As we head into the new year, it is important to address our health and wellbeing after the stress of 2020. How do you improve your health and wellbeing and what does this mean? Clearly, this is specific to you and what matters most to you as well as what your motivation and capabilities are. It is worth spending a few minutes pondering this for yourself. You could put together an action plan with small steps you feel comfortable addressing throughout the year. More and more insurance companies and physicians are realizing the importance of effectiveness in health coaching and obtaining better outcomes for their patients and members so there is a lot of support in this area.
As a nationally board-certified health and wellness coach, I am always amazed at how much external stimuli are coming at us telling us what to do and how to be healthier, smarter, more beautiful, and talented. It is overwhelming and it is hard to know what to do with all of that input. I believe the start of 2021 should be a time when you push all of that external stimuli aside and focus on your internal strengths and what you know instinctively is right for you. I believe each of you is creative, resourceful, and whole and with a little time, quiet, and introspection you will discover exactly what you need and want to do. Remember we are all a "work in progress" but we may need a little help along the way. That's what your coach is there for.
I was very pleased to see the recent article in the Washington Post titled, " Health and wellness coaches are fairly new. Here's what you need to know about them." https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/health-wellness-coach-new/2020/12/21/0f0b239e-40ab-11eb-8db8-395dedaaa036_story.html.
The article highlights that coaches have the primary goal of encouraging positive behavior change in areas like nutrition, fitness, smoking cessation, stress management, and just simply the day to day life challenges that can negatively impact health and wellbeing. Oftentimes, diet and weight loss programs are not working because there is a deeper issue that has gone unrecognized. That is where a board-certified coach can help identify that issue through a whole-person approach. You are more than what you eat or do! Your feelings, your thoughts, what type of support system you have and so much more come into play here.
A board-certified coach does not tell you what diet to be on or fitness regimen to adhere to although we are educated in many modalities that we can share if asked. Our focus is really to elicit from you what you are motivated to do in any area of your health and wellbeing. We discuss how you see yourself being successful at the program or steps you design. We walk the journey with you as your supportive accountability partner.
We will ask you masterful and thought-provoking questions that will help you identify your strengths. We explore your motivations for change and develop the strategies needed for change based on what you think is possible for you. This is all based on what you design for yourself and that has meaning and success written all over it!
As coaches, we know that navigating through midlife with all the challenges and anti-aging messages making us feel like it's a problem to age! I loved a recent quote I read from the actress Helen Mirren who was speaking about her dislike of the term anti-aging. She said, "I take great issue with the term, actually," she says. "You can't avoid aging. The way I see it, you have two choices in life: You can either get older or die. And I want to continue to see what life has in store."
If you would like to see what your options are to improve your overall wellbeing and health in 2021, click below and book a free wellbeing call! If you want to check on credentials of a coach and if they are nationally board-certified, go to the website https://nbhwc.org/.