A wellness ally partnering with you makes achieving wellness goals a lot easier

Starting a wellness journey can be intimidating, overwhelming and confusing especially when there are a whole lot of wellness jargons and routines out there. Embarking on a wellness journey entails making major lifestyle shifts, such as changing the way you eat, adopting a healthy sleep routine and making a conscious choice to dedicate time to movement every day. With all the health information, it can be hard to know what’s right for you and your body. Reaching out for support from a health coach, a wellness ally, will help you take the first step.

With a healthcare system that prioritizes treating disease and symptoms rather than prevention, health coaches have now become more valuable. Whether you are struggling with a health issue or perhaps want to proactively lead a healthier lifestyle, you could benefit from meeting with one.

What is a Health Coach?

A health coach provides individual support and person-centered support wherever you are on your health journey. Health coaches approach your specific needs with a holistic, whole perspective, taking into consideration physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Health coaches differ from doctors and other health care professionals because while they do not have the PhDs, health coaches are still certified experts in the field of wellbeing. They are still able to provide informed guidance for how you can better improve your overall being.

What is the Health Coaching process like?

The process is similar to talk therapy in that it involves the coach and the client exploring, sharing ideas and issues. The client, who is being coached, has the autonomy to create their goals as well as strategies on how to arrive at these goals.

You will also receive a personalized health and wellness plan after a thorough health assessment and conversation about your goals. Your health coach will create an individualized plan that considers all aspects of your life from what you eat, how you move, activities you participate in and how you sleep. The essence is that health coaches believe that your lifestyle, responsibilities, stress levels, personal and professional dynamics all affect how well you are able to integrate new, healthier habits through positive psychology.

What are the Benefits of working with a Health Coach?

Enlisting the help and support of a health coach have benefits that are wide-reaching.

Firstly, you can be assured that you receive sound advice. Every day, fitness fads and questionable diet routines cloud the internet marketing campaigns. Some trends are dangerous or perhaps not suitable for you and your lifestyle. A trained, health coach will help you identify and integrate sensible practices that are suitable for you to enhance your health because they reply on evidence-based protocols.

After receiving a holistic lifestyle assessment, you will also have help setting actionable goals. Not only will a health coach create an easy-to-follow plan that will help improve your overall wellbeing, you will also be guided on how to take small, sustainable steps.

Even if you are not struggling with a glaring health issue now, you can also benefit from a health coach and improve your overall health. In one study which evaluates the clinical effectiveness of lifestyle health coaching, there is shown to be a significant improvement in health factors such as:

  • Blood pressure
  • Sleep hygiene
  • Physical activity
  • Blood sugar
  • Cholesterol
  • Inflammation

What to know before you begin

Just as you like to find a doctor or healthcare professional that makes you feel comfortable, you will want to find a health coach that feels like a good fit or someone you can partner with, trust and feel safe with your goals and health concerns.

A health coach is not necessarily qualified to recommend a specific meal plan for you to follow, but at Well Within, you have the choice to choose a health coach or a functional nutritionist.

A functional nutrition is able to offer advice specific around nutrition while a certified health coach is more holistic and offers a wide range of support. At Well Within, we know there is no one-size-fits all and no one-size-fits-one; therefore we give you what you need to empower you on your journey to health and wellness. Explore your options with us today.

The key takeaway

Too often, we think about our wellness retroactively after something has gone wrong that we need to fix or heal from. It is vital to start on a proactive journey to prevent disease – you are going to be living in the same body for your entire life, so it’s important to take care of it. You want to feel better for longer and do more of what you love.

There is no shame in seeking support to reach your health vision and wellbeing goals to build a well-nourished body. Know that certified health coaches are uniquely qualified to offer a holistic perspective to wellness and it is priority to go to the root cause of your symptoms rather than only treating the surface issues.