A health coach, also known as a health and wellness coach, serves as your personal guide, mentor, and supporter in your journey towards better health. They assist you in making lifestyle changes that enhance both your physical and emotional well-being. Your primary care provider may recommend working with a health coach to help you achieve specific health goals, or you might choose to engage in health coaching through a workplace wellness program.

Regardless of how you begin, health coaches play a crucial role in keeping you accountable as you make meaningful changes in areas such as:

• Physical activity

• Nutrition

• Weight management

• Stress management

• Smoking cessation and other forms of tobacco use

• Sleep

When one aspect of your health is out of balance, it can affect other areas as well. For instance, if you're not getting enough sleep, you might lack the energy to exercise or plan healthy meals, which can feel overwhelming. Together with your health coach, you'll identify where to start and develop strategies to make small, sustainable changes over time.

What does a health coach do?

A health coach helps you set realistic goals and create a plan to achieve them. They also assist you in identifying potential obstacles that might hinder your progress. For example, you might doubt your ability to make the changes your doctor suggests, or you might feel that any changes you make won't have a significant impact. Perhaps you're juggling multiple jobs and can't imagine fitting anything else into your schedule.

Your health coach will work with you to examine all the factors influencing your health-related behaviors and collaborate with you to develop a manageable plan to work towards your goals