What is a health and wellness coach? What do they do?
Let us first address this question by looking at the definition of wellness.
Wellness is defined as the state of being in good health. The state of good mental, physical and emotional health. Wellness is the act of practicing healthy habits on a daily basis to attain better physical and mental health outcomes, so that instead of just surviving, you're thriving.
Health is the state of being whereas wellness is the state of living a healthy lifestyle.
In my style of coaching, one of the first things we will do is look at what is referred to as the "wheel of life" in coaching. We're looking at nine main areas. We look at career, money, health and well being, family, friends, personal development and growth, significant other or romance, fun and recreation, and physical environment. We rank each of these categories to determine how smooth or bumpy your circle or wheel of life is at any given point in time. This gives the client and the coach a starting point on where to begin the coaching process. Maybe you need to find ways to add more fun recreation in your life to feel more healthy. Or maybe you need to de-clutter your life but are so overwhelmed you don't know where to start. I'm here to help. This is what a coach can do for you.
AS a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC), I am not an exercise coach or a nutritionist. I will never tell you what do! My job is to help motivate YOU to find your own intrinsic motivation to make lasting change through small steps! So how do you do that?
Coaching really can be a transformative process. We start small. We look at your big picture and your why. Then we work together to make a plan on how to get you there. It's not always easy. If it were, you wouldn't need a coaches help. My job is to really be your partner to help hold you accountable. What worked one week and what didn't and why. There may be an educational piece occasionally too when you, the client wants it. As a coach, I never tell my clients what to do. It is a judgement free zone where I'm really your partner. My job is to help you succeed in whatever it is you're striving for.
Sometimes when I tell people what I do, or that I'm a health and wellness coach, sometimes I feel as though I'm being judged myself because I may not be the ideal image of a thin magazine type or what they thought a coach might look like.
I am a work in progress myself, just like everyone else and have struggled with weight on and off since my twenties. Perfection is an illusion!!! But even though I many not "look" like your ideal health coach, the truth is I'm not on any medications for my weight. My A1C is good, my cholesterol numbers are normal as well as my blood pressure. I have been on a year long journey of getting my cortisol and my middle aged hormones under control! It is a long process but I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This will be my next blog....I'll be sharing my own personal journey.
Until then....I hope I've helped you to understand a bit more about what kind of a coach I am . I can work with you on many areas of your life. It is not just about weight. Health and wellness encompasses so much more! I have helped people re-discover their passion for living and that has a direct impact on many areas of your health and life. I always recommend working together for a minimum of three months. The process of change takes time. There is not instant magic pill or formula. It takes work, trial and learning. But the best part about my job is witnessing the transformation that my clients make and seeing the sheer joy in themselves!
I offer 30 minute discovery calls if you would like to connect and see if we're a good match. I look forward to helping you succeed!
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