Why You Need a Health Coach: Discovering The Transformational Power of Personal Plans
JUNE 2022
Here’s what I’ve realized: EVERYBODY could use a health coach.
As a health coach, I understand that we’re all different. Our bodies need different things and we react differently to certain exercises, people, places, foods and treatments. At the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN), this is known as “bio-individuality.” Oftentimes, we hear about what is “normal” or “healthy” - the reality is, these terms are based on a completely arbitrary standard of health. As a health coach, my bio-individual framework allows me to find what works for you and your normal.
As I’ve started meeting with people, I’ve observed quite a spectrum of health amongst my community. Some are enthusiastic about their daily walks and have nightmares, others have a great home environment and order fast food, and some love to cook and feel generally anxious; everyone’s “healthy” is relative to their own goals and at each level, can thrive working with a health coach.
As a health coach, I am unique to nutritionists and dieticians. I take a whole-body approach and consider elements of health beyond food, such as physical activity, spirituality, social life, and career to evaluate your health from a wider lens. At IIN, we refer to these areas as “primary foods.” In health coaching sessions, we will definitely discuss diet but I won’t prescribe you a specific diet to follow. I can help you execute plans, build routines, help you realize the root causes of your concerns, and perhaps most importantly, empower you to understand why you want to make the changes you want to make.
Maybe you have an autoimmune condition that you want to calm but don’t know what to eat. Maybe you want to meditate but don’t know where to start. Maybe you want to workout daily but can’t make the habit stick. Or, maybe you want to take control of your health and need a launchpad. Either way, you could certainly benefit from working with a health coach like me.
In my practice, I have two main goals: to demonstrate that 1) health is not all-or-nothing and 2) it is small, consistent steps that lead to massive results. Ultimately, I want to educate and guide my clients so they can continue to make healthy choices on their own.
After all, change is hard; everybody could use some extra motivation and accountability to set them up for success. Here’s to putting an end to temporary bandaid solutions and symptom-management. Let’s uncover the bigger picture, together.
