A health coach can work privately or with a group of persons to make health-related changes in lifestyle. Do you take satisfaction in encouraging others to make lifestyle changes or conversing with them about their health and well-being?
If you enjoy interacting with people and are drawn to all things health-related, you might consider becoming a health coach.
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Who is a health coach?
A health coach is a professional in the health, exercise, and nutrition field as well as motivation and human behaviors.
They enable their clients to embrace and maintain good lifestyle habits that help improve their overall well-being and health and reduce the risk or lower the effect of chronic diseases such as “diabetes”.
Generally, health coaches address six primary areas such as smoking, stress, nutrition, sleep, activity, and time management that influence wellness with topics drifting off into other categories.
The other categories are likely out of balance if one of those is. Unhealthy eating habits and excessive levels of stress can both be present in someone who isn’t very physically active.
Combining them can prove overwhelming. They assist clients in deciding where to start and how to implement gradual improvements.
What they do is help people discover reasons why they need to make health breakthroughs and pinpoint challenges and obstacles in the process giving support, accountability, and guidance for making changes in lifestyle.
It is essential to remember that health coaches lack sufficient education to provide medical nutritional therapy and do not diagnose or treat medical conditions.
What Does a Health Coach do?
A health coach can help you “unstuck” by assisting you in identifying the obstacles preventing you from achieving your health objectives. Over the course of at least three months, your coach will communicate with you frequently by phone, email, or in-person sessions.
Health coaches will question you in order to persuade you to consider how you can overcome obstacles during these talks.
They also have the tools and skill set to help clients raise new habits and make long-lasting changes. This distinguishes them from other professionals in the medical field.
Different Types of Health Coaches and The Difference Between Them
Health coaches come in four varieties:
Wellness coach
A person’s overall balance of physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being is referred to as wellness. Wellness frequently revolves around our perspective, the people in our lives, and the surroundings in which we live.
By empowering people to become experts in how they react, interact, and move through life and recognizing the variables that may disturb a state of homeostasis, a wellness coach specifically assists you to establish a positive mentality toward health and well-being.
The definition of health has evolved over the last several years from basic self-care practices like getting a facial or a bath to recognizing your limiting beliefs, controlling stress, and cultivating an expansive attitude. Wellness is about behavior, lifestyle, and individual aspirations.
Fitness coach
A Fitness Coach and a Personal Trainer are frequently confused with each other. A personal trainer is highly encouraging and motivational and focuses on customized routines for physical achievement. You’ll only ever work out with a personal trainer.
By investing the time to thoroughly comprehend the client’s goals, a fitness coach will go above and beyond. They will devise plans of action to assist the client in resolving their concerns and pinpoint any underlying problems that are inhibiting the client from fulfilling their objectives.
A fitness coach will be familiar with human anatomy and be able to recognize physical problems brought on by a person’s posture, movement, or even the way they carry out specific exercises.
Understanding the influence of movement on health is the only focus of the Fitness and Health module on the CNM Health Coach Diploma.
Students learn how to provide customers with personalized recommendations that will help them incorporate fitness into their daily lives. Along with the How the Body Works module, this one aids clients in developing a thorough grasp of the human body.
Holistic health coach
A holistic health approach addresses the basic causes of bad health by working with clients to grow a healthy lifestyle pattern.
The philosophy of a holistic health coach is that our bodies and minds are not different beings, but are part of a sequence this implies that our body and health functions are influenced by how we feel, in terms of stress and anxiety.
By referring to yourself as a holistic health coach, you will draw attention to the fact that your coaching style considers the entirety of your clients’ lives rather than just concentrating on their diet or exercise.
For many people, this holistic approach may feel more sustainable in the long run.
Primal/Paleo Health Coach
The term “primal health coach” or “paleo health coach” quickly identify you s a coach who utilizes evolutionary biology and ancestral health principles.
Educating, inspiring, and guiding clients toward lifestyle and behavioral choices that support optimal well-being are the responsibilities of a health coach and a wellness specialist.
A Primal Health Coach uses an integrated strategy to stay ahead of the curve while assisting others in living lives of optimum vitality via the use of nutrition and fitness knowledge based on scientifically proven ancestral health concepts.
The mission of the Primal Health Coach is to assist clients to get the greatest joy, contentment, and fulfillment out of their life by placing a highly individualized emphasis on their values, needs, visions, and goals.
How To Become a Health Coach
You have to successfully complete a training program in order to become a certified health coach and get ready for your job.
There are many options available—in fact, there are so many it can be overwhelming—but a good rule of thumb is to search for programs that have received accreditation from the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC).
Setting reasonable goals before enrolling in the program will help you make the most of it as the duration, cost, and outcomes of these courses differ.
Some are more suited for starting your own private health coaching business, while others necessitate a college degree, to begin with. Before choosing a course, being clear about your goals will help you avoid wasting time.
Additionally, you should be ready to sit for a substantial exam that will be used to evaluate your readiness for the field at the end of your course.
Best Health Coach Certification Programs
Here, we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of various health coach certification programs, as well as some things to think about before enrolling.
Mindbodygreen health certification(HCC)
mbg’s HCC is ideal for you if you’re seeking a comprehensive health coaching course that prepares you for success in just 20 weeks.
This course, which is an NBA HWC-approved training program, provides graduates with a thorough understanding of health through a combination of classroom instruction, office hours, and feedback sessions.
Previous reviews praised the virtual classes for being involved and supportive, demonstrating that you don’t need to communicate in person to find a stimulating atmosphere.
Additionally, it works well in conjunction with mbg’s Functional Nutrition Training to broaden your expertise in the area. APPLY
Pros:
- A holistic approach to wellbeing
- NBHWC-approved, efficient 20-week course
- Excellent for individuals already working in the health profession and those moving careers
Cons:
- Not all schedules may be suitable for a 20-week program.
Dr. Sears Wellness Institute
While many health coaching schools have entry requirements, such as a bachelor’s degree or CPR certification, Dr. Sears Wellness Institute is open to students of all skill levels.
This program, which offers certifications in pregnancy, families, and adults/seniors, is excellent if you’re hoping to concentrate on a more specialized area of health.
Depending on how severe you want the course to be, the online courses might take anywhere from six to 36 weeks to finish. Not to mention, NBHWC also acknowledges it. APPLY
Pros:
- Pregnancy, families, and adults/seniors all have certification programs available.
- Business and marketing tactics are covered in training
- and offer an advanced certification for master health coaches.
Cons:
- Some courses demand weekly live online classes.
- Compared to other health certification programs, less well known
- rather than a comprehensive health coaching certification, specialized certificates
Health Coach Institute
The Health Coach Institute is a great choice for anyone who wishes to launch their own health coaching business after completing training since it equips you with the information to strengthen your brand and share your abilities. This NBHWC-approved curriculum offers a straightforward Health Coach option in addition to a Coach Mastery course to advance your learning. The latter connects you with students who have already finished the course to provide further community assistance. APPLY
Pros:
- Positive attitude on overall wellbeing
- Effective 20-week course that has NBHWC approval
- Great for those who are already in the health sector and those who are changing jobs
Cons:
- Some schedules might not work with a 20-week program.
- One of the more expensive programs
Ace Health Coach Certification
We understand that investing in health coaching is not cheap, especially if your organization is just getting started. Finding a plan that will set you up for success is crucial, even if you want to cut costs.
The certification process for ACE’s health coaching program takes three to four months and costs about $650.
It is even more accessible to people of diverse income levels because the program has three levels with varied price points. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies has approved the program (NCCA). APPLY
Pros:
- Low-cost health coaching certification program
- Course resources on motivational interviewing, active listening and goal planning are extensive.
- Personal trainers can use this technology to grow their businesses.
Cons:
- NCCA-accredited certification, an associate’s degree in a comparable discipline, or two years of specific experience are required.
- Every two years, recertification is required.
- It may be too fitness-specific for non-exercise experts
Institute for integrative nutrition
The Institute for Integrative Nutrition is home to one of the world’s largest integrative and holistic health coach certification programs. The Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) is well-known for its holistic approach to health counseling.
IIN, founded in a tiny New York City kitchen by the now-famous Joshua Rosenthal, has developed into one of the largest and most popular health coaching certification programs, with over 100,000 graduates to date. The curriculum is primarily concerned with what IIN refers to as “main food,” or components of life such as relationships, finances, stress, and social life. APPLY
Pros:
- Two training packages are provided.
- six-month, expedited program
- world’s largest health coaching program
Cons:
- For a six-month program, you must dedicate 10 to 16 hours per week to studying.
- greater cost compared to other health coaching programs
- The non-fast track program lasts for a year.
Precision Nutrition
If nutrition is your primary focus in health coaching, Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 course will provide you with a solid foundation. The virtual course is self-paced and does not require any qualifications.
It provides useful information on nutrition coaching for people looking for more focused practice. While the program is not accredited, it has been recognized and accepted for continuing education units by a number of organizations such as ACE, NASM, and others. APPLY
Pros:
- A strong emphasis on nutrition
- Course resources, both printed and online
- An online community that is helpful
Cons:
- There is no general certification program for health coaches.
- Courses are in short supply.
- Nutrition coaching is the only job available.
Signs of a Good Health Coach
An Effective health coach:
- puts you in charge of determining what you want and how to realistically, step-by-step, make it happen.
- without passing judgment or pressuring you to undertake things that don’t feel manageable or fascinating, respecting you and your priorities.
- aids in anticipating and overcoming challenges.
- helps you find solutions you would not have thought of on your own.
- helps you create systems for solving problems that you can use independently as new objectives and difficulties arise in the future.
Ask your doctor for a recommendation if you want to give health coaching a try. To find out if the service is covered and if they have a list of approved providers, you can also contact your health insurance.
It might be difficult to set and meet health goals. But you can overcome obstacles with the aid of health coaches. Changing to a better way of living can have an impact on everything.
You’ll be able to accomplish more, be there for others, and enjoy life to the fullest if you have more energy and motivation.
