Everyone wants to find success in life, but you can’t experience massive success unless you’re healthy. When you’re laser-focused on your career, finances and personal relationships, it’s easy to let your health fall to the wayside. But when you jeopardize your health, you fall behind in every other area of your life because you don’t have the energy and vitality to achieve your goals.
A health coach can help you get back on track, whether you need to majorly overhaul your health habits, or are in good health but need some assistance in reaching your next health goal. So what is a health coach? And what does a health coach do? The short answer is that a health coach can help you to realign your health habits for the better.
What is a health coach?
Health coaches are trained professionals who can help you create lasting mental and physical changes. Using their knowledge of health and wellness, they empower you to take charge of your health by identifying areas for improvement and providing support and encouragement as you work toward your goals. They can also help you navigate the medical system and stay the course with your treatment if you have a serious or chronic illness.
A health coach won’t just prescribe a diet or recommend forms of exercise – they can act as a mental health coach, too. They’ll help you overcome limiting beliefs and connect your health back to your ultimate purpose in life. That’s how they are able to create personalized, real, lasting change.
What’s the difference between a health coach and a nutritionist?
What is a health coach versus a nutritionist? The main difference is that a nutritionist focuses entirely on your diet, prescribing specific diets and meal plans. Nutritionists are not doctors, but patients are often referred to them by doctors, and they may use bloodwork and lab tests in order to develop the guidelines they recommend.
Health coaching encompasses overall physical, emotional and mental health – going beyond diet to create a holistic, long-term solution to health concerns. They are also not doctors, and can’t write prescriptions. But can a health coach recommend supplements? Health coaches are happy to review recommendations for vitamins, supplements and other health aids.
What does a health coach do?
A health coach uses techniques that are similar to Tony Robbins Results Coaching. Expect a combination of a mental health coach, life coach, mentor and educated expert. Like Results Coaches, most health coaches are experts in the following areas.
Positive psychology
Mental health is just as, if not more, important than your physical sense of well-being. Before you can experience truly incredible health, you need to make sure your mental state is in the right place. A health coach will work with you to determine if you’re giving in to any negative limiting beliefs or false senses of self. Do you believe you can’t be successful because you don’t deserve it? Do you feel you can’t achieve true, lasting health because you’re too lazy? A health coach can help you identify and break down these barriers on your road to better overall health.
Goal-setting
Why do you want to enjoy a greater feeling of health and vitality? Your first answer might be something like because you want to see a different image when you look in the mirror, but that’s just a short-term goal. Your coach will challenge you to think about your ultimate outcome. Perhaps you want to get in better shape so you can be around for your children or grandchildren. Maybe you feel that having more energy would lead to an increased sense of passion and connection in your romantic relationship.
Connecting your short-term behavioral changes – like embarking on a different diet or exercise plan – with your long-term goals will make you more likely to succeed. After getting clear on your purpose, you’ll find that when things get challenging, you’ll have a clear goal to focus on that empowers you to keep going.
Habit creation and reversal
What habits do you have that are beneficial to your health? What bad habits do you practice that are hurting your health? A health coach will help you analyze what you’re currently doing and where you want to be with your health, and identify how your habits are helping or hurting you. Over time, you’ll work alongside your health coach to nurture habits that are beneficial. Your major takeaway from working with a health coach will not only be a change in your mental and physical state, but the knowledge of what it takes to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Can I benefit from health coaching?
Still thinking, “OK – but what can a health coach do for me, specifically?” Health coaching is most valuable for those who are interested in making sure they’re in the best possible state to go after their goals. If you’ve neglected to make your health a priority and are now in need of a major change, or you’re relatively healthy but need some tips on setting actionable goals and building sustainable habits, a health coach can help you on your journey to well-being.
Ready to make a change?
It’s time to stop wondering, “What can a health coach do for me?” and start taking control of your health – because when your health is in a good place, so is the rest of your life. Find more energy to work toward your goals and create positive habits that put you in a better mental and physical state with a Results Coach.
A Results Coach isn’t exactly a health coach, but they are trained in similar strategies – the same ones Tony Robbins himself uses to find success. Working with a coach is the most effective way to revitalize your health and set yourself on the path to achieving anything you put your mind to.