Health Coaches Are Super Change Agents

Once upon a time a man walks into a doctor’s office. He is told he has type 2 diabetes. The doctor recommends he lose weight, eliminate processed food and sugar and exercise. The man nods his head in understanding, walks out of the office and later buys an apple or two. He decides to walk around his neighborhood twice. The next day he passes a bakery and rewards his prior day’s behaviors with a cookie. He also decides to take a day or two off from walking. The story ends of with the man returning to his physician with weight gain and worsening diabetes.

What happened in our fictional story occurs every day. We may know the importance of eating better and exercising more; our doctor may have recommended these changes. The reality is, however, change is very hard. Moreover, even when we eat that apple or two, changes don’t usually last.

Enter health coaches like us at Healthshifter. Health coaches can make all the difference by supporting and guiding you toward sustainable behavior and lifestyle change. According to Dr. Mark Hyman, “the  reality is that the majority of healthcare actually happens outside of the doctor’s office.” Click the link below to listen Dr. Hyman’s short episode where he “speaks with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and Chris Kresser about why behavior change is so hard and how health coaches can make all the difference when it comes to achieving your health goals. If he could, Dr. Hyman would create millions of health coaches because as Chris Kresser describes, “health coaches are behavior change ninjas, change agents who help people to discover their own motivation for change.” For example, let’s add a chapter to our story above.  Imagine the man just became a grandfather of a precious little baby girl. He absolutely adores her and wants to be around to play and travel together. He dreams about one day attending her wedding. The man works with a health coach who, among other things, is trained to help him tap into and connect with his emotions. The grandpa now makes the recommend behavior changes. He buys apples, broccoli and other healthy foods. He walks 3 times per week increasing the time he walks. His coach is right by his side…and these changes have continued for years and years. The man lives happily ever after with his beautiful granddaughter. The End.