How Health

Coaching

Makes You A

Winner

Lynn Smith
3/14/008
Professional Health Coach
www.HealthCoachTeam.com

With the coaching field expanding so widely, there are now a lot of
specialty coaches out there. One field that is growing is the area
of health coaching. How do you go about choosing a coach that can
help you reach your goals? What should you be looking for? There
are two key elements in choosing a health coach that greatly affect
your ability to succeed. Those keys are the use of baby steps and
they psychology of change.

Baby Steps

Baby steps are a key component to successful health coaching. What
are baby steps and how do they work? Baby steps are very small
changes used to develop new health habits. For example, let's say
your goal is to have a more active lifestyle. You've gained some
weight and are not currently doing any type of exercise. A baby
step for you might be to take a twenty minute walk during the week.
Sounds ridiculously simple, doesn't it? It's supposed to. How
likely do you think you can achieve that goal? Quite likely, right?
Now let's take a look at a different goal you could set for the
same situation. You decide to combat your sedentary lifestyle by
joining a health club. Your goal is classes three times a week. How
likely do you feel you can achieve that goal? What if work is very
hectic and the kids have extra curricular activities? Could you do
three classes in that week? How about in the following week? Could
you do three classes then? If you are like most people with health
club memberships, eventually it falls out of your schedule. But if
your goal was one twenty minute walk a week, even if work was crazy
and the kids needed you, do you think you could still work it in?

Baby steps do something very important for you. Psychologically, it
sets you up with a winning attitude. The goals may start out very
simple but they're designed to set you up for success. Think back
to that health club membership. How did you feel when you didn't go
to that class? Did you feel good about yourself? Did guilt start to
settle in? Every time you achieve a goal, it's an affirmation that
you are a success. It's empowering. After using baby steps for a
while you feel you can move on to a more substantial goal. Baby
steps make you a winner. After all, what would you rather do, beat
yourself up or give yourself a pat on the back?

Psychology of Change

A second key element to choosing a health coach is the psychology
of change. Researchers have shown that there is a very distinct
process to creating lasting change. In fact, there are six
psychological stages to change. When this process isn't
implemented, it's hard to achieve lasting change. A good example of
this is rehab programs. When a person enters a rehab program they
immediately must stop using alcohol or drugs. Seems like a good
idea, right? But if it is, how come so many people end up going
through rehab multiple times? Answer: the psychological stages of
change weren't implemented. The action stage doesn't come until
stage four. These people need to be guided through the first three
stages before they can be successful at stage four.

That's how it goes with you, too, and your health goals. We
frequently rush to take action before we are ready and then we
fail. To give yourself the best advantage in achieving your goals,
when you are looking for a health coach, be sure to use one
knowledgeable in the psychology of change and the use of baby
steps. A good way to learn more about a particular coach is to have
a free session. Most coaches offer a complimentary session for this
very reason. We, at Health Coach Team, would love to talk with you
about your health goals. 

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