What is a health coach? Is this just another professional type who is going to tell me what I “should” be doing? I have a doctor and a spouse that already do that. Why would I pay someone else to do this?
Let’s start with this thought. If you are like most people that make a New Year’s resolution, within 3 weeks most have long abandoned theirs. Actually, a commonly cited statistic suggests that less than 10% of people who make resolutions keep them. That means that better than 90% give them up!
Did you know that only about 2% of the people who go on a diet to lose weight actually keep it off? That means that 98% of people who lose weight regain it and, quite often, gain even more than they lost! How frustrating is that!
There is a variety of reasons for this, the biggest one is that habit change is hard! Most people struggle with changing behaviors despite the best intentions and wanting to SO BADLY. They want to lose weight, they want to get their energy back, they want to quit smoking, they want to be more active… the struggle is real. We all have our reasons for wanting these things. Maybe we are noticing our blood pressure creeping up, or have been told our cholesterol is high. Maybe we have had a family member or friend die suddenly… or, worse yet, had a health scare of our own.
The truth is that the risk of developing a chronic disease is estimated to be 85-90% WHAT WE DO. Fewer than 5% of adults engage in the top health behaviors… and only 20% are thriving! The statistics of neglecting our health are scary!
- Half of American adults have a chronic disease; 25% have multiple chronic illnesses.
- Seven of 10 deaths in the United States are caused by chronic disease.
- More than 25% of children now have a chronic disease (this was 13% in 1994)!
- Chronic disease will account for $47 trillion in healthcare expenditures by 2030 if we continue on our current path.
It is clear that we need help. We are not turning this around with our current healthcare system. We don’t need more information; we don’t need more doctors or more testing to solve this problem. We need help tackling health behaviors that we learned and cannot unlearn on our own. Most of our bad habits were once a solution… we smoke because it’s cool or because it relieves stress, we overeat because it gives us comfort or because food is so accessible and the TV said that you need a 4th meal! Technology, which has changed the world in so many awesome ways, has led to our sedentary lifestyle.
People want to feel good! People want to avoid chronic disease and to live long, healthy lives! They want to enjoy their families and have the energy to play with their children and grandchildren. They want to feel great about going to work in the morning and come home to their spouse at the end of the day with some energy left to interact with them. They want to get the most out of life!
Yet there’s a gap in wanting these things and consistently engaging in the habits that will lead to the best health. This is where the health coach comes in. Coaching provides the right system, the right support and the right accountability. This is the three-pronged system that leads to success! Properly trained health coaches use multiple techniques to guide their clients to having what they want. These include (but are not limited to):
- Motivational Interviewing – which helps people to link behavior changes to their deepest needs and goals (e.g., “I will change my diet because I want to live to dance with my granddaughter at her wedding”).
- Positive psychology – which leverages people’s strengths (instead of focusing on their weaknesses) to make changes.
- Habit formation and reversal – which support clients in making positive habits, or replacing negative ones.
Coaches partner with their clients, teach them new skills and tools to use along their journey and hold them in their highest esteem. Health coaches empower their clients, build confidence, self-awareness and assist in sorting out what is getting in their way and how they can get around these obstacles. Health coaching interventions improve health outcomes for many (if not all) chronic illnesses like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, auto-immune diseases and even cancer. This effect is significant! Research shows us that applying behavior change principles can increase the chance of success by over 1000%! That is money in the bank!
Chronic illness and obesity are destroying our quality of life, shortening our lifespan and bankrupting our country. The current healthcare system is excellent at medical emergencies and trauma but we have not made great strides with our chronic issues. This is where a health coach CAN make the difference we all hope for. Partnering with a health coach allows for the greatest chance of success.
As a nurse practitioner, I prescribed treatments and made recommendations that often were not followed. As a health coach, I get on their “map” and ask the questions that empower them to move toward better health through lifestyle changes. This is the good stuff! This is my dream job and I’d love to share with you how it’s done. Contact me to arrange for your complimentary coaching session. Try it on for size if you are struggling with achieving your best health on your own. A partner can make all the difference.
