Health coaches are trained to help clients nourish themselves and balance their lives with what we call ‘primary foods’. Primary foods include your social life, your home environment, level of physical activity, your career, and so forth. The thought behind this focus on primary foods is if your life is out of balance, it will impact your health more than the foods you put in your mouth. The foods you eat are called ‘secondary foods’ and I will help you choose those foods wisely.
Health coaches don’t compete with other healthcare providers, they complement them. For example, let’s say your doctor told you to lose weight – would you know how? A health coach is a person who is trained and knowledgeable to help you lose weight by changing your diet, habits and in getting to the root cause of your health problems. A health coach serves as an active and supportive listener. A health coach encourages you, the client, to adopt healthy behaviors and to hold yourself accountable for your decisions, good or bad.
As your health coach, I would never advise you to stop taking any of your current medications, but would always refer you back to your doctor for the two of you to make that decision.
I hope this helps you understand the role of a health coach, and if you need help losing weight, or have a health issue and want some help, feel free to contact me.