Midland Health Offers Health and Wellness Coaches
Changing our behavior is not easy. Unfortunately, when it comes to changing health behavior, we live with many fallacies that become reasons for discouragement and disappointment, ultimately affecting our self-esteem. Every January, millions of people pay for gym memberships only to “fall off the wagon” by mid-February. We now have more tools and devices at our disposal than ever that can help track our daily steps, food choices, sleep, fasting time and other activities. There is no lack of information when it comes to the subject of health and wellness. Every industry is trying to profit from the modern-day concept of “wellness,” a trendy buzzword that is gaining momentum across many industries.
I have learned from my own experience that there are two main factors that help us with our success when it comes to learning a new habit. First, having ongoing support during the process of change, and second, having a physical environment that supports our new behavior. If we have not addressed these two key factors, we are likely to fail, despite having invested in memberships, devices and apps. Instead of focusing on outcome-driven change, we need to focus on changes that are motivated by the type of person you are or want to be.
Just as professional coaches excel in helping athletes and executives perform at their best, health and wellness coaches help us to improve our lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes.
I am so happy to announce that the Lifestyle Medicine Center in Midland has professional health and wellness coaches to assist individuals in making great strides in their health and well-being. We have already been using their services in our popular Diabetes Reversal Program and have seen remarkable success in patient outcomes.
Health and wellness coaches help you develop and implement personal wellness plans by:
--listening, fostering and helping build upon your health desires;
--focusing on your natural desire and drive to be well;
--working together to address emotional, mental and physical health;
--highlighting your strengths and interests for success;
--developing and making realistic and achievable goals; and
--recognizing and fostering the strengths needed to overcome barriers to health goals.
Our health coaches collaborate with you to work toward total emotional, physical and mental wellness. Health coaches take risks and ask courageous questions. They will awaken what you already know: that your health is at stake if you don’t change your behavior and habits. A good health coach always knows how to celebrate your successes and energize your desire to change. Health and wellness coaches are practitioners and life-long students of coaching psychology, a field focused on the scientific study of happiness and well-being.
The process of health coaching evolves through several stages:
--You provide background information through various assessments, so that you and your coach are well-informed on key issues, including medical considerations, as appropriate.
--During the first 60- to 90-minute coaching session, you identify your priorities and develop a personal wellness plan, including a vision, three-month goals and the first steps.
--In subsequent 30- to 40-minute coaching sessions, each week, month or quarter, you and your coach review the progress toward your vision and goals, explore and resolve the most pressing issues, learn something new and agree on additional goals until the next session.
How do we create a physical environment that supports our new habits?
We are not creatures of habit, but we are creatures of our environment. If we are surrounded by unhealthy foods all day long at home, in the workplace, on billboards, grocery store aisles and in television advertisements, we cannot blame our willpower for not keeping up with our New Year’s resolution.
We must create a healthy environment that supports our new habit. We can start with our homes and workplaces, which are in our control. But at a community level, many public policies around health and wellness initiatives must address creating an environment that supports our healthy behaviors. There is a need to consider a public health initiative that would create a sustainable change in our physical environment that would nudge us as a community to make healthier choices all day long.
Now amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it is even more important for us to recognize that healthy behaviors not only help us boost our immune system, they also help lower the burden of chronic diseases, and in turn lower overall mortality from the COVID-19 infection.