Posted on January 26th, 2023

You sound like a hard-working person and a free spirit who cherishes your downtime. Clearly, you’re being pulled in a lot of different directions, and when it comes to taking care of yourself, you’re trying to “get in shape” by clamping down on the little bit of freedom and flexibility you have. Those constraints aren’t working because they’re contrary to who you are and the life you want.

How do you feel about being told what to do? I’m guessing you, like most people, are not a fan.

In the realm of health and fitness, most of us are used to subscribing to a plan, diet or philosophy that’s been dictated by someone else to solve our problems. This someone may be an expert in their field. They may be a doctor, personal trainer, nutritionist or Instagram expert. They might be a well-meaning partner or friend. Or they might be your mom.

This person has a plan that will “fix” you—or so they say. It seems convincing enough. You like the results they’re promising, but somehow, when you try their plan, it falls apart like a macaroni castle glued together with probiotic yogurt. Splat.

The most common response when we’re told what to do is to list all the reasons why it won’t work: Tell me to quit chocolate, and I’ll snort mochaccino out my nose. Put me on a workout plan I hate, and I’ll let you know how it’s going from my couch.

On the other hand, try to take away my daily walk, and I’ll smite you and leave you for dust.

Prescribed plans fall apart because they don’t account for the reality of your life: who you are, what you care about and how you spend your time. We change because we want to—not because we “should.”

The way to get different results, of course, is to establish different behavior patterns, and the way to do that is to build a plan specifically for you—and by you—with your circumstances and priorities front and center. That’s where a trained, certified health coach comes in.

Signs of a Good Health Coach

A good health coach always:

Puts you in the driver’s seat to figure out what you want and how to make it happen, realistically, step-by-step.
Respects you and your priorities without judging or pushing you to do things that don’t feel manageable or interesting.
Helps you anticipate and overcome obstacles.
Helps you identify solutions you may or may not have considered before.
Guides you to build problem-solving systems you can apply, on your own, as new goals and challenges arise in the future.

How do you know if you’re hiring a qualified one?

First, you have to like the person. Rapport is huge, so if you meet with someone and don’t jibe with them, move on. Second, look for credentials.

Health Coaching Standards and Credentials

The field of health coaching was diffuse for a long time, but standards strengthened in 2016 when the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaches (NBHWC) joined forces with the National Board of Medical Examiners (the certifying body that licenses physicians). This alliance designated a unified code of ethics, education, research and credentials to standardize training and certification for health coaches to be integrated into a wide range of clinical and nonclinical settings.

Full disclosure: I’m a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC) and accredited by the Mayo Clinic and other associations as well.

There are lots of viable credentials out there, as well as wonderful coaches with varying degrees of training from established schools and organizations. The NBHWC has approved more than 80 programs throughout the United States that qualify students to sit for the national exam, with a minimum of 75 instructional hours, 50 private coaching sessions and continuing education. Many, like the programs at Vanderbilt University and Duke University, Wellcoaches, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Mayo Clinic, grant their own certifications and graduate highly-trained health and wellness coaches as well.

Does Insurance Pay for Health Coaching?

Not typically, but insurance reimbursements may be widely available through doctor referrals within a few years. In 2019 the American Medical Association (AMA) granted category III CPT codes for national board-certified coaches (and health educators) to gather data needed to support category I approval and insurance reimbursements. The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs is helping to track use of these codes “to evaluate the effectiveness of coaching as a part of the Department’s whole health system of care… helping veterans get healthier and better manage chronic issues such as diabetes, pain and depression.”

Simply put, category I means equal access to this kind of support and preventive care for more people. In the meantime, The Washington Post reported in December 2020 that several insurance companies are already providing free health coaching to their clients. Many other health coaches work in corporate wellness programs or private practices.

According to a compendium of research in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, “Health and wellness coaching is rapidly emerging as an adjunct treatment for lifestyle diseases… [It] holds great potential for advancing healthy behavior change and stemming the rising tide in prevalence of chronic disease.”

A Health Coach Is a Partner—Not a Dictator

You were spot on, Tired and Confused, when you wondered if a coach could help you decide what you need. That’s exactly what they do—help you identify your specific needs and figure out what to do about them within the parameters of your actual, real life.

The feeling of overwhelm you described comes from caring about so many people and things. You take time for them because you don’t want anyone or anything you love to suffer. But you seem to care about your body, too, especially now that it’s hurting. You said you have “so many ideas” about what to do to feel better, and that’s a powerful place to start.

A coach is a partner, sometimes a guide, but never a dictator.

If you want a fixed formula, you might want to look elsewhere. If you want to create and implement a plan designed with your unique interests and challenges in mind, a health coach might be exactly what you need.

Source: here.

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