What is a Health Coach?
Health Coaches are recognized as integral parts of people’s health and wellbeing. Health coaches take a holistic approach to wellness, they explore various ways to help a client improve his health and lifestyle.
Hence, they become successful in helping people live healthier lives and make them realize that helping others makes their lives better too. “A health coach works with someone who wants to make a change in their well-being and helps them reach their goals,” says Linda Smith, director of educational programs at Duke Integrative Medicine. It is really difficult to make lifestyle changes, to give up unhealthy habits without getting help and enough motivation. Embracing a healthy lifestyle is challenging for most of us, but health coaching can help patients find manageable ways to adopt. “The primary objectives of health coaching are to educate the patient regarding self-health management and to encourage patients in taking a more proactive role in staying healthy.”-Medical Economics, Nov 2010.
Why do you need a health coach?
You already know what you should do and how would you do it. However, for some reason you just can’t bring yourself to do it. You know the value of exercise on your health but it seems like a waste of time because it takes you away from your creative project. Whether it’s having trouble with your diet and lifestyle, addressing your cravings, keeping up with your fitness routine, finding the motivation or getting inspired, a health coach can assist and guide you to make progress toward your goals. Meeting with a health coach will help you feel responsible for the health decisions you make in a way that is inspiring and encouraging.
It’s also important to know what health coaches can’t help you with. Health coaches cannot diagnose a disease, prescribe medications or put you on a diet. They basically help with lifestyle changes. They can help treating some medical conditions (such as diabetes) through a tailored diet and close monitoring. That means, seeing a doctor is deemed necessary for those who are suffering from any diseases (diabetes, cancer, etc.) even if a health coach is already present. If your doctor says that it would be helpful to get stress or your weight under control, then you may want to consider seeing health coach for guidance and support.
If you decide to turn to a health coach, you want to be sure to choose the one that best fits your needs. And if you do, it may just be the best investment in preventative medicine.
Looking for a health coach in New York?
Please visit our Conact page to schedule a consultation with us and let us help find the one that is right for you.
