They motivate and inspire clients to reach their health goals for an all-around healthier lifestyle. Some coaches work with people individually one-on-one and personalize the coaching to the specific person. Other coaches may work in class settings, provide workshops, or corporate wellness programs. Every wellness coach may have their own specific expertise, but generally, they will help people with: stress management, exercise, relationships, nutrition/diet, self-compassion, or even self-management for a chronic health condition.
A health coach is not necessarily a nutritionist, dietitian, or personal trainer (Beard, 2019). Life coaches have certifications in coaching, but most don’t necessarily have a degree in a health-related field. Typically, they are not psychologists or doctors. However, they will have training in behavioral aspects of psychology, lifestyle coaching (healthy habits & mindset), and overall healthcare. In other words, it strives to bridge the gap between traditional healthcare options and behavioral changes (Occhipinti, 2018).
The National Consortium for the Credentialing of Health and Wellness Coaches (NCCHWC) expressed it this way: “Health and Wellness Coaches partner with clients seeking self-directed, lasting changes, aligned with their values, which promote health and wellness and, thereby, enhance well-being (MenotorCoachLLC).
MentorCoachLLC/Health and Wellness Certification. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentorcoach.com/certification/health-and-wellness-certification/
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
Bull N.D., Meredith. Verywellhealth/Why You Might Need a Health Coach. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-health-coach-4129082
The Western PA Healthcare News Team. (2019, September 4). HEALTHCARENEWS/7 Incredible Benefits of Life and Wellness Coaching. Retrieved from:
https://www.wphealthcarenews.com/7-incredible-benefits-of-life-and-wellness-coaching/
Monroe, Suzanne. (2019, August 12). Holistic Wellness COACH CERTIFICATION/Everything You Need to Know: How to Become a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from:
https://iawpwellnesscoach.com/how-to-become-a-health-wellness-coach/
Therefore, wellness coaches should not be diagnosing any health condition. They also are not to be confused with nutritionists or personal trainers. Most cannot provide specific dietary restrictions or exercise instructions unless they have those certifications. Wellness Coaches also shouldn’t be helping people with childhood trauma, since they are not psychologists. Contrary to other health fields, wellness coaches usually refrain from acting as “the expert” for how their clients should live. (Occhipinti, 2018). The client is responsible for deciding what goals they want to achieve. The choice to make decisions is ultimately left to them.
A wellness coach is also not the same as a life coach. A life coach may help a person with aspects of their health such as stress levels, but they are typically focused on career, relationships, and other big-picture life goals.
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Bull N.D., Meredith. Verywellhealth/Why You Might Need a Health Coach. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-health-coach-4129082
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
Benefits May Include
- Receiving a more personalized approach to health
- Receiving unconditional support with weekly check-ins
- Obtaining more HOPE!
- The emotional support you likely won’t get from a doctor
- An overall health approach by helping with the body, mind, and spirit
- Learning a healing approach to food, movement, and mindset
- May help reduce pain and create long-lasting healthy habits
- Support when dealing with complex life changes
- Help to make positive, behavioral lifestyle changes to better control a chronic health condition
- May help improve decision-making skills
- Increase a person’s self-awareness
- Provide accountability for actions and commitments
- Someone to personally motivate you to improve your health
- Health coaches focus on the big picture, but also help with the steps to get there
- Help with setting and obtaining wellness goals with a personalized plan to reach them
- Gaining more confidence in your ability to make short-term or long-lasting changes
- Help to overcome the hurdles that are preventing you from reaching your health goals
Wellness Coaches help Clients Succeed at Goals
Wellness coaches can give their clients a better chance of succeeding at a goal. They can help a person implement doctor recommended changes. For instance, being told by a doctor to quit smoking can seem overwhelming, but a wellness coach can counsel the person through the process (including the inevitable guilt and discouragement) to keep them motivated to succeed (Occhipinti, 2018). Coaches can help with behavioral changes that may be needed in order to help manage illness. Expert advice from a healthcare professional sometimes fails because they share what to do and not to do to improve an illness, but won’t help a person figure out how to make the behavioral changes. A wellness coach is also more likely to be empathetic toward a person’s struggles they have to overcome to make changes.
Research shows an overall positive impact in behavior for people who work with wellness coaches to combat lifestyle problems, and the changes in behavior far outlast the time they spend in coaching (Occhipinti, 2018).
The Demand for Wellness Coaches is Growing!
There is a definite demand for wellness coaches, as they can also decrease hospital re-admissions. Health coaches are seeing as a great resource for helping people to prevent or manage a chronic health condition. As health coaching becomes more common, a growing number of doctors are connecting their patients with health coaches as part of their treatment plan for such conditions as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol (Bull, 2020).
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
“Goal Chasers” Valmond, Serita C. Interview. (2020, July).
Carson, Ivy M. BIO ENERGY MEDICAL CENTER/6 Benefits of Working with a Health Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.bioenergymedicalcenter.com/blog/6-benefits-of-working-with-a-health-coach
Bull N.D., Meredith. Verywellhealth/Why You Might Need a Health Coach. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-health-coach-4129082
MentorCoachLLC/Health and Wellness Certification. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentorcoach.com/certification/health-and-wellness-certification/
In fact, a recent study found that 69 percent of people feel trapped in their routine (The Western PA Healthcare News Team, 2019).
Here are a few questions to get you thinking (Beard, 2019):
- Do you have trouble sticking to health-related goals?
- Do you struggle to keep a calm and positive mindset?
- Are you always low on energy and motivation?
- Do you struggle with work-life balance?
- Do you find it difficult to prioritize your health?
- Do you rarely let yourself relax?
- Do you want to make healthy changes to your lifestyle but you’re not sure where to start?
Areas a Wellness Coach can help you with include:
- Eating healthier
- Reducing or managing stress levels
- Obtaining better work-life balance
- Improving overall satisfaction with life
- Focusing more on self-care
- Improving mindset
- Improving self-esteem
- Helping with interpersonal relationships
- Quitting smoking
- Weight loss
- Setting goals and achieving them
- Making changes due to a newly diagnosed medical condition
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
The Western PA Healthcare News Team. (2019, September 4). HEALTHCARENEWS/7 Incredible Benefits of Life and Wellness Coaching. Retrieved from:
https://www.wphealthcarenews.com/7-incredible-benefits-of-life-and-wellness-coaching/
Araujo, Mila. (2020, March 11). Verywellfit/Wellness Coach.
https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-a-wellness-coach-when-do-you-need-one-4175824
They need to understand the evidence-based processes of lifestyle changes. Wellness coaches are also trained in healthy practices and positive psychology. Most coaches will just complete coaching classes and need to pass an exam before gaining certification. However, there may be some coaches with nutritional or physical fitness degrees. There are even some coaches with master-level degrees.
Some Larger Certification Programs Include
- National Consortium for the Credentialing of Health and Wellness Coaches
- International Association of Wellness Professionals
- ICF Certifications
- ICHWC Certifications
MentorCoachLLC/Health and Wellness Certification. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentorcoach.com/certification/health-and-wellness-certification/
Monroe, Suzanne. (2019, August 12). Holistic Wellness COACH CERTIFICATION/Everything You Need to Know: How to Become a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from:
https://iawpwellnesscoach.com/how-to-become-a-health-wellness-coach/
Your coach should offer a complimentary meeting or phone call. This will allow you to get to know them, ask any questions you might have, share your needs, and make sure it is a good fit for both parties. Then, the first interaction will likely be about what goals you are hoping to achieve and discussing any barriers that might stand in the way.
Some coaches might give you a bit of homework to do in-between sessions. Homework will just help with getting you on track to achieve the defined goals. Most clients work with coaches for several months in order to reach goals and create long-term healthy habits. Wellness coaches will typically have you make small changes over time, and provide guidance and support along the way.
What is a Good Wellness Coach?
A good wellness coach will make sure you feel comfortable talking to them, provide unconditional positive encouragement, be non-judgmental, and believe in your ability to achieve goals and make changes. A great coach will keep you motivated, and not use guilt trips, but instead build feelings of empowerment, and acknowledge progress. They will also respect your decisions regarding your life, as you are the expert on your life. A wellness coach should also be asking what you want to achieve, not telling you what to do. A consultant tells you what to do, but a coach helps you find answers within yourself.
Depending on their specialization or certification different wellness coaches will take different approaches, so it is important to find one that matches what your current goals are (Araujo, 2020).
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
MentorCoachLLC/Health and Wellness Certification. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentorcoach.com/certification/health-and-wellness-certification/
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Araujo, Mila. (2020, March 11). Verywellfit/Wellness Coach.
https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-a-wellness-coach-when-do-you-need-one-4175824
Carson, Ivy M. BIO ENEGERY MEDICAL CENTER/6 Benefits of Working with a Health Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.bioenergymedicalcenter.com/blog/6-benefits-of-working-with-a-health-coach
Occhipinti M.S., Amy. (2018, November 30). AFPA: Health, Nutrition & Fitness/What You Can and Can’t Do As a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.afpafitness.com/blog/what-you-can-and-cant-do-as-a-health-wellness-coach
MentorCoachLLC/Health and Wellness Certification. Retrieved from:
https://www.mentorcoach.com/certification/health-and-wellness-certification/
Bull N.D., Meredith. Verywellhealth/Why You Might Need a Health Coach. (2020, March 5). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-is-a-health-coach-4129082
The Western PA Healthcare News Team. (2019, September 4). HEALTHCARENEWS/7 Incredible Benefits of Life and Wellness Coaching. Retrieved from:
https://www.wphealthcarenews.com/7-incredible-benefits-of-life-and-wellness-coaching/
Beard, Catherine. (2019, December 27). The Blissful Mind/WHAT IS WELLNESS COACHING AND HOW CAN IT HELP YOU?. Retrieved from: https://theblissfulmind.com/what-is-health-coaching/
Araujo, Mila. (2020, March 11). Verywellfit/Wellness Coach. Retrieved from:
https://www.verywellfit.com/what-is-a-wellness-coach-when-do-you-need-one-4175824
Monroe, Suzanne. (2019, August 12). Holistic Wellness COACH CERTIFICATION/Everything You Need to Know: How to Become a Health & Wellness Coach. Retrieved from:
https://iawpwellnesscoach.com/how-to-become-a-health-wellness-coach/
Carson, Ivy M. BIO ENERGY MEDICAL CENTER/6 Benefits of Working with a Health Coach. Retrieved from: https://www.bioenergymedicalcenter.com/blog/6-benefits-of-working-with-a-health-coach
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We enhance the lives of people living with chronic illness, chronic pain and mental health conditions
info@HopeInstilled.org
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