You’ve got endless websites, podcasts, webinars, books, and blog posts about health and wellness at your fingertips, so why would you need to hire a health coach? This week, we’ve curated the top 24 benefits of working with a health coach in 2022. From getting clear on your why (that’s your deep-down motivation for wanting to achieve your goal) to having a highly trained judgment-free partner by your side every step of the way.
1. You’ll Get an Individualized Plan
In health coaching, there are no cookie-cutter approaches. When you work with a health coach, you get a personalized plan based on your health goals, strengths, and real-life challenges and responsibilities.
2. You’ll Receive Trustworthy Advice
Forget diet and fitness trends, unsustainable practices, and quick fixes. Health Coaches (especially Board-Certified myPrimalCoach coaches) are trained professionals who provide sound advice and evidence-based nutrition protocols.
3. You’ll Have Clearly Defined Goals
To really succeed, you’ve got to know what you’re changing and how to measure your
success. That’s where SMART goals come in. SMART is an acronym that stands for:
- Specific. What do you want to achieve?
- Measurable. How will you measure your results?
- Attainable. Do you have the tools to make it happen?
- Relevant. Does this goal align with your lifestyle?
- Timely. What’s your deadline on this goal?
4. You’ll Also Have Realistic Goals
In addition to creating SMART goals, a health coach will also make sure your plan is realistic. Dropping ten pounds by the end of the month isn’t practical. Well, not if you want to lose weight and keep it off. Health coaches can help you make sustainable, habit-based changes that are 100% doable.
5. Health Coaches Look at the Big Picture
Certified health coaches consider your physical, mental, and emotional health. They look at all aspects of your life, not just nutrition and exercise. A good health coach will ask you questions about your current and past stress levels, quality of sleep, and general outlook on life.
6. They Also Get Granular
Get ready to dive into the details most other health care providers don’t make time for. Health coaches know how to look for the root cause of your health challenges, addressing the nuances of your habits and patterns, as well as any limiting beliefs or stories that are holding you back.
7. You’ll Get Actionable Tips
Most people know they should exercise regularly and eat less processed food. But a health coach’s job is to give you actionable advice, like how to read labels, the sneaky places sugar is hiding, and how to have a great night’s sleep.
8. You’ll Be Heard and Listened To
During a doctor’s visit, patients have roughly 11 seconds to explain the reason they’re there before getting interrupted. Health coaches operate differently. They want to hear what you have to say because it helps them understand what you’re going through, what you’ve noticed about your symptoms, and what’s worked or not worked for you in the past. During your first session, you may even end up doing more talking than your coach.
9. You’ll Be Part of the Conversation
The health coach-client relationship is a partnership. One where you’re an active participant. You’ll never be told what to do when you work with a health coach. Rather, you’ll be empowered to make your own decisions and figure out what changes make sense for you to achieve your goal.
10. You’ll See Beyond the Scale
Seasoned health coach Erin Power says that scales are only good for one thing: weighing luggage. And we agree 100%. So, if you’re used to measuring your success by the number on the scale, a health coach will teach you all about non-scale victories, such as having looser clothes, fewer cravings, and more self-esteem.
11. Health Coaches Offer a Different Perspective
A good coach can shed light on areas of your life you might not have recognized that you’re struggling with. Through your conversations, you might discover that using your phone at night impacts your sleep. Or that you’re feeling overwhelmed more often than you’re not.
12. They Help You Navigate Setbacks
The road to good health is rarely a linear journey for most people. You’ll likely have a combination of successes, plateaus, and setbacks. You’ll also learn that setbacks aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, the athletes in this study told researchers that a significant setback early on in their athletic career fueled their success later on.
13. They Help You Find Your Why
The best way to weather the ups and downs of your health journey is to get crystal clear on your why. By asking targeted questions, your coach will help you peel back the layers of why your goal is important to you and uncover your true motivating factors for making long-term changes.
14. They Walk the Talk
Usually, health coaches get into coaching because they’ve had their own health struggles with weight or chronic medical conditions. They found that diet, exercise, mindset, and sleep moved the needle more than any prescription did. That’s why they’re so passionate about helping their clients. Because they’ve been through it (and sometimes still are going through it) they also have valuable resources to share, from books to productivity apps.
15. You’ll Develop Accountability
Health coaches don’t hold you accountable. Instead, they show you to be responsible for your actions. That means taking charge of your circumstances and getting clear on your goals (and why you want to achieve them). This is based on a well-studied concept called self-efficacy. It’s the idea that if you believe you can change your behaviors, you’ll be more successful at doing so.
16. You’ll Feel Empowered
Many of the benefits of working with a health coach (being listened to, developing accountability, navigating setbacks) inevitably lead to feeling more empowered. You’ve always known what your body needs. Health coaches teach you to tap into that inner knowing and start trusting yourself more.
17. You’ll Make Positive, Long-Term Changes
The problem with quick fixes is that they never last. When you work with a health coach, you focus on changing habits and behaviors instead of numbers on the scale. Minor changes are easier to be consistent with. And consistency is where you’ll see the results.
18. You’ll Learn How to Manage Stress Effectively
Chronic stress can compromise your immune system and bring on health issues such as blood pressure and depression. And while stress is a part of life, a good health coach will show you tips for keeping it in check.
19. You’ll Tap into Your Own Motivation
It’s your perception of a situation that makes you more or less motivated to do something. Think exercise is tedious? Grilled asparagus is bland? Or waking up early is too hard? A health coach will help you tap into the intrinsic motivators that get you moving in the right direction. You’ll learn about the role of things like self-compassion and self-acceptance, which are, as studies prove, two of the best motivators available to you.
20. You’ll Avoid Chronic Health Issues
You might be predisposed to high blood pressure or diabetes, but a health coach focuses on preventive care, helping you change your habits early on to avoid developing chronic health issues later on in life. Hundreds of thousands of people have changed their genes, and you can too.
21. You’ll Stop Setting the Same Resolutions Every Year
How great would it be to set a different New Year’s resolution next year? Or better yet, not need to set one at all? A health coach turns your desire for change into action-oriented results.
22. You’ll Realize There’s No Wagon to Fall Off Of
“Falling off the wagon” is one of those phrases the diet industry loves to bombard people with. Here’s the secret though. Health coaches know there’s no wagon to fall off of, and there never was. If you make a choice that’s not as healthy as you wanted, make a different choice next time. It’s that simple.
23. You’ll Inspire Others
People will start to notice the changes you’ve been making. They’ll ask you what you’ve been doing and probably even ask you questions on how to do it. Who knows, you may learn that you love helping others and decide to become a health coach yourself.
24. You Can Have Your Session Virtually
The great thing about health coaches, including the ones in our myPrimalCoach program, is that you can have your sessions at work, on the go, or from the comfort of your own home.
Conclusion
Health coaches help set realistic goals, create personalized actionable plans, and provide as much or as little support and guidance as needed — it’s like working with a nutritionist, personal trainer, and lifestyle coach all wrapped into one. Think you could benefit from working with a health coach? Get started on the myPrimalCoach home page. Once you sign up, you’ll have access to a Board-Certified health coach via in-app messaging and live group webinars. You can even schedule live, virtual sessions with your coach anytime.
