What Exactly is a Health Coach?

  A health coach is someone who works with and supports you through your journey to better health. They understand that health is more than just what you eat and how much exercise you get, and take a holistic approach to help you make changes to improve your life in many areas.  

A health coach can provide encouragement and accountability to help you reach the goals you’ve set, and get you back on track when you have trouble sticking with your plan. Your coach is an active partner in your journey to better health. 

But I Have a Doctor, Isn’t that THEIR Job? 

Not exactly. While many doctors do their best to encourage good habits, they just don’t have the time – and sometimes the knowledge – to support a patient through the steps necessary to achieve better health. When we are not at our best health, our doctor might recommend changing our diet and print out some instructions to follow, but often that’s not enough. We need more than instructions or quick advice to improve our health, feel better, increase energy, reduce stress and get rid of unwanted weight.

My Health Issues and My Doctor’s Response 

I struggled with my health for years, suffering from chronic back pain, aching knees, GERD/acid reflux, chronic constipation, and adult acne. All of these issues started in my early 20’s. I also spent decades in a vicious cycle of weight loss and weight gain through unhealthy measures. 

Sadly, I didn’t find much help at the doctor’s office. In fact, when I mentioned to my doctor that I needed to lose weight (I was thirty plus pounds over a healthy weight for my body with a BMI that put me in the overweight category), my doctor said I was fine because I didn’t have any major health conditions. The issues I had were being managed by medications, and there was never any mention from any doctor I’ve seen over the years that improving my diet and lifestyle habits could improve all of those conditions. 

The lack of health education I received is not my doctor’s fault, doctors receive very little training in health and nutrition, and the current medical model is focused on treatment of symptoms via prescriptions. 

This system works to cure or treat illnesses, but for chronic health conditions like the ones I had, medicines just put a bandage over the problem and did nothing to treat the root issue. 

Why I Started Health Coaching

When I started to eat more plants and less processed foods, I started feeling better. As my physical health improved, I was inspired to work on other areas of my life as well. Over time, all my health issues began to improve, and I was loving my healthy & pain free new lifestyle. 

People started asking what I was doing and how I was maintaining the changes that seemed out of reach for them. And I was happy to share everything I was doing to help others improve their health too. 

I realized that I loved helping others make changes in their health, and that inspired me to become a health coach to help others experience the transformation in their health – and their life – as I had.  

I spent far too many years believing that good health was out of reach and thought I was destined to follow in the footsteps of my family’s poor health. Now that I’ve learned how to improve my own health, my mission is helping women (and men too) improve their health and their lives. 

How I Can Help You on Your Journey to Better Health

For over five years, I have been helping others improve their health and their lives by making small, manageable changes that lead to long term wellness. I get to know you and your specific issues – not just what’s on paper – but also the underlying issues that keep you from your best health. Then, we work together to create an individualized program to help you reach your health goals. 

For me, this is not just a job, it is a mission to help others improve their health through education, coaching, support, accountability and encouragement. If you’re ready to makeover your health and your life, head over to my coaching page for more information. And if you’re ready to talk, let’s schedule a time to and see if we are a good fit.