Many people in the UK are unfamiliar with the term "Nutritional Health Coach". It is sometimes confused with "Nutritionist", "Dietitian" or "Nutritional Therapist". While these health care professionals run tests, diagnose and treat their clients, a "Nutritional Health Coach" can help clients carry out the advice they have received from them. You are probably not surprised to hear that most of us find it quite hard to carry out a list of instructions on our own, even if it is for our own good. Often it is a case of “just” giving up this or “just” doing that, in order to make significant health and wellbeing improvements. However, we need to get to the “why?” in all of this and get to the root of the issue, so that we can understand the triggers, be motivated into action and create long-term, sustainable change.
Lists of Instructions or Resolutions
How many times have you been given a list of lifestyle instructions by a health-care provider, but felt overwhelmed and not followed them through? Perhaps you often give up on your long list of New Year's resolutions in the first few weeks of January and laugh at yourself for being overambitious? Or maybe you are really hard on yourself and put it down as the first failure of the year? It takes a huge amount of discipline, determination and perseverance to improve and sustain changes to things such as dietary habits, exercise, sleep, spiritual practice, self-care, relationships and stress management.
Pressure to lose weight
There is a lot of pressure to lose weight at the moment, due to research coming out about Covid-19. However, statistics, facts and advice in the media can overwhelm us and instructions from doctors are not always an effective way to help us do so. Having the facts is one thing but knowing how to put them into action is the absolute game changer. This is what is often missing from the equation.
Accountability
So, if we cannot achieve these things on our own, does it mean we are lazy, undisciplined or weak? Absolutely not! It is probably one of the most common misconceptions. Clarity, focus and accountability are the key things here.
Game Changer
This is where the Nutritional Health Coach can make all the difference. As your ally and advocate they provide a listening ear. Through participating in a nutritional health coaching programme, you have time for the coach to listen to you and hold space for you. This enables you to get to the root cause of many lifestyle issues you may have battled with for years. They can also often discover a link between two or three seemingly unrelated issues. You are encouraged to look beyond the plate and explore other aspects of your life that nourish you, such as exercise, spirituality, relationships and career. They know you are not broken nor do you need to be fixed. They believe you are naturally creative, resourceful and whole and that you have all the answers inside of you. They do not preach or tell you what to do. Instead, they help to demystify the conflicting dietary information out there and empower you to make the necessary changes in your life, so you can move forward with your chosen goals. Together you set goals and break them down into realistic, manageable action-steps. Holding you accountable for these and supporting you with the challenges and stumbling blocks, that present themselves along the way, is key and often life changing. Ultimately you learn to hold yourself accountable and no longer need the support of your coach.
Never Take the Place of a Doctor
Of course, a health coach will never take the place of a doctor but they can definitely work very effectively in partnership with one. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, General Practitioner (G.P.), B.B.C. star of Doctor in the House and author of bestsellers "The Four Pillar Plan" and "The Stress Solution" and "Feel Better in 5", as well as creator of the podcast "Feel Better, Live More" is an enthusiastic supporter of the Nutritional Health Coach. He is quoted on the UK Health Coaches Association website as saying "Health Coaching is absolutely critical, I think, for the future of the population’s health". "As a doctor, in ten minutes, sure, I can come up with a plan, but how does a patient put that plan into practice? That’s where health coaches come in. Health coaches understand the science of behaviour change, but also the art of how to help a patient or a client make those changes in their own lives."
New Model of Care
There are numerous GPs all over the UK who are also in favour of creating a new model of care. GP, Dr. Angela Goyal, founded "Inspired Medics" (www.inspiredmedics.co.uk) in order to help doctors transform their practice by encompassing the use of Lifestyle Medicine in their consultations. The causes of chronic disease is well established and are routed in lifestyle. Her solution is to work in partnership with health coaches to actually address the lifestyle issues that are causing people to become ill. She is calling for a new model of care to take over from one that is clearly failing so many. Through "Inspired Medics" and being connected with other like-minded doctors and health care professionals, she sees that there is huge support in the UK for this kind of new approach, to help reduce what she calls the "Health Care Crisis" of chronic disease in the UK.
Have You Been Inspired?
Are you perhaps ready to take more control of aspects of your life and move beyond certain obstacles that prevent you from achieving your goals? If you think it might be time to try a new approach and finally achieve the life you really want for yourself, taking small steps towards lasting and sustainable changes, working with a nutritional health coach could be the answer.
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Disclaimer
Any information received from Sacha Mogg at Simply-Nourishing in her capacity as a Nutritional Health Coach, graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, New York and member of the UK Health Coaches Association, should not be seen as medical or nursing advice and is not meant to take the place of seeing a doctor, licensed dietician, nutritionist, psychologist or other licensed or registered professional.
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