Health Coaching “Un-Diet your way to genuine health” with Sherry Pratt NBC-HWC, ACC - Coming November 2023!!!
When to comes to living a healthy lifestyle, most people knowwhat they could be doing (e.g. eating better, moving more, getting enough sleep, managing stress, finding better work-life balance, spending less time on devices and social media, spending more time quality time with family and friends, making time for hobbies and things that bring you joy, etc.), the challenge is in actually doing it. Coaches are trained in evidence-based theories and practical tools & techniques for behaviour change, habit formation and positive psychology to assist clients in setting and achieving goals that improve health & wellbeing.
How coaches help:
Coaches provide 3 critical supports that enable change.
Coaches are allies. Leading with unconditional positive regard and non-judgemental acceptance coaches operate from the perspective that each client is whole, resourceful and capable of achieving their desired goals.
They help clients:
• uncover their strengths – the things they are naturally good at
• clarify their values – the things that are important to them
• build upon what is already working to find solutions to current challenges
Coaches are champions and cheerleaders, helping to celebrate wins and finding learning in moments of disappointment. They offer accountability and build trust, getting to the point of knowing when their clients need a gentle nudge to push harderor when to back off and move more slowly.
Coaches provide structure. A coaching program and each coaching session follows a specific blueprint.
• To start, the coach and client work together to establish a vision, a compelling yet realistic description of the client’s desired outcomes and a picture of their future self
• Next the vision will be broken down into one or more 3-month goals that result in meaningful progress toward that vision.
• Each coaching session unfolds in a structured fashion, with the client choosing the agenda or topic for exploration and identifying what they’d like to take away from the session that would help them address a current challenge or take the next step forward.
• A client will generally walk away from a session with a subset of actions that they commit to working on between sessions.
Coaches can provide resources and information. In general, a client’s own knowledge, wisdom and experience is all that’s required. However, coaches are life-long learners, fitness and nutrition geeks and self-experimenters so they have lots of knowledge and information to share when requested or as needed.
Why it works:
Coaching honours client autonomy. People are more successful following their own advice and ideas compared to being given one-size-fits-all directives. By way of example, if your coach told you to meditate for 20 minutes every morning, but your reality is that you struggle to get up even with multiple alarms and have to get 3 young kids out the door for school, how successful will you be? Alternately, if your coach were to ask, “How might you start your day with more presence and calm?”, you’d come up with a few options that were more doable for you.
Coaching helps clients create meaningful connections to their “why” - the reasons behind wanting to eat better, move more, find work-life balance, etc. For example, a client who doesn’t like ‘exercise’ might choose to walk everyday not because she should exercise, but because she enjoys the sights and sounds of nature in the neighbourhood while simultaneously supporting her desire to remain physically active so she can live independently for as long as possible.
Coaches make great sounding boards. The mind is constantly generating thoughts, some helpful and some less so. Having a coach really listen to what you are saying, not just the words, but the underlying meaning, implied values and potential conflict and then reflect that back to you can generate powerful insights. These insights, hidden when the thoughts were simply swirling around in your head, can be the key to spurring action towards improved health and well-being.
Who it’s for:
Health coaching is for anyone wanting to make behaviour and lifestyle changes to improve their health but is struggling to do so. It requires a willingness to be open, curious and to experiment. It’s for those who prefer to figure out what works best from them, rather than being told what to do. While it can be hard work, the reward is improved wellbeing and sustainable, life-long change.