Health Coaching

We now know that diet and lifestyle factors account for at least 85 percent of the risk of chronic disease, and 90 percent of what determines our lifespan. So the choices we make on a daily basis about what we eat and how we live—rather than our genes—are what have the biggest impact on our health and well-being. 

But knowing what we should be doing and actually doing it are two entirely different things—as many of you know. How often have you found that, even though you have the best intentions and you stick to your guns for a couple of weeks, your original habits slowly creep back in, and before you know it you are back to square one again?  

This is where health coaching comes in.  A health coach can bridge the gap between the idea of change and the reality of change. Having the guidance and support of a “change agent” can make the difference between success and failure, health and disease, and even between life and death. 

How does it work in practice?

I start with you and where you are now. For your part, you need to want change and be ready to act – that is all. Then together we look in some detail at where you would like to be, without concerning ourselves for the time being with how you are going to get there.  I will help you set big but realistic goals that align with that vision, and break them down into accessible, bite size pieces - not by telling you what to do but by helping you figure out what will work for you.

Making changes that stick isn’t easy – it takes ongoing effort and support. Using specific communication techniques, we will build your self-knowledge, unpack your stories, allow you to connect with the internal and external resources at your disposal.  Without judgement and acting as a partner rather than an adviser, I will enable you to tap into your motivation for change, to overcome obstacles and limiting beliefs and to take back responsibility for your health.  

We aren’t experts, you are.

Although we have a lot of knowledge and are able and willing to share this with you, health coaches don’t operate on the ‘expert’ model, that is so common in healthcare. We don’t lecture, diagnose or prescribe.  Instead we empower clients to discover their own solutions, create their own road map and to make the choice for healthier behaviours for themselves.