attaining Goals

Another relevant point is to know that there are many ways to reach the goal. There is no ideal recipe for everyone. What does exist is the ideal recipe for each person (applicable to diets, exercises, and all areas of life). Here bio-individuality comes into play, a key concept in health coaching, which starts from the premise of contemplating that what works for one person may not work for another.

What makes you feel good today, may not later, and vice versa. The focus is on learning to listen to our body, which is a super-intelligent machine that continually gives us messages. In a short time, changes begin to be seen and it is proven that in 6 months it is possible to incorporate habits and sustain them in the long term.

The Benefits

When you change to a healthy lifestyle, you start to feel different. While you improve your diet and your muscular strength, all the cells of your body also improve and that translates into great well-being. So, Will + Goals + Consciousness = habits that are sustained in the long term and become a lifestyle.

Are you ready to take the test, inform yourself, experiment, and see the results?