Daily Wellness

How can a health coach help me? This is a question that many people  ask themselves time and time again. After all, the thought of having somebody to help reach your objectives has to be somewhat appealing, right?

But with that in mind, until you know what a health coach can do for you, you’ll probably never move forward with hiring one. Luckily, with a bit of research and soul searching you’ll be able to determine the benefits of working with a health coach.

Generally speaking, the most basic way that a health coach can help is by helping you in reaching your health and exercise related objectives. While it is easy for people  to set objectives, when it comes to actually carrying out the work to reach them things can get a bit more difficult.

This is where a health coach can come into play. They will be able to assess your goals, let you know if they are feasible, and then work with you every step of the way. This way, you will not be on your own when times get tough and you feel like throwing in the towel.

Now that you know the general details, the next thing is to consider the more in depth areas in which a health coach can assist you. as you can imagine, a health coach devotes most of their time to coaching others as far as their physical and sometimes mental health is concerned.

Many people  decide to hire a health coach because they need simple help in getting their body back in shape. After all, as you begin to get older and time gets tight, keeping in shape is not always the easiest thing to do.

This is in particular true when you spend the majority of your time at work and/or with your family. But luckily, a health coach can work with you either in person, on the phone, or even online. This makes it easy to get the assistance that you need without really changing your lifestyle.

One thing that you need to know about hiring a health coach is that they’ll work with any kind of client. When you think that your problem is too simple, you are wrong. and in the same thought, there’s no issue that is too big either.

The fact of the matter is that a health coach takes great pride in assisting whoever who needs it. So before you pass this opportunity by, rememberthat whatever you’re up against you’ll qualify for help.

To find out exactly what a health coach can do for you, touch base with one of them to discuss your situation. From there, you will have a much better feel for how to move forward.

Individual Advantages of Fitness

Do you want to get fit, lose excess fat, or have more energy?  Most individuals  would answer “yes” to this question.  It’s hard to imagine why whoever would not want to achieve fitness to become a healthier individuals.  

When you are overweight or obese, have a family history of heart illness or diabetes, have high cholesterol or blood pressure, or simply feel that you may be a healthier you, then you could benefit  from a fitness program.  

Regular exercise is an easy way to help prevent many illnesses by eliminating the major risk factors like obesity and lack of movement.  A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training is the best way to achieve your fitness objectives while improving your health.  

When selecting  a fitness program, the most difficult aspect may  be finding an activity or exercise that is fun as opposed to one that does not motivate you.  

Person are excited in different ways which is why there are so many exercise programs out there.  When you attempt something that you do not like, you can always move on and attempt something different until you discover a certain activity that appeals to you.  

A lot of times, person create their own plans for exercise but lose interest in the program and thus find themselves steering away from their good intentions.  This is why a health coach may  be exactly what a personal needs for keep them on the right track to achieve fitness for life.

How a Health Coach can make it Possible

Health coaches are trained specialists that assist patrons in achieving fitness for life in a selection of ways.  an individual can hire a personal trainer to work with them at the fitness club and help them with their fitness goals; however, a health coach does a excellent deal more to help their patrons reach success.  

A health coach uses a health risk (assessment|appraisal} to determine the individual needs of the client and uses this information to develop a at action for their fitness plan.  Because everybody has unique fitness goals, each fitness program is personalized to fit the needs of the client.  

A health coach not only excites you to achieve your fitness goals but also teaches you to motivate yourself.  

Health coaches understand that individuals  have busy lives and require convenient ways to exercise.  That is why a health coach develops personalized programs that will work with an individual’s busy schedule.  

They are also available 24 hours a day through online communication and hold sessions as often or as little as the customer needs.  Health coaches may assist their customers by telephone, e-mail and instant messaging, or face-to-face meetings.  

Although health coaches focus on other aspects of a person’s wellness such as nutrition, stress management, and sleep management, it is important to understand that each of these aspects of a wellness program intertwine to assist a person in becoming the healthiest person they can be.

Before you call it quits and decide to give up on having a healthier lifestyle, you could want to consider what a health coach can do for you. A lot of individuals  get so frustrated working out on their own that they give up before they really have a chance to succeed.

Luckily, by hiring a health coach you can avoid this issue, and end up with the body that you’ve been dreaming of. But before you jump forward too far, you need to know what a health coach is in addition to what one can do for you.

Usually speaking, a health coach is a fitness trainer, dietician, and much more all rolled into one. While this may sound like an impossible job on the surface, the fact of the matter is that health coaches are very good at what they do.

These experts have many years of experience in the health industry, and have a knack for communicating what they know to others on a very personal level.

The main goal of any health coach is to work with you so that you are able to reach the objectives that you’ve set forth for yourself. and guess what?

If you do not know what you want to accomplish your health coach can help in that area as well. Simply put, they’re there to make sure that you are on the right path to success.

Health coaches come from a variety of different backgrounds. Although most individuals  don’t go through schooling thinking that they want to be a health coach, over time they start to transform into this career.

For example, many health coaches have backgrounds in fitness training, bodybuilding, health and nutrition, exercise science, and much more.

Once you hire a health coach, he or she’ll be at your disposal day in and day out. A lot of people  rely on coaches to help them on a personal basis. and although this is a good idea for some, online health coaches are becoming more popular due to busy schedules.

So before you think that you don’t have time to work with a health coach, you should really reconsider. They’ll be willing to work with you in the capacity that best suits your lifestyle.

While working with a health coach you will be able to get professional advice on reaching your objectives. When you want to lose weight, you will be supplied with an exercise program that’ll get you moving in the right direction. the same thing holds true for those people  who want to eat healthier, get in better shape, etc.

As you can see, a health coach is more than just your typical Joe. They’re trained in multiple disciplines, and work with clients to help them reach their goals.

Wellness incorporates many facets of our daily lives. From the amount of sleep to the water we drink, to the food that we eat and the activity that we maintain, our health is dependent upon many factors of our lifestyle.

Working to improve our wellness may be challenging to achieve on our own. That is why we can utilize the assistance of a health coach.

What’s a health coach?

A health coach is a highly educated professional who is trained in behavioral change. They hold degrees in Exercise Science, Health Education, Exercise Physiology, Counseling and Education.

A health coach helps person in recognizing current health concerns in addition to preventing future health related issues. These specialists work with customers in a variety of ways including; face-to-face, telephone, instant messaging and / or via email.

The latter of those is also referred to as electronic coaching and is the most efficient and cost effective method of working with a health coach.

No matter what method is used for communication a health coach provides a personalized program in particular designed to address the needs and concerns of each individual client.

How can a health coach help me?

A lot of person maintain several healthful habits in their lives. One person could  be a fitness enthusiast; another may abstain from alcohol and tobacco; while another may maintain a healthful daily diet.

However, overall wellness is much like a puzzle, and a high level of health is only achieved when each piece of this puzzle is in place. A health coach will assist an individual in correcting his or her missing piece of the puzzle.

An internet based health coach may address the needs of sleep deprivation, stress management, diet, or any number of health related issues. the health coach will motivate, guide, and provide valuable resources to provide patrons with the necessary tools to make life changes.

How’s a health coach unique?

A health coach serves a distinctly different purpose than a personal trainer, a counselor, or a supportive family member or friend. First, a health coach is an professional in his or her specific field.

When a patron decides the need for a health coach he or she will complete a health risk (assessment|appraisal}. Based on this assessment the patron will be assigned a health coach specifically selected to address his or her individual needs.

Next, a health coach is available electronically 24 hours per day. Through web-based communication patrons have the opportunity to consult a health coach as much or as little as he might like.

Communication with a health coach may range from daily to weekly, and can occur by e-mail, journal or a combination of both. Finally, a health coach is trained to assist in changing the way that the patron thinks and the way that they view themselves.

A health coach maintains the purpose of helping the customer to work towards achieving a higher quality in life. This happens by addressing the cause of a certain problem rather than simply addressing the effects of a problem.

A health coach will help individuals recognize their needs, determine objectives, and take the necessary steps towards achieving these objectives.

While wellness are growing concerns in our daily lives, it might seem challenging to make the time to educate oneself and address the needs or our well being.

Working with the assistance of a health coach empowers us to focus on our specific needs and make progress towards changing.

Do you find it challenging to stay motivated when trying to make changes to your health? Are you aware that changes must be made in your daily life but you don’t know where to begin? If so then wellness coaching might just be the solution you have been seeking.

Wellness coaching is a service provided by trained experts who work with you individually to help you reach your wellness objectives. Wellness coaching motivates, guides, and supports individual’s for reach sustainable behavioral changes by offering creative solutions to their problems.

Wellness coaching provides individually designed programs to meet your unique needs by focusing on physical, mental, and emotional health. They help you become proactive in your life by eliminating unhealthy behaviors and making wellness a priority.

Benefits of Wellness Coaching for Your Employees

Workers can benefit  from wellness coaching in a variety of ways. Wellness coaching can help individuals decrease major health risks in their lives by changing high risk behaviors.

Some of the many reasons why employees work with wellness coaches are to get in shape, lose weight, reduce stress, quit use of tobacco, and create balance in their lives. Wellness coaches assist individuals with current health problems as well as preventing future health issues.

Because each program that a wellness coach creates is unique to suit the needs of the client, they can be certain that it’ll be a program that is right for them. Many busy employees mistakenly believe that they do not have the time for wellness coaching.

Fortunately wellness coaching specialists are able to provide their services in a selection of convenient ways. While electronic coaching through the use of e-mails and instant messaging has become a well-liked method due to its convenience, telephone and face-to-face interactions may also be used.

Employees have the ability to achieve their objectives and improve their lives through the assistance of wellness coaching.

Advantages of Wellness Coaching for the Company

The overall advantages of wellness coaching for a company are remarkable. Staff Member high risk behaviors such as use of tobacco and obesity cost companies millions of dollars every year.

These high risk behaviors often cause preventable illness and keep staff members from coming to work. Wellness coaching guides, supports, hold clients accountable, and ensures that they receive continued motivation to help them achieve their wellness goals and eliminate unhealthy behaviors in their lives.

By beginning wellness programs and using wellness coaching in their organizations, corporations reduce the risk of preventable illness in their organizations.

This improves the overall health of workers, lowers health care and insurance costs, lowers absenteeism, and ultimately enhances performance and productivity.

When staff members experience the benefits of higher levels wellness in their lives it causes an improvement in job attitude, energy, and morale.

Corporations that utilize wellness coaching for their workers experience the benefits of higher productivity.

In today’s fast paced world our busy lives leave little time, energy, or motivation for people  to focus on their own needs.

Those that do seek to improve their wellness traditionally turn to friends, family, experts and published materials for support and information. All too often those support structures fail to make a lasting difference.

This happens for a number of reasons. Friends and family might not be capable of helping. Working with experts is time consuming and expensive and very few of us are effective at taking published, generic information and applying it to our own lives.

Gold’s Fitness Center Winston-Salem has created a new online program that expands the range of support available to those wishing to make healthy lifestyle changes.

The program, Gold’s Gym Health Coach, focuses on the daily challenges of making positive lifestyle changes and has the benefits of being more personalized and efficient than generic, published information and less intense and expensive than professional face-to-face counseling.

Utilizing a collaborative problem-solving model the goal is not to give advice, but rather to help person think through the issues and come to their own conclusions.

The coach offers ideas for consideration, assists the individual generate ideas of their own, assists the individual consider the various ideas, pick a direction, and then supports them in the implementation of their decision.

Difficult the conventional wisdom that relationship formation requires in-person interaction; Gold’s Fitness Center has found that members and coaches are able to build meaningful relationships via web-based communication.

Utilizing industry leading technology a Gold’s Gym Health Coach can offer members a secure, user-friendly personal website where they can access their coach in a real-time or via email with responses delivered in less than 24 hours.

The site permits coaches to hand pick relevant articles that are written on a consumer level and that are targeted to the issue at hand and add them to a member’s web-based personal library.

The site also contains various programs and tools which are designed to assist the coach and member to set, implement and track specific objectives.

The collaborative relationship formed between member and coach enhances the quality ice and efficiency of service. the familiarity that a coach develops with a member’s circumstances and significant relationships permits them over time to more quickly offer useful ideas and assistance.

With traditional call-in assistance lines, the time intensive exercise of getting background and contextual information is repeated each time. IN that scenario efficiency is lost.

Furthermore, Gold’s Health Club Health Coach has created a protocol based on key principals from the field of psychotherapy and behavior modification.

The protocol is embedded within a proprietary problem-solving that is based on the concept that individuals  often act without a good understanding of a problem. Their responses then complicate matters and often make matters worse.

Gold’s Gym Health Coach offers the opportunity to step back, take a second look at what has going on, and quickly asses the factors influencing the situation. But, having an idea of “what” to do is very different than actually “doing” something about it.

Individuals  need help with the follow-through. Also, after figuring out “what” to do, Gold’s Gym Health Coach focuses on implementation.

Here Gold’s Gym Health Coach builds on sound research and experience from the field of behavior modification that has to do with goal-setting and with implementation support.

The end result is a highly personalized, effective, user-friendly way of improving the wellness of an individual. the efficient nature of the online relationship permits Gold’s Fitness Center Health Coach to keep the price point within reach of virtually whoever.

Information to evaluate your program comes from routinely gathered screening and follow-up data of your program that look at process and outcomes of your program.

The Employee Medical Program has available a computerized case-management system which includes queries that allow easy assessment of process and outcome results at any point in time.

Process Analysis

Process evaluation looks at the program’s impact as seen at various points in time.

Information that is gathered from the various forms that wellness employees fill out ought to supply you with the following –

• How many workers were screened?

• How many workers who were referred to a doctor went?

• How many employees who expressed interest in health betterment programs went?

• How many workers who were referred to health betterment programs went?

• How many workers who went to health betterment programs completed them?

• How many workers are in follow-up caseload?

You can use this kind of process investigation to evaluate and learn about the health of your program.

Wellness Program Outcome Examination

A central objective of the program is to improve the health of staff members. Information on how to judge how well your program is meeting this objective is called “outcome investigation” because you’re investigating  the results or outcome of your program.

In wellness programs, goals are measured by specific (outcomes) behavior changes and reductions in health risk levels. Have staff members lowered their blood pressure? Have they lost weight? Are they exercising more? is alcohol consumption at a safe level?

For example these are the types of questions you are able to ask to find out when you’re reaching your goals –  

• for workers with high blood pressure (140 / 90 or higher or on medication) at screening, what percentage have it under control (below 140 / 90) a year later?

• What’s the change in average blood pressure (BP) levels among all staff members with high blood pressure (BP) 1 year after screening? Two years later?

• for staff members with high blood cholesterol levels (above 240) at screening, what percentage has decreased their cholesterol to borderline-high levels (200-239)?

• for employees with borderline-high blood cholesterol levels, what percentages have lowered their cholesterol to the desirable range (below 200)?

• What’s the change in average cholesterol levels among all employees with high and borderline-high blood cholesterol levels 1 year after screening? Two years later?

• for staff members who were overweight at screening, what percentage have lost 20 pounds or more a year later? Ten pounds or more? What’s the typical weight loss?

• for staff members who were smokers at screening, what percentages have quit use of tobacco? for at least a year?

• for staff members whose level of alcohol consumption put them at-risk at screening, what percentage have quit drinking alcohol? Are consuming alcohol at levels considered safe by CDC guidelines? Have reduced their drinking, but are still at-risk?

• for staff members, what percentages are exercising at least three times a week for at least 20 minutes?

• If fitness levels were measured, what percentages have improved fitness?

Make sure to set a regular time like every 6 months to look at which employees your program is reaching and how effective it’s at helping them reduce their health risks. Use this information to make new decisions about how to direct your program efforts. Then make the change you need to improve your program.

Some might feel that evaluation is a frill; it is not. Investigation is a necessary part of a wellness program. You will need to know what is working and what is not.

Decision-makers who fund the program need to be updated on the performance of the program. Analysis will provide you with necessary data to maintain and expand the program and convince management to continue to support the program.

The keys to a successful wellness program are persistent one-on-one outreach and follow-up counseling to encourage health improvement, adherence to treatment programs, changes in lifestyle behaviors, and to prevent relapse.

Periodic outreach and follow-up procedures provide employees with a safety net which keeps them involved in the program and prevents treatment dropout and relapse.

Counselors should follow up on employees at least every 6 months throughout the career of the staff member at the worksite. the objectives of follow-up are to –  

• Involve staff members who have health risks in treatment and risk reduction programs.

• Involve all staff members in health improvement programs and worksite-wide wellness activities.

• Support workers in carrying out the risk reduction or health improvement activities they have chosen.

• Make sure to help staff members follow their treatment regimens.

• Avoid relapse.

• Prevent staff members from dropping out.

• Be certain to help employees maintain behavior changes.

Follow-up may be conducted in person, by phone, mail, and via computer when the technology is available. Most preferable is an in-person contact.

Computer programs which may do case load management are available to help counselors track information and perform follow-up.

Priorities for Follow-Up

People  with multiple health risks must be at the top of the list. People  in key positions like union leaders or department heads with health risks should also be contacted early so that they learn what the program is about and can share the information with others.

People  who need a medical investigation for high blood pressure or cholesterol should also be targeted early. Many staff members will have seen their doctors so of the screening, but some will need more encouragement to do so. Those with no health risks could be followed up yearly.

A follow-up counseling session can take 20 to 45 minutes. at minimum, follow-up must include those who were told to seek medical analysis for high blood pressure readings, high cholesterol readings, or borderline high blood cholesterol readings with 2 or more other risk factors.

It may include those who were identified as at-risk for one or more of the other major risk factors –  at-risk levels of alcohol consumption, being overweight, and having low HDL.

Follow-Up With Physicians

A letter (see forms) must be sent to the doctor or clinic of each worker who’s high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or is under a doctor’s care.

The letter should explain the program and should include the employee’s relevant, current health measurements.

Along with the letter, send a self-addressed return envelope. Follow-up with the physician must be repeated every 6 months until it is determined that the staff member is under satisfactory control.

Contacting the physician is important for three reasons –

• the doctors receive employees’ health measurements taken at the worksite.

• You receive the blood pressure and cholesterol readings the doctor takes and information on the treatment the doctor prescribes.

A lot of times the employee doesn’t have this information or doesn’t remember it. the information could be used when counseling the employee.

• Follow-up encourages doctors to pay closer attention to heart disease risk factors among their patients.

The menu approach offers employees a range of options to support lifestyle changes. It authorizes people  to choose the kind of help that suits their schedules and preferences.

The four basic types of programs include –

• Courses

• Minigroups

• Guided self help

• Individual counseling

Classes

Courses (8 or more) could be an effective means of providing education and social support for behavior change. the length of a class can vary depending on topic requirements. It is not sufficient to offer only classes at a worksite.

A lot of employees are under time constraints with after work commitments and although they could be interested they simply can’t participate because of their schedules.

Employees could  be very eager to begin a program but because of lack of participants to meet class quotas, the program is canceled.

Many national organizations such as the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Weight Watchers, etc. offer classes; you should have little trouble in identifying a provider for class kind programs.

You could want to contact your local hospital, health department, or YMCA for possible options. for picking  a vendor to provide a program you could want to review the section on program structure.

Minigroups

When there is not enough interest to create a class, those who are interested in a given health topic can be formed into a minigroup (2 to 7).

The minigroup can cover the same content as a class but do so in a less formal manner. Presentation of information and discussion is the major format of the minigroup.

Guided Self-Help

Most employees do not want formal help in making health changes; they prefer to do it on their own. In guided self-help, the wellness counselors provide support, materials, and encouragement.

Meeting times can be arranged and contact can be made either in person, by phone, or computer. Materials can be made available at the worksite, or mailed to the individual. Some worksites now make information available via intranets or the Internet.

Individual Counseling

One of the most successful ways to help person change and improve their health status is counseling (or coaching) on a one-on-one basis.

In published studies, wellness programs which incorporated individual counseling as part of the program process achieved significantly higher participation rates and achieved greater risk reduction/risk elimination than standard group programs. Studies have demonstrated that individual counseling is both cost effective and cost beneficial.

A wellness counselor must be trained in screening techniques, for in certain situations, they could be required to both screen individuals and counsel them. They ought to know how to do the following –  

• Review employee health risks

• Contact employees who have health risks.

• Counsel workers on a one-on-one basis, helping them set objectives, solve problems, and get professional help when they need it.

• Be sure to help employees follow their treatment recommendations and make lifestyle and health behavior changes.

• Recruit staff members into health betterment programs, like weight loss and tobacco use cessation.

• Be sure to work with staff members on a one-on-one basis using guided self-help.

• Conduct courses and minigroups when necessary.

• Make certain to work with wellness committee members to plan and conduct worksite-wide wellness activities.

Wellness counselors are health generalists; they must’ve basic knowledge about a broad range of health topics and health risks.

Counselors ought to be able to speak with employees about their medical problems and the treatments prescribed by their doctors.

They should have a good overview of nutrition, exercise physiology, pathophysiology of illness, pharmacology, psychology, and behavior change skills.

The educational program should include approaches to stress awareness/reduction at the environmental level and at the individual level.

Social, physical, and organizational stressors should be explained and methods to ease or elevate stressors should be presented.

At the individual level how changes in attitudes and behaviors help one to cope with stressors; learning techniques to minimize stress response, like meditation, relaxation response, and exercise.

Content of the program ought to provide the following –

• Identifying sources of stress

• Relationship of stress to health

• How the individual experiences stress, personal, family, work

• Solutions for coping and managing stress

• Techniques for reducing stress

• Value of stress, both negative and positive

• Practical steps of incorporating stress reduction into lifestyle

Personnel conducting stress management programs should’ve training in psychology, behavioral sciences, or related disciplines like mental health experts, counselors, health educators, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Training in a reputable program on how to teach the stress management course including group process skills is a must.