Hi there! My name is Gerard Friedman and I’m a Functional Health Coach. I’m also a Certified Athletic Trainer, Personal Trainer, and creator of Bell House Fitness. If you have multiple health interests, such as exercise, nutrition, sleep, and stress management, but are unsure of what type of professional to work with, this blog series will serve as a resource that can see you on the path to making informed and educated decisions regarding your goals and vision.
What is a Health Coach?
When I first started coaching, I had trouble coming up with a good definition for a health coach. Most people have similar goals, and coaching sessions tend to address topics related to weight loss, body composition, stress management and energy improvement. Creating a plan around nutrition, sleep, stress management, and exercise is a great strategy to address lifestyle and behavior, however, individuals with different lives, different interests, and different resources all require a different approach. That being said, it is fair to say that health coaches wear many different hats, fill different roles, and are educated on a wide variety of topics that help people address personal and unique problems. So how do we define the role of a health coach? Regardless of the topics at hand, a few things always remain constant.
As a health coach, I….
Help you make realistic and sustainable lifestyle and behavioral changes aligned with your health goals
Collaborate with you, rather than instruct, to help you find your own solutions to problems
Evoke the root causes and reasons behind change
Empower you to discover inner wisdom and strengths
Establish a support and accountability system to help you achieve long term success.
Functional health is rooted in optimizing behaviors associated with sleep, nutrition, exercise, and stress management. Health coaches bring expert knowledge to these fields, and use formal coaching interventions to establish a realistic and personalized approach to a sustainable lifestyle.
The coaching process is influenced by evidence-based coaching practices, such as Nonviolent Communication, Motivational Interviewing, and the Transtheoretical Model of Change. Within these models, the client is the expert, because only you can come up with a realistic and personalized approach to your lifestyle and health. As a health coach, it is my job to provide the right kind of support needed to facilitate and sustain your vision.
My hope is that this article gives you the information needed to understand the roll of a health coach in your quest for better health. If you think you may benefit from this service but would like to learn more, please be sure to read next week's blog post about the coaching process.
Thanks for reading!
-Gerard
If you are interested in working with Gerard, scheduling a free consultation, or want to ask him a question regarding your health, please contact bellhousefitness@gmail.com, or visit Bell House Fitness.