It’s early in the year, and your New Year’s resolutions are still in the back of your mind. If you’re one of many people who vowed to get healthier this year, but aren’t really sure where to get started (or how to finally make it stick), health coaching could be for you. Health coaching’s purpose helping you maintain an overall healthier lifestyle. You and your health coach will work through obstacles you face in reaching your nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle goals. You can develop meal plans, learn about the best nutrition options for your needs, brainstorm ways to be more active throughout the day, get better sleep, reduce alcohol consumption, or any other health related goal. The best part is – it’s all designed with you in mind, so you get what works for you. Below are some common reasons people begin working with a health coach.
Trying to Lose Weight
This is the big one, right? Whether it’s five pounds or fifty pounds, weight loss can be extremely hard. Not everyone benefits from the same weight loss techniques or programs, and some are just not realistic for your lifestyle and needs. This is where a health coach comes in. A health coach creates a plan that’s tailored to you. Just because your best friend had a great experience with one popular weight loss program doesn’t mean you will also. Making a plan that’s specific for you is the best way to avoid spending a big chunk of time with a weight loss method that doesn’t work, feeling that sense of failure, and then quitting on your goal all together. Health coaching is also more beneficial because it’s a long term solution. While your specific, short term weight loss goals will be a part of your plan, you will learn ways to maintain a healthier lifestyle that’s manageable and realistic for years rather than just weeks or months.
Meal Planning
If you can’t figure out if you should be using olive oil or coconut oil this week, or if butter and cheese really are as bad as some people say, you’re not alone. You could spend half of your life on Google trying to figure it out, or you could see a health coach. Meal planning is a huge part of health coaching. In addition to figuring out how to make the best food choices, your coach can also fix one of the biggest person’s people report not eating healthier – lack of time. Working with someone to figure out the best way to get the nutrition you need with your busy schedule avoids the “take out trap” when you come home from work starving and just can’t bring yourself to tackle that 45 minute recipe that looked so good when you were relaxed on a Sunday afternoon. We’ve all been there.
Increasing Exercise
Some people just can’t wait to go to the gym, or head out for a bike ride or a run in the park. It’s okay if you aren’t one of them. There are so many of us who struggle with fitting exercise into our schedule, whether it comes from lack of motivation or lack of time. Instead of continuing to watch the gym rack up a credit card charge for no reason, try working through the struggle with a health coach. You can develop a plan that’s realistic (read: you’ll actually do it), and find ways to incorporate more activity into your daily routine. Exercise is key for maintaining your mental and physical health, so why not make a plan that will allow you to actually do it? Plus, once you get into it, you’ll find it’s pretty fun too.
Who Should My Coach Be?
Finding someone you fit with and are comfortable working with is first and foremost. Your health coach should be certified, so you can be sure that they’ve received the proper training to work with you. Don’t hesitate to ask what their education and training background is if you’re concerned. It’s especially helpful if your coach is also a licensed mental health provider. There are so many reasons why you can struggle with getting healthier, and most of them have nothing to do with “being lazy” or “not wanting to”. It’s very common for other issues you’re struggling with to come up during your coaching, and it’s beneficial to have someone who is qualified to help you work through and manage those feelings. With a qualified mental health professional as your coach, you can talk through some of these issues when they come up, rather than having to see an entirely different person at another point in time.
Does health coaching sound like something that you’d like to try? Think it looks interesting but you’re still on the fence? Want more information? Contact Viva Wellness for a free health coaching consultation!
Author: Rachel
Rachel is a licensed therapist and co-founder of Viva Wellness. She gets most of her inspiration for the blog while on the run, and if you ever need to find her, she’s probably in Central Park. If she’s not running, you’ll find her planning the next time she’s going to eat, exploring all things wellness in NYC, or raising her stress level by watching her sports teams.
