I’ve always loved watching the weight loss shows where the participants change their lives by focusing on their health. You get to see the person’s journey and how it takes so much more than food and exercise changes to make the shift happen. And these people make huge shifts! When there are big changes ahead, particularly with health, the road can be very difficult alone.
That’s why I love health coaching because you get to walk beside people on their health and wellness journeys. You get to see the physical shifts but also the mental shifts - the aha moments - if you will. When you hear a client’s language change and see they are implementing new things in their lives, feeling better and really achieving their goals. There is something magical when you see client shifts and even more so on the other side of it. The confidence increases and they genuinely feel empowered to make better health choices. And that is what I love about health coaching.
But, unfortunately many people don’t know about health coaches or understand what one does. As a result, many potential clients miss out on our expertise because of this. For this reason I wanted to dispel a few myths about health coaching and provide a little education because that’s what we do! So, below are 5 myths about health coaches that are busted so you know the benefits you can get from working with one.
1. Tells the client what to do. I once was at an event and overheard someone make a comment to the effect of, “Great, like I need someone telling me what to do!” I thought it was an interesting comment because the person never stopped, never talked to me, they just said the comment out loud and kept walking. I wondered if that was the general sentiment about coaches because it hurt to hear it. One of the things that may surprise a client is that a coach, particularly a health coach, doesn’t tell you what to do. It’s quite a collaborative relationship. A coach works with the client to understand their goals, challenges, lifestyle and more to co-create a plan that works for the client. A coach is responsible for understanding the client and clarify so the client can get to know themselves better. The coach empowers the client to make changes in their life to effectively and sustainably achieve their goals. So, the coach doesn’t tell the client what to do, rather they use their training and experience to provide ideas and solutions, of which get discussed and added to a plan that the client executes. If the plan needs to be modified, then the coach and client work together to make adjustments and see how that goes. But it is important for the client to agree to all activities because it is, in fact, their life and their goals. And since the goal is empowerment, the client learns tools so they can execute and eventually not need the coach once goals are achieved.
2. Is the same as a trainer. Many people don’t understand the difference between a personal trainer and a health coach. It may be because both can help you reach your health goals. A personal trainer is focused on your physical body and helps you with the exercises you need for your body to be stronger, lose weight, or whatever your physical goals are. A coach helps you to improve your health, but is focused on the behaviors you are doing which contribute to your health. If you have a goal to lose weight, a coach will help to clarify the goal, develop a plan to achieve that goal, strategies to overcome barriers, and guide you to organize yourself for success. Part of your plan could be going to the gym and/or getting a trainer if you don’t know the exercises to do or if you need to maximize time. A trainer will develop your exercise program for your physical body and make sure you exercise in a safe manner in pursuit of your goal. Will you talk to your trainer during your sessions? Of course! And they can make recommendations regarding your health and fitness, but technically they should focus on the physical body. The trainer also uses equipment to assess your health and fitness, which can be used as the basis for your exercise plan and for tracking progress toward your goals. The trainer and coach can work hand in hand, but each has a specific scope of practice to stay within when they work with you as a client. Additionally, a person can hold both certifications which then opens up their ability to help you with both types of activities.
3. Is just a cheerleader. Yes, a health coach will help to motivate you as you work together to achieve your goals. A health coach wants you to succeed! So they will do everything they can to support you through your process - the ups and the downs. It can be a cherished relationship - that between the coach and client. The coach gets to know the client in a way that others may not if the client is willing to open up enough. The coach understands why the client has their goals and holds those goals as the standard throughout the coach-client relationship. The coach has to believe even when the client cannot. They hold that light for them when there is stress or when life shows up differently than expected. When the client gets down or forgets why they started the journey in the first place, the coach helps in the motivation process and to remember why the client wants what they want. And if that changes, the coach helps to re-direct and focus again. The coach may play many roles, however a cheerleader is only one of them.
4. Doesn’t have a place. Have you ever tried to make a change related to your health? Sometimes it can be easy by making a couple of tweaks to your daily routine. But other times you may be faced with something major and you simply don’t know where to start. A doctor may say, “you need to make some changes or you’ll have to get on medication” or you’ll change careers and need to wear old clothes but all of a sudden only a few of those items fit. You know you need to lose weight so a personal trainer is a logical choice, but so is a health coach. In scenario 1, the doctor urges the client to make a change to avoid medication, but the client may not know what that means. All they know is there is a sense of urgency if they want to avoid medication. Change is necessary now! But what does that mean and where do they start? A health coach can help make sense of what the doctor said, clarify and define goals, develop a plan, provide education, and motivate along the way. In scenario 2, the client has let some time pass and may not understand which habits have led to the clothes feeling tighter. If they hire a personal trainer, the trainer will be able to help with the physical body, but this person needs something more. They need someone to help them with everything outside of the gym. This includes the way they spend their time, how they handle their mindset, how they engage their support system and much more. In both scenarios, the person needs assistance restructuring their days, getting education about their health and bodies, clarity in their goals and challenges, and motivational support. Again for some this is possible on your own, but for many it can be overwhelming and a coach helps reduce that stress tremendously. A coach can also increase your likelihood for long-term success because you learn to change the behaviors that cause the situation.
5. Is a counselor or therapist. Although there are some psychological principles used by health coaches when working with a client, a coach usually doesn’t have a degree in psychology. We have a certification (at minimum) which includes behavior change principles, rooted in psychology, but also inclusive of exercise principles too. Many of us have degrees in areas like kinesiology or exercise science, but that isn’t mandatory. We may also hold other, related, certifications as mentioned above with personal training. But we are held to strict standards when it comes to clients and scope. A health coach helps the client to co-create solutions related to their health goals, while a therapist may be more concerned with a client’s mental or social aspects. It isn’t likely for us to focus on your childhood and how/why that impacts your life today…unless it has led to eating habits that are not helping you achieve your goals. If a client has a diagnosed eating disorder or mental health condition, that would be referred to a therapist for treatment. Then, in collaboration with that professional, a health coach can support the client’s health goals. There can be a fine line, but usually there is a very thick line in what delineates a health coach client vs a therapist client. And a good coach knows the difference and out of care for the client, respects it.
So there you have it! Five reasons you would use a health coach and how they can help in each of those situations. If this was helpful to increase your understanding, let me know how or which myth was informative for you. If you read this and thought “wow, I think I need a health coach now!” Great, I’d love to help you achieve your health and wellness goals. Feel free to reach out so we can see if we are a good match. Send me an email at hello@shannonnsmith.com or feel free to set up a time to chat about your challenges and goals by clicking here.