Seven Good Reasons to Work With a Health Coach

Health Coaching is a new model for total health and wellness in the individual. Health Coaching is not something you only do when you are sick. Health Coaching is about optimization of human potential and has a philosophy of ever expanding possibilities. Health Coaching recognizes that there is an innate intelligence within you, an inborn wisdom that governs all healing, function and repair and that the purpose of all health and wellness practices is to remove interference to this intelligence so your body can heal itself. The 7 good reasons to work with a Health Coach below will outline clearly how you can reach that state of health and wellness in your life right now.

1. You need to be held accountable.

As children there is always someone there to make sure we're doing what we're supposed to. As adults, we're supposed to be able to do this for ourselves. But what if we can't? What if we keep making other things more important than our health and well being and not moving forward? A health coach can help by checking and asking the right questions and by being a gentle reminder to keep you moving toward your health and wellness goals.

Also, in most traditional models of seeing a health practitioner, we tend to see that person as an expert - they know more about our body than we do and they can tell us exactly what we need to do to get better. This system encourages us in a sense, to place our health in someone else's hands. We are no longer responsible, the health practitioner is. We are not really accountable, the health practitioner or the pills they told us to take are. In health coaching, you are the best and only expert on you and the only one qualified to know if something will work or not.

2. You want to get your health and well being on track once and for all

Far too many of us have joined gyms or started a diet in the past feeling initially excited only to watch our enthusiasm drain away a few weeks later. We can feel disappointed with ourselves, with the money we've wasted and with the lack of results we've achieved. Things change, our responsibilities change, time we have available changes and our health and wellness goals. What is it that's stopping you from committing to a path of improved health? A health coach will help you figure out those answers once and for all and help you find real-life solutions that not only work for you but keep working for you in the future.

3. You know what you need to do be healthy but you just can't seem to stick to the changes

So, it's not a question of good health education - the majority of us understand clearly what we need to do to stay healthy - eat lots of fruit and veggies, minimize red meat, exercise regularly and don't smoke or drink too much. Simple right? Why aren't more of us doing it then? Before we make any changes in our life we need to agree with the changes, they need to be congruent with our values and they need to make sense in the context of our lives.

4. You struggle with being overweight, are always dieting or otherwise don't feel good about the way you look.

Being overweight is an issue that affects many Australians. It damages our health and damages our self-esteem. Here, a health coach will help you find your way amidst the huge amount of conflicting information available and keep things as simple as possible - no "diets" just a good look at the way you see, value and use food and how that impacts the amount and types of foods you eat each day.

5. You can't seem to find or make the time to eat well, exercise regularly or take time for yourself

What's really going on here? What issues are holding you back from giving yourself what you need to be healthy? Most of us are crazy busy and challenged with "not enough" time but is that the real issue? A health coach will help you identify your personal priorities and find a way to work in your health and wellness goals so you can keep on doing what you want, when you want.

6. You've been diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, a stress related condition or some other chronic disease and you want to discover other treatment options available to you.

You've had the wake up call. Your body is sending you messages loud and clear that something needs to change. A health coach will help you identify options, alternatives, complimentary treatments and educate you more on conventional approaches so you are well informed and can make the best decisions possible for your health.

7. You have "an addictive personality" and make changes only to find yourself slipping back into unhealthy choices or behavior patterns

Addictive behavior patterns, food addiction and drugs and alcohol can sabotage completely our attempts to make lasting changes in our lives. Health coaching sessions will educate, inspire and support you to deal with these tough issues so you develop all the skills and knowledge you need to create and maintain a life of vibrant health and well being free from addictions of all kinds.

As those of us who've had a serious wake up call know, health is the most important thing in our lives - without it, nothing much matters.  Unfortunately, too many of us wait until it's too late to make changes to our diet and lifestyle. 80% of people in Australia die of "lifestyle diseases" like heart disease, complications of diabetes and many forms of cancer. Can you afford to wait til something's broken to fix it?

Health coaching is not something you only do when you're sick. It will help you find your way to better health and well being. After all, you are the best (and only) expert on you. By asking the right questions, providing education and real-world experience we'll look at alternatives and discover new ideas, possibilities and ways of looking at your health. We'll help you find what works in your life right now without slipping back into negative eating, exercise or behavior habits. You choose the lifestyle changes, you set the pace and you discover just how good it is possible to feel!

Susan Living is a community focused speaker, workshop facilitator and health coach extraordinaire! Passionate about making vibrant health and well being accessible to all, her down to earth and practical thoughts on health and well being are life-changing. Her insights into the nature of food and addiction and the intricacies and psychology of eating are applicable to anyone with a body.

Susan also helps business owners save money on staff costs by improving the health and wellness of their people and is creating an international community of health practitioners working together to change the way medicine is viewed accessed and delivered in the world! She can be contacted at http://www.susansfoodforthought.com and http://www.susanliving.com

How to Have Optimal Health and Energy - Seven Key Steps

You have my respect for taking action to learn how to improve your overall health. You can discover and learn how to do just that...change and improve your health... and enjoy the new levels of energy and vitality that will simply come your way.

I have identified seven keys that can and will improve your health and energy.

The seven keys that I share with you are not meant to be understood in a literal, "This is the most important key, and this is the second most important key," manner, or practiced in a linear fashion. Rather, these are dynamic principles, beliefs, values, behaviors, etc that work together simultaneously and synergistically.

With that said, here are the seven keys!

Health And Energy Key # 1:

Begin With A Well-Formed Outcome

Simply put, your brain and your mind (conscious and unconscious) are "outcome focused," by nature. You will always be using your brain and your mind to be moving toward an end target, a goal, a desired outcome...so choose each one wisely.

Now, when you think of something, anything, such as your health, keep your mind on what you desire, and off of what you do not desire. And the key to keeping your mind off of what you do not desire is to...keep it on what you do desire! Period. See, hear and feel that which reflects what you desire. If you get off track, away from what you desire, to what you do not desire, simply bring your mind (your pictures, sounds and feelings-more on this later) back to what you desire.

Some individuals might find it challenging at times to craft a well-formed outcome because of conflicting beliefs that need to be "cleaned up." More on that later.

Health And Energy Key # 2:

Create and Maintain A Useful State

You are always creating and entering into, and operating out of, a "state..." a mental, emotional, spiritual, physical state. You have no doubt heard someone say, "I am in a really good mood." Or, "She is in a really good frame of mind today!" When I use the word "state," I am describing what is going on with you on mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels...your total being.

Now, if you get anything out of this article, get this, and you will be ahead of the game: Never plan your future, or begin to solve a problem, or do anything, without first ensuring that you are in a useful, appropriate state for the outcome you are going for. Period.

Remember at time when you were in a conflict with someone you love, perhaps even with yourself! Did it help matters if you were in a less than useful state? By "less than useful state" I mean, one that is composed of, say, impatience, irritability, cynicism, lack of empathy, "I want to be right," etc? What might have been the difference if instead, you had created and entered into a state that is composed of perhaps patience, caring about the best interest of the other person, curiosity, flexibility, creativity, genuine self-regard, etc?

Now, this article cannot fully coach you how to do that. You might want to have one individual coaching session to learn how to easily do what I am describing. You can also practice doing the following so you can enjoy learning how to create a useful state for yourself.: Imagine that your desired outcome is to persuade someone to your point of view on a matter. Now, remember a time when you communicated very effectively and got your outcome of someone being persuaded to your perspective. Imagine seeing a movie of that experience, and then "step into" the movie you are watching, and relive that experience for 30 seconds or more.

Now, step out of that movie, and remember a time when you were communicating with someone and you were very patient with that person, taking the time to really hear them out and to understand them on a superb level. Make a movie of that, and step into that! Then step out of it and remember a time when you were communicating with someone or a group of people and you demonstrated great flexibility to the point of reaching your outcome! Whatever "obstacle" came up, you were flexible in responding resourcefully to it. Now step into that movie...

You get the idea, right? This is one easy way to build a useful state for reaching any desired outcome.

Again, always make sure that you are in a useful state, one that is appropriate for easily and enjoyable reaching your desired outcome.

Health And Energy Key # 3:

Invest Yourself In Healthy And Rewarding Relationships

The people that you surround yourself with, those you let into your space, will affect you on all levels. It is as simple as that. Choose wisely. Perhaps it is time for you to let go of some relationships and to begin some new relationships. You are not doing anyone a favor by allowing them to adversely affect you over a period of time. That is not love, it is something else.

Know what you want from your relationships. Learn how to communicate with those around you, especially your loved ones, in such a manner that you effectively enhance the quality of your relationships, for all concerned. Learn to master the states you are in! When it comes to powerfully effective communication, the state you are in will be paramount. In your communication, be clear and be effective. Communicating effectively with yourself and others is the greatest single skill you can learn and develop. Invest your time, money and energy in doing so and you will be rewarded beyond what you are capable of currently imagining.

Health And Energy Key # 4:

Be Flexible

"Flexibility is the key!" The key to what? The key to achieving your outcome, the key to persuasive communication, the key to rewarding relationships. Flexibility is being able to do something different if what you are doing is not getting you the results you desire. Flexibility will get you to where you want to go with your health and energy. If what you have been doing has not gotten you the health and energy you want yet, do something else! You might be aware that there is no one "diet" or exercise program that is useful for everybody. You can find and use what will work for you...for now. And you can be flexible and change what you are doing as you find what works even better for you, moment by moment.

Health And Energy Key # 5:

Place Your "Health And Energy" As One Of Your Top "Life Values"

Tragically, "health and energy" is rarely a top value with most people. And I say "tragically" because of the fact that your values will drive your behaviors, and your behaviors will drive the results you create. So, it follows, that to engage in healthier behaviors, you will need to make sure that your health and energy is one of your top values. If you want to learn how to easily change your values, to actually choose which ones you want to drive your behaviors, you can do so in one coaching session. You will then have the ability and the tools to prioritize your values as you move through life. Remembering that your values will drive your behaviors. What is that worth?

Health And Energy Key #6:

Personal Congruency

"Congruency" is when your beliefs, values, behaviors, emotions and states are all lined up... and going in the same direction! You can easily understand how important this is. If for example, on one hand, you believe that you can greatly improve your health and energy, and on the other hand, you believe that doing so is not really possible, or that it would be quite difficult and unpleasant...well you can see the conflict, and you probably would feel the conflict as well. The stress that these two conflicting beliefs generate is unnecessary and can be eliminated with the appropriate tools and skill set.

Much energy is dissipated because of incongruent values and beliefs, not to mention incongruent behaviors! And when you learn how to "clean things up" and develop more congruency, you will immediately enjoy the results in your health and energy. Doing so is worth your investment, whatever that might be for you.

Health And Energy Key #7:

Design Your Life With Wisdom

And what is wisdom? It is contemplating and understanding the consequences of your choices and behaviors, not just for the immediate future, but for the distant future as well!

Now, my experience as a psychotherapist and Life and Business Coach has taught me that consistent improvement is more reliable than the so called overnight successes that you hear about from time to time.

Your health and energy...your overall well being, are all worth your patience! Because it is far better to take small and incremental steps into increased vigor, health and energy, than to take on too much, too soon. Your body and mind will thank you for exercising wisdom. An effective personal trainer said in an interview that "Most people try to do too much, too soon, get discouraged and then throw in the towel."

It can be different for you. Be flexible enough to find out what works for you, in what increments, and then move forward with patience. Your patience and persistence will take you to your desired outcome of greater health and energy. Period. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Enough said. And if it isn't... remember that Rome was not built in a day. Or a month for that matter. And yet progress began with the first action taken, and continued with each step after that. Each step brings more of what was desired.

An Easier And Enjoyable Way To Learn The Seven Keys:

Now that you have the Seven Keys To Improving Your Health And Energy...Now!... use them... experiment with them. If you desire some assistance beyond this article, give Alan Allard a call or drop him an e-mail by calling 678-778-9012 or emailing at: alan@geniusdynamics.com. His coaching experience can make it easier for you to implement the Seven Keys For Improving Your Health And Energy... Now! Drop Alan an e-mail or call him and let him know what you thought of this article and what is on your mind. He would love to hear from you.

Copyright 2003-2004, Alan Allard

Alan Allard is president of GeniusDynamics, Inc., offering life and business coaching. He offers seminars and training as well as private coaching. Free newsletter at http://www.alanallard.com Want to follow Alan on Twitter? http://twitter.com/alanallard