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Every New Year offers a chance at a clean slate, resulting in many people committing to resolutions focused on their health, fitness, and overall quality of life. However, research indicates that one of the most common goals, resolutions, tends to become successful only in 6% of cases. Most of the resolutions fail due to a lack of planning, unrealistic goals, and motivation. This is where a health and wellness coach can make a change. Health coaches, with their expert knowledge, tailored plans, and continuous assistance, help individuals put a commitment towards their goals and reach them long-term.
Understanding the Role of A Health Coach
A health coach is a trained professional who assists individuals in setting, achieving, and maintaining health-related goals. As compared to conventional trainers or dietitians, health coaches examine the physical health, mental status, overall lifestyle, and motivational strength of the individual to formulate a strategy. They work in tandem with the clients to:
- Create practical and achievable goals.
- Design personalized strategies for exercise, nutrition, and stress management.
- Provide accountability and motivation.
- Assist with mental barriers and self-esteem issues.
- Provide long-term solutions rather than quick fixes.
The Reasons For Failure With New Year Resolutions and Lack of Guidance
Most people wish to achieve a lot at the start of the year, but multiple missteps do not allow them to achieve their goals:
- Unrealistic Goals – Any vague or extreme objectives tend to heart rate reduction and demotivation.
- No Plan Of Action – If there is no clear strategy, measuring success and remaining consistent becomes an uphill task.
- Non-existent Motivation – With no accountability partner, it becomes easy to revert back to old ways.
- Mental barriers – Self-deprecating imagination combined with low self-worth and failing ensures that one never gets anywhere.
- Misallocation – Different individuals have unique needs which is why generic diet and exercise plans are never actionable.
How Coaches Make Resolutions a Reality
With these hurdles, achieving one’s goal becomes harder. A health coach would address these hurdles by providing appropriate solutions. Here’s how they do it:
1. Establishing SMART Goals
Coaches assist their clients in forming health goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. For instance, instead of saying, “I want to get fit”, a better-formulated approach would be, “I will walk 30 minutes five times a week for the next three months”.
2. Developing Individualized Plans
Every person has a different health profile, motivators, and lifestyle choices. A health coach has the following components to prepare that deal with the individual’s:
- level of fitness and health conditions.
- food likes and dietary needs.
- free time and life responsibilities.
- stress levels and overall mental health.
3. Keeping one Accountable and Giving Healthcare Motivation
Accountability helps healthcare coaches offer motivation. With goals comes a point of measurement, the two are paired together with encouragement and give energetic results. With check-ins, progress paragons, and regular checks on the individual’s goals, they tend to feel more motivated.
4. Working on Psychology Barriers
People will put barriers like these in any new resolutions they wish to undertake. A health coach works on avenues such as:
- Negative self-talk that is tangled can be fixed by using cognitive reframing techniques.
- Stress reduction and mindfulness strategies that can bolster resilience.
- Reflection and journaling exercises as a method for goal setting and focus.
5. Aiding the Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyle Changes
Burnout is a common consequence of following journals filled with fad diets or extreme workout plans. Experts in health suggest small, incremental changes that are easier to maintain like:
- Switching out processed meals for whole food options.
- Forcing a workout on oneself can be replaced by engaging in fun activities of their choice.
- Incorporating meditation or deep breathing are good alternatives for stress management.
Success Stories: The Impact Of Health Coaching On Lives
Transforming health through coaching is an approach that many people have adopted today and here are some of their success stories:
- Weight Loss Success – A patient who attempted every diet available, with no success, was educated by a health coach about active portions and eating while being mindful. They ditched the traditional dieting approach and instead maintained energy levels while losing weight step by step.
- Improved Fitness Levels – A client who was a professional with a very sedentary lifestyle had the goal of finishing a 5k run. Upon enrolling in an advanced staged plan, he was successfully able to finish his first race in under six months.
- Better Mental Well-Being – A person suffering from stress and emotional eating was able to to a greater extent mentally clear up and decrease anxiety while eating healthier.
Determining Your Ideal Health Coach
Searching for a credentialed and certified health coach from a reputable institution is a good first step towards achieving your New Year’s resolutions. Make sure that further examination is done of the following factors:
- Approach and Philosophy – Determine if the coach’s style of working suits what is needed.
- Availability and Support System – Determine whether online or in-person sessions are provided and if they follow up regularly.
- Specialization – Find someone who has a coach credential and certification in the area of your desire such as fitness training, weight loss, or even stress management.
- Credentials and Certification – Health coaches should be certified to practice by appropriate institutions.
Also read: Health Coach Goals Vs. Wellness Coach Goals
Final Take: Empower Yourself To Realize Your Resolutions Today
Experts posit that far too many New Year resolutions end up unmet as a result of profound misguidance. A health coach will help you navigate your way towards achieving your goals by setting realistic standards. The expectation has to be clear. Set an action step and figure out how to achieve personalized help that will enable you to want to alter your life in a positive way.
It’s time to give yourself the gift of control over your goals with a dedicated professional health coach, don’t let another one slip by!
