Are you someone who has always been inclined to help other people? Whether it be your friends, family, children, or anyone in need? You might be the perfect fit to become a health coach as it is their job to ensure that you are taking the best care of yourself inside and out through personalized health plans and goals. Whether this is your true calling or something you are momentarily intrigued by can only be figured out by learning more about who health coaches are, what they do, and are you fit to become one?
What is a health coach?
A health coach is a mentor who provides you aid for your physical health and your mental well-being. This is because health coaches understand that in order to lead a healthy life, a healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body. Health coaches will guide you towards a happier life by making adjustments to your dietary plans, lifestyle adjustments, exercise routines, and much more to curate the perfect routine for you.
They create these plans by analyzing various elements of your life such as your weight, body type, health requirements, and profession and by holding one-on-one sessions or group coaching programs where you will get to play an essential part in the health objectives you wish to achieve. Health coaches understand that each individual has different needs, and health and wellness are not a one-size-fits-all matter.
What types of health coaches are there?
There are 4 main types of health coaches, and each of them caters to a different area of expertise.
- The first and most common type of health coach is, well, health coaches! A health coach takes a more general approach to your overall health by helping clients achieve goals through changes in their lifestyles. Their focus is primarily on the physical health of their client and setting attainable goals for the best quality of life.
- The second type of health coach is a holistic health coach. A holistic health coach caters not just to their client’s physical health but also their mental well-being. As the two are intertwined, these health coaches help determine how a certain mental strain may affect the client’s body and how they can tackle both mindfully and healthily.
- The third type of health coach is a wellness health coach. These coaches do not take a goal-based approach but provide them with exclusive plans that can fit into their everyday lives without disrupting the balance they have so carefully struck with everything in their lives except for their health, whether physical, emotional, social, etc. professional or spiritual.
- The final type of health coach is the paleo health coach. These coaches take a holistic approach using natural remedies, derivatives, and alternatives that clients can incorporate into their lives to lead a cleaner, purer, and chemical-free life. It is not necessary that you stick to one single approach throughout your career and can only become one certain type of health coach.
You can choose hybrid methods and approaches as you take on your journey of becoming a health coach as long you and your client are satisfied that this is the perfect fit for them and you!
What does a health coach do?
Aside from working with a variety of clientele, a health coach carries out many essential duties. They work by conducting sessions that can be private or in a group setting wherein they facilitate conversations about the client’s health and assess which goals would be not just the most ideal but also the most realistic for their client.
It’s easy in the modern-day and age of social media to get caught up in fraudulent weight-loss schemes, dietary plans, and harmful exercises that cause more harm than good in the long run. A health coach has extensive knowledge of the human body, how it operates, and the pace at which it can adhere to lifestyle changes. They provide you with well-researched plans that have been approved by medical experts and know how to tailor these plans for you as they focus on your expectations and demands. Your questions, concerns, and goals are their main priority, alongside ensuring the appropriate steps are taken to attain these goals.
What to expect from sessions with your health coach
Your first health coach session will not be a revelation in and of itself as first; they will conduct several tests to ensure that there are no underlying health issues, conditions, or diseases that may be altering your quality of life. Once these tests results are in, the health coach will begin by asking you what you would like for them to do for you. Taking all of these elements into account, a health coach ensures that you are equipped with the best possible options.
It is up to you to follow through with these plans as they are recommendations from your health coach, and each following session will comprise how the plan has been working for you and whether there are any adjustments you would like to make. A health coach may also make adjustments if they see that a certain plan can work even better for you than the current one that you are following.
How can I become a health coach?
Becoming a health coach is not an easy path and requires dedicated candidates willing to help others and understand individual differences and requirements. Several programs offer personal training certifications through a wide range of specialty programs that vary according to your prior qualifications. While holding a higher education degree will aid your pursuit of becoming a health coach, it is not a requirement set in stone, but you will be required to have some level of health credentials and experience to become a certified health coach.
The job of a health coach is centered on their clientele which is why people skills are essential to excel in this field. You will be interacting with and catering to people from all walks of life and age ranges and creating actions plans and setting goals for them based on their health and interests, which requires an understanding of the human anatomy, psychology, medicine, pediatrics, social care, and more depending on the field you decide to specialize in. This can be through voluntary work, educational background, and short courses, making the enrollment and attainment of health coaching programs much easier and refining your skills.
Why should I become a health coach?
While this may sound like a complex question, the answer is simple. Our health is the most important part of our lives as it affects each and every aspect of our being. But people are not taking care of themselves the way they should simply because they do not have the time, knowledge, or expertise to do so, and this is where you step in.
You will be the light that guides them to the right path, not just for them but also for others. This is because when you help one client improve their quality of life, it creates a ripple effect that passes this goodness on to the people around them, creating a chain reaction of healthier minds, bodies, and improved relationships. You have the power to inspire your clients to be better people and make the impossible possible.
You will find that becoming a health coach will improve your health since you will constantly be analyzing the health of others and discovering new ways to improve it. Your work-life is in your hands; you get to choose the timings of your appointments and the timeline and pace at which you wish to deliver and make more time for you!
This will also lead to polished business and entrepreneurial skills because your career is now in your hands, and it is up to you how you wish to establish your name in the healthcare industry. Whether you wish to join an office setting or work online from home or your favorite café, you can study and work from wherever you want, which is freedom not everyone enjoys. You will get to meet, engage with and work with amazing people whose outlook in life and its improvement will leave a positive mark on you and yours.
Every day is a new day, and every client is light-years different than your previous one, which will force you to become fluid with people. You will find yourself growing more empathetic, understanding, and having a broader mindset as you cross borders you would otherwise never have known about.
When your passion is your work, and your job brings you joy, what better profession is there? Helping people feel as positive as you do will only help you grow along with your clientele as they will begin referring their friends and family, who will have a prime example of how you can turn their lives upside down in a good way.
Whether you began with the intention of helping others or yourself, becoming a life coach is the best profession in the world because what’s better than helping people become the best versions of themselves?
