What is health coaching? Part II.

‘health coach’ defined

As a health professional I’m striving to make a connection, a connection that ultimately leads to positive changes in an individual’s overall health and well-being. Since all people are uniquely different, how I make that connection and truly make a difference in a person’s life depends on several variables. This is where my role as a health coach comes in…A health coach formulates the best, most appropriate strategy to help you achieve optimum health. This starts with a connection on a human level and may involve just a couple of steps or many steps. It’s my role to determine this and act as a catalyst and facilitator through the process. Essentially, coaching is conversation that elicits best thinking and decision making so you can create results that are important to you. It’s an ‘asset-based’ approach to your individual health practices rather than a ‘deficit-based’ approach. By eliciting your best thinking, the process of thinking about specific goals and strategies for accomplishment is expanded and brought to higher levels.

benefits of a health coach

A health coach assesses your lifestyle and health personality and suggests different strategies you can implement in the creation and achievement of goals and personal development. Because health coaching focuses directly on you as capable and competent in making ‘healthy lifestyle’ choices, you are asked to discover and clarify values that motivate you, principles you believe in, and goals to which you feel personally committed. As coach, I’ll facilitate your experience through the “health process” using goal setting, strategizing, health profiling (if appropriate), fitness assessment (if appropriate), personal development, encouragement and
reinforcement. Your strengths are identified and a plan is put in motion to help you build upon them.

Areas of focus may include:
> defining your ‘health personality’
> exploring/revisiting/integrating healthy movement concepts
> adding creativity to your indoor & outdoor ‘healthy movement’ plan
> foods for thought: variety, simplification & better nutrition in menu planning
> the recognition, regrouping, and formulation of a ‘stress-less’ plan
> creating ‘healthy space’ at home through simplification, organization, and re-design

the coaching environment

An effective coaching environment is created through a few key components:

It’s convenient.
It’s comfortable.
It’s flexible.
It allows for reflection.
It’s non-threatening or intimidating.
It’s non-judgmental.
It promotes growth through creativity.

With Element U there is no failure, just continued learning. Health coaching sessions can be conducted live/in-person, over the telephone (tele-coaching), or electronically (via e-mail) in the convenience of your own home or office. For more information contact elementuhealth@gmail.com.