8 Signs You’re Meant to Be a Health Coach
by Kelley Vargo
Have you been considering expanding your career or starting a new one altogether? If you find yourself drawn to the health coaching profession, chances are you possess certain characteristics that inspire you to want to help others become their best selves. Here are eight signs that you were meant to be a health coach.
1. You value health in its entirety.
What separates a health coach from other professions in the health and fitness industry is the holistic approach to achieving an optimal lifestyle. A Dr. Sears Wellness Institute Health Coach values the unique integration of exercise, nutrition, behavior-change science and a host of other factors when empowering others to become their best selves. A health coach recognizes and appreciates the specific practices of other healthcare professionals (e.g., training from a personal trainer, meal plans from a dietitian) and serves as a uniting guide to help clients integrate these practices into their lifestyles. A health coach also realizes that each aspect of health is important to achieving optimal and lasting behavior change. If you find yourself often considering the integration of nutrition, exercise, stress management, sleep and behavior change, you have the frame of mind for becoming a great health coach.
2. You are passionate about empowering others.
One of the fundamental characteristics of a great health coach is a passion for helping others become their best selves. Health coaches encourage others to continuously invest in their own greatest asset—their health. Despite the wide availability of health, nutrition and exercise information, putting knowledge into action can be a difficult feat for many individuals. As a health coach, you can empower others to take action through motivation, inspiration and guided discussions. A health coach also has the ability to tap into someone’s motivation and foster action. If you feel gratified by, and passionate about, empowering others, a career in health coaching is one to consider.
3. You are engaged in continuous education.
The field of health coaching features a continuous learning process. From science to effective communication, behavior-change theories to business and marketing tactics, health coaches must have a thirst for knowledge and a dedication to challenge their own minds, as well as those of their clients. The health coach profession sparks learning on an intimate level with an individual client, as well as on a broader scale, such as when developing a business model. A health coach isn’t afraid to admit that they don’t know everything, and is willing to ask for help, do their research and reflect on new information. Health coaches have the ability to strike a balance between science and application and are able to implement this in their practices.
4. You have an intrinsic desire to create.
Health coaches understand the importance of an open mind, exposing themselves to new information that they can share with their clients. From podcasting to blogging, daily emails to video chats, health coaches are creative in discovering ways to work with clients and creating new materials to help clients achieve their personal goals.
5. You realize the need for improved health.
Whether you are just entering the health field or have been in the industry for years, you understand the need for improved health in our nation. Given the increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, healthcare practitioners and the clients and patients they serve have their work cut out for them. Now more than ever, companies and organizations are hiring health coaches, incentivizing healthy behaviors and investing in corporate wellness as a way to decrease healthcare costs and improve workplace wellness. This is an opportunity for health coaches to help others regain their health by inspiring action. If you are ready to meet this need, you might be ready to embark on a career as a health coach.
6. You are a good listener.
One of the essential qualities of a great health coach is finely tuned listening skills. Despite the health coach’s role as the “expert,” it is important that a coach doesn’t fall into the “expert opinion trap.” This involves simply rattling off your own perspective or answers without engaging or asking the client for their thoughts, feedback, and ideas. The key is to never lose sight of the fact that each client is the utmost expert in themself. If others find you easy to talk to and believe you to have an open mind, and you enjoy helping others discover their own solutions, you are on the right track to becoming a great health coach.
7. You value dynamic relationships.
One of the best aspects of being a health coach is the relationships that thrive as a result of the career. Successful coaching relationships are dynamic in nature and include the exchange of ideas, plans and motivation. As a health coach, your ability to relate and connect with others is essential to providing a comfortable environment to foster behavior change and growth among clients. Understanding and applying behavior-change theory, along with motivational interviewing skills, is vital.
8. You inspire and motivate through your actions.
Chances are, if you are thinking about becoming a health coach, you already inspire and motivate others. Through your actions, those around you see the value and passion you have for health and wellness. Your own lifestyle serves as a model for others and you often attract others to you. If you are already taking steps to lead a healthy lifestyle and strive to improve the many dimensions of wellness in your own life, you are setting an example that will inspire others.
