The Benefits of Working with a Health Coach

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I was like a toddler. Stomping my feet and shaking my head no, vigorously. No, I was not going to count calories again. No, I was not going to only eat brown rice and tofu. No, I was not going to bring my own sad brown meals to family gatherings. 

No. No. No.

That was the attitude that was developing in my mind after so many doctors' visits where the only advice they gave me was to lose weight. Back pain. Have you thought about losing weight? Stress. Have you thought about losing weight? Anxiety. Have you thought about losing weight? Hangnail. Have you thought about losing weight? (I’m only slightly exaggerating about that last one.)

Well, no ma’am, I haven’t given a lick of thought to losing weight. I mean, what? Losing weight is pretty much all I ever think about. And I know how to lose weight. I just didn’t want to live the rest of my life depriving myself and feeling hungry all of the time.

So, when my physical rolled around last year, I was ready to meet my doctor’s question about whether I had thought about losing weight with a big, fat NO. 

Of course, being the conflict-avoidant person that I am, I didn’t really say that. And she didn’t just ask me about whether I had thought about losing weight. This time she recommended that I see a health coach. It would have been oh so very easy for me to ignore this advice. Except, now my health record is electronic. And the referral for a health coach pinged my email inbox with a reminder. 

The reminder was blinking at me unread in my health record. Blink. Blink. Blink. 

What the heck, I thought. Why don’t I just click the link and see what this is all about. And that’s how I set up my very first meeting with my health coach. 

Even though I was hesitant to try yet one more weight-loss tactic, the woman I met during my first meeting was a very lovely woman who listened to me blather on about all of my food and health-related issues and anxieties. She reminded me that she wasn’t a therapist or a nutritionist but she would be able to work with me to set realistic goals and be my cheerleader and keep me accountable through the process.

After my first meeting, I felt pumped and ready to go. We touched on sleep hygiene, something that I had never given any thought to, but was absolutely an integral part of my overall health. 

I can’t tell you how refreshing it was to not spend the entire meeting focused on calorie counting. Weight was a very peripheral part of our discussion. We focused on how I was managing my time and stress and on what the larger puzzles pieces to my health goals were.

To be honest, I’d never thought about what a health coach was. According to the Cleveland Health Clinic, health coaches help you acheive your health goals by focusing on six key areas: smoking, stress, nutrition, sleep, activity, and time management. They meet with you on a regular basis (for me, we meet via videoconference), and that’s part of the accountability element of the coaching. 

Our particular set up has us meeting twice a month for three months. The Cleveland Health Clinic article also points to a study that shows that people who work with a health coach for three months see improvements in a variety of health indicators, including blood pressure, weight, and fitness. 

After today’s session, we had taken notes on my vision for my health journey. Here are a few of my goals:

• I feel energized engaging in my hobbies of writing and art.

• I give myself time to recharge and replenish with a mindful bedtime routine.

• As I am aging, I am supporting my body through exercise and mindful nutrition.

Not a single calorie to be counted anywhere. 

My worst fears about writing down every single morsel that I put into my mouth and feeling guilty about not meeting unrealistic goals (or goals that are impossible to maintain long term) were safely put away. 

Thankfully, this service is provided for by my hospital. The money for the three-month session doesn’t come out of my pocket, which I’m thankful for. It’s made me wonder why I hadn’t started this sooner. 

Have you thought about working with a health coach? If not, I can highly recommend the experience.