What is Health Coaching?

Have you ever left a professional health appointment feeling somewhat puzzled? Maybe you didn’t have a chance to thoroughly talk about your concerns or you felt that the suggested medication is not really going to address the real cause. Or maybe you felt frustrated for being given more nutritional guidelines that you know you just can’t keep with…

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! 

Modern medicine is very good in diagnosing and treating acute problems but it really is not that great in preventing or inverting chronic situations. Traditional nutritionists or physicians are extremely knowledgeable about the molecular and bio-chemical effects of pharmaceutical medicines and even foods in our bodies and cells. But in some cases, these approaches only take us half-way. Nowadays, everyone has a good idea of what foods are good or bad: we should avoid sugar and processed foods, cut on salt and alcohol, eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water! But why don’t we? Even in more specific ailments, anyone can google the foods to eat or avoid!

If information is not enough, what is?

We shouldn’t drop modern medicine: we should go beyond it. At a certain point, it’s not a matter of lack of knowledge: it’s a behavioural problem. In reality, as with everything else on our lives, we tend to make decisions based on how we feel and not on what we know. Each person is different in many aspects. For some people dairy products or chocolate are good but for others it’s poison. For some people it’s easier to adopt a “cold turkey” approach and throw all the junk food out the window, but for others changes have to be small and gradual. Some people developed a sense of self-awareness; they already know how their bodies react to foods and adopted a more balanced diet, while others are struggling in relating food and lifestyle choices with their health problems.

How can a Health Coach help in the healing process?

Health Coaching is the ultimate generation of health care services. Health coaches guide clients through growth and change in their wellness journey. They provide highly personalized services based on individual needs and contexts. They make the transformation process much easier and lasting by establishing tailored doable changes and providing on-going guidance and support. In short, a Health Coach is a guide and supportive mentor who empowers clients to take responsibility for their health and achievement of their personal wellness goals. The body has an amazing healing capacity accessible to every human being and it begins with believe, so patient engagement plays a critical role. The health coaching practice helps clients to regain responsibility over their lives and support better choices.

The mind-body spiritual connection is often something that is missing in patients. A substantial part of the health coaching work is to explore other parts of the client life such as stress management, relationships or physical exercise. This integrated approach will allow the client to improve awareness not only around food but also other nourishing choices. Having a balanced diet and lifestyle is only a part of living a happy and fulfilling life. Producing long-term changes requires making peace with food and with ourselves.