What is a Health Coach?

What is a Health Coach?
It’s an expression that you hear about and read about, though what really defines a Health Coach and what do they do? In this article, Helen Prosper from Live Well and Prosper gives us an insight into what Health Coaching entails and how everyone can benefit. And don’t get alarmed, a health coach isn’t an army sergeant, there’s no boot camp or drills! The ethos of a health coach today is not all about denial and ultra strict regimes, it’s actually about finding out what really works for you and what you want, so that you can enjoy life to the full.

A health model that supports individual health and wellness needs
The UK Health Coaches Association is set on improving the health of the nation and is supporting a health care model that supports the individual health and wellness needs of people through sustainable lifestyle changes. Herein lies the key as in order to be sustainable, all steps and goals must be small and easy in order to make them realistic and attainable. Success breeds success.

Listening and understanding to bring balance to individual needs
Everyone has unique goals; some people want to lose weight, some want to get fit or have more energy, some want to alleviate the symptoms of illness as much as is possible, and some just want to feel the best they can. A Health Coach will listen to you in order to understand, they will find out what you are struggling with and through this understanding work with you to enable you to optimise your health and wellbeing. They look at the complete picture and, yes, this includes nutrition and exercise, though it also may include other aspects of your life including lifestyle, relationships, work, your sense of worth and purpose. The aim is that that you will achieve your own version of balance in all areas of your life and find your own way of managing so that you can truly live life to the full.

A Health Coach will work with you on a one to one basis enabling and supporting you to:
Identify areas of change
Implement a health supportive lifestyle
Manage and attain health modifications
Achieve personal health goals

Everyone is truly unique and so a Health Coach doesn’t promote a particular diet or a particular exercise regime. There is a lot more to health than what you are eating and what you are doing physically; your thoughts, the people, and the things that surround you have a major impact. Through coaching, you will be able to sift through what is working for you and what is not, make changes and better self-manage your life, which in turn will lead to a sense of wellbeing and a sense of worth.

Implementing a healthy lifestyle in a caring and supportive way
It really is all about working with the individual in a supportive and caring way in order to understand and implement a healthy lifestyle. Life is for living and enjoying and with gradual small lifestyle changes that are specific to you, which overtime will make a difference to your health and wellbeing so that you will achieve a sense of balance and a lot more will fall into place. So, why not give it a go?

Helen Prosper works holistically with her clients and is client led, which means she works with what the client brings. She currently works as a Health Coach with the ‘Know Your Own Health’ scheme in the NHS, she is a systemic counsellor, massage instructor, reiki master, NLP practitioner, and has a Primary Certificate in Health and Wellbeing Cognitive Behavioural Coaching. She is currently also completing courses in Stress Management and Integrative Nutritional Health Coaching.
To contact Helen please call 07545 227272 or email info @livewellandprosper.uk
Live Well and Prosper!