Health Coaching
Change is hard!
When a practitioner makes a recommendation to change lifestyle habits, it can be difficult to accomplish on one’s own. It can seem overwhelming and there may be uncertainty about where to begin. A health coach offers a safe, supportive environment to explore health issues, find motivation, educate and provide the accountability to create lasting behavior change. Coaches partner with clients looking to enhance their well-being through self-directed lasting changes, aligned with their values. In the course of their work, health coaches display unconditional positive regard for their clients and a belief in their ability to change, honoring the fact that each client is an expert on their own life while ensuring that all interactions are respectful and non-judgmental.
Utilizing a holistic approach to health, Functional Medicine looks at not just the food on your plate, but also how you nourish yourself through other areas of your life, such as relationships, career, and spirituality. With this approach, a Functional Medicine Health Coach partners with individuals to build tiny habits and create sustainable behavior change in the areas of Diet, Stress, Sleep, Movement and Relationships. Whether it’s eliminating a food, managing stress, getting better sleep, prioritizing self-care or creating better boundaries in relationships, a health coach supports clients in activating internal strengths and external resources to make sustainable and healthy lifestyle behavior changes.
Health coaches use a client-centered approach wherein clients decide their goals, engage in self-discovery or active learning processes, and self-monitor behaviors to increase accountability, all within the context of an interpersonal relationship with a health coach. Whatever goal the client sets, the health coach ensures that they are supported until the desired outcome is achieved.
Evidence shows that patients have better clinical outcomes when a health coach is involved in the care process. A coach can work collaboratively with your practitioner to provide coordinated care or with you individually to address health issues and wellness goals.
Mark Hyman, M.D.