by Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankins
I don’t need to tell you how important it is to have healthy lifestyle habits during your pregnancy. You already know that healthy eating, regular exercise, low levels of stress, and good sleep are beneficial for you and your baby. But you also know how hard it can be to make these habits a regular part of your life.
Pregnancy is a great motivator to start developing healthy lifestyle habits. I’d love to share some free tips to help you do just that. Sign up below to get “6 Steps to Build Healthy Habits Now!”. This free, interactive guide contains specific steps you can take right now to develop healthy lifestyle habits. These steps are holistic and based on science. And if you’d like to go deeper and get some more in depth help, keep reading to learn about health coaching.
I got into health coaching after becoming frustrated in my practice as an ob/gyn physician. I didn’t have the right training or the time in 15 minute office visits to help women achieve the health and wellness they deserved. In searching for ways to better help women live healthy lifestyles, I came across health coaching. I became a certified integrative health coach through the Duke Integrative Medicine training program.
Health coaches help you successfully develop healthy lifestyle habits that last. A health coach can help you eat healthier, exercise consistently, reduce stress and get good sleep. The health coaching programs that are most likely to help you are those that are holistic and based on science.
If you’ve ever considered a health coach or are curious to know more about health coaching, read on to get tips on what a health coach should do, and what you need to know to choose one.
What's a health coach?
A health coach is someone who partners with you in a structured, supportive way to help you achieve a satisfying and healthy lifestyle. Health coaching has been shown to help with weight loss, increasing physical activity, eating healthier, improving quality of life, and more. You can be coached effectively by phone, video chat, or in person. Coaching can be done 1:1 or in groups.
how should health coaching work?
A high quality health coach uses innovative and practical strategies to help you take action to achieve optimal health. She takes the time to get to know you, and then helps you develop a plan that gets you the results you desire. The plan is not a cookie cutter approach. It fits into your unique lifestyle and is realistic for how you live.
A high quality health coach also guides you in establishing specific, measurable goals for your health. She keeps you on track by holding you accountable for making forward progress, and helps you develop a system to ensure the results of your work last.
Lastly, a high quality health coach understands that you’re a whole person and your health is more than just the physical. Your health includes your emotions, relationships, professional life, and spirituality too.
how do i choose a health coach?
Anyone can say she’s a health coach. So it’s important that you make sure the coach you choose is actually qualified to help you.
Start with finding out “what training has this person had to become a health coach?” Education programs vary tremendously and range from weekend online courses to months-long training. See if her training included an evaluation (written and/or oral) of her coaching skills. Ask whether the coach is certified and if so, what does that mean.
It’s important that you and your coach are a good fit. Does her approach to health align with you and your values? Find a coach that offers you a free consultation to help you decide if you’ll work well together.
Finally, be wary of any health coach that promises you a quick fix solution. There are no quick fixes to lasting, good health.
what can i do now?
Get started on the path to a healthy lifestyle by getting the “6 Steps To Build Healthy Habits Now!”. It gives you a great framework to get you started on the path to your best health and well being both during and after your pregnancy.
Let me know in the comments what healthy habit you're going to work on. I wish you a life of being healthy and well!
