6 Reasons To Hire A Health Coach

Why Do You Need A Health Coach?

Recently I created a survey in an attempt to discover where people struggle when it comes to healthy eating. Although EVERYONE gave me their list of challenges and places they struggle to eat well, many did not think they needed a coach and/or that health coaches should work for free and/or poverty wages. When I coach someone I meet with them weekly for 30 minutes to discuss their progress and challenges. Our initial phone call is 90 minutes. Then I also make myself available every waking hour via e-mail and text messaging for the entire month. My ultimate goal is to put people on a path so that they never need me or any other “diet” for the rest of their life.

Some of the objections to hiring a health coach is that the information is already available and health coaches shouldn’t charge for that. Tell me, if the information is readily available for everyone why does our nation have an epidemic of poor health? Do you expect me to believe that people like having chronic health conditions? They read the book and then think to themselves, “nah, I’d hate to break up with the pharmacist.”

I don’t think a lack of information is the problem. If anything it’s an over-abundance of information. A lot of the information is nonsense. People have been conditioned to follow diet fads for X number of days and then they’re on to the next fad. There also seems to be a mentality out there that people would rather have a smoothie, supplement, pill, tea, or quick fix rather than learning to eat real food. I know some say that paleo is a fad or a trend but if me telling you to eat more vegetables and real food is a fad then clearly I’m missing something.

1) You Have Never Learned To Eat Properly

Several of the people I have coached have admitted that they have never eaten properly. Whether they grew up with parents who couldn’t cook or they never grew out of their picky eating childhood, many people have never eaten properly. What do I mean by eating properly? I’m talking about food that doesn’t come with an ingredient label. The bulk of your food shouldn’t have a list of ingredients. As Jamie Oliver says:

Real Food doesn’t have ingredients; it is ingredients.

We’ve become a society that depends on convenience and speed and in order to achieve that we end up relying on fast food and processed food. Everyone knows that these two groups should be avoided but the problem is that it’s everywhere which leads me to my next point.

2) You Have Trouble Sticking With Healthy Eating

I’m not going to lie. Our current society in America makes it too easy to eat bad things. Everywhere you go phood (my word for fake food) is coming out of deep fryer and sugar is everywhere you look. I remember watching Fed-Up and they made the point that the best thing every retailer has to offer you before you leave is an aisle of sugar. When you really understand the role of sugar in the human body that aisle of sugar feels more like a slap in the face.

Of course it’s not just the deep fryers and mountains of sugar. Can you name a restaurant where you can quickly get food made from single  ingredients? Initially you might think about grilled chicken on a salad but have you ever looked at the ingredients in that chicken? Most restaurants list their ingredients online. One of them actually has anti-foaming agent in their chicken. Why does chicken need anti-foaming agent?

If you’re traveling and it’s the best you can do then it’s the best you can do. Eating this stuff regularly with a chemical disaster they pass off as salad dressing is likely one of the things that is holding you back. A grilled chicken salad can be healthy but just because they call it a grilled chicken salad doesn’t automatically mean that it is. A health coach will help you navigate the world outside your kitchen.

3) Nothing Has Worked For You In The Past

The grilled chicken salad is one of many reasons that could be holding you back from reaching your wellness goals. Maybe you’ve tried counting calories because the government, and your doctor, said you should. If you Google search the success rate of calorie restricted diets the success rate is 1-5%.

Perhaps you’ve tried a plan for X-number of days because your sister’s best friend lost weight when she did it. Maybe the scale moved a bit but you couldn’t follow it forever and you ended up right back where you first started. A good coach knows that it’s not your fault and they understand the hormones involved that sabotage calories in calories out dieters.

4) You Are Tired Of Gimmicks, Fads, and Diet Trends

When the government created the calories in calories out theory of weight loss they automatically created diets that don’t work. Well, they work initially but they’re not sustainable. When your reduce your calories your body doesn’t want you to die so it increases your hunger hormones, decreases you satiety hormones (making it hard to feel full), and it reduces your basal metabolic rate (the number of calories you burn sitting still). One of 2 things happens with traditional diets:

1. You follow the diet for a bit and you eventually stop because your hormones take over and you probably think you have a will power issue. (You don’t.) Then you move on to another diet because maybe it will work better than the last one.
2. You follow the diet for a bit and you eventually stop because your hormones take over. When you gain the weight back, plus a little more, and you go back to the same diet that “helped” you before but this time you have more determination to find more will power.

I’m a firm believer that the 1st scenario is what has led to the diet industry looking a lot like the fashion industry. What’s new? What’s hot? What’s everyone doing? What is everyone talking about? So people jump from trend to trend feeling like they’re getting somewhere but more often than not the end result puts them right back where they started and usually weighing more than when they first began.

5) You Are Looking For A Permanent Solution

If you’re ready to give up the fads, learn how to eat properly, and find something that is the last “thing” you follow then it might be time to consider a health coach. For those who can pick up a book and follow a new lifestyle and stick with it forever you don’t need me as a coach. Don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours. If you keep chasing your tail and coming right back to where you started, and you really do want a sustainable and permanent lifestyle change that is what coaches are for.

Sure we can tell you what the latest books say. All of the health coaches I know gobble up the latest books as soon as they hit the shelves. The information is out there but if people could follow it on their own we’d have an epidemic of health. Instead we have an epidemic of chronic disease. Since the lack of information isn’t the problem it’s a person’s ability to follow and understand the information that keeps them from reaching optimal wellness. That is where a coach comes in. We help you reach your goals, figure out your stumbling blocks, and put you on a path for sustainable wellness that will last.

6) You Need Help Navigating A Special Diet (AIP, GAPS, SCD, Keto, Low-Histamine, Low-Oxalate, Wahls, Whole 30, etc)

Maybe you’ve read the books explaining one of the diets I referenced above but you don’t know where to begin. Is that diet right for you and your health situation? Where do you begin? Are you following it correctly? What if you have a situation where you suspect you may need to implement more than one of the diets listed above? (I’m a high fat, low carbohydrate version of low-histamine AIP. I have rheumatoid arthritis.) What works for me may or may not work for you and the role of a coach is to help you discover what works for you and what doesn’t. For example, Keto is a huge trend right now but there is also a lot of sketchy keto advice out there. Also, keto isn’t for everyone.

What To Look For When Hiring A Health Coach

Health coaching is relatively new and everyone seems to have a magic wand when it comes to turning people into coaches. Many “health coaches” are associated with Multi Level Marketing companies. I’m of the opinion that when someone sets you up to buy from them indefinitely I have to wonder what the real motivation is. I haven’t researched these companies or what they require to become “health coaches”, I’m simply urging you to do your homework.

Look for a coach who went through an accredited program if you want to get the biggest bang for your buck. The AADP and IAHC are the two accrediting bodies that I see mentioned most often. The Primal Health Coaching certification I hold is accredited by AADP and is currently pursuing IAHC accreditation as well. Every 2 years I have to take an examination to keep my credentials.

American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP)

International Association of Health Coaches (IAHC)

Originally posted on May 28, 2018 @ 12:19

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