How making long lasting, impactful and sustainable change is necessary and important to improve health outcomes. And where health coaching fits in all of this.
I attended a networking event last week. This is how entrepreneurs meet other entrepreneurs, how we learn from each other, and how we come together to support each other through this exciting and roller coaster-y entrepreneurial world. I’m relatively new to these events. I’ve been in the networking scene now for about a year and attend one maybe once every two months. It’s a little challenging getting out there as an introvert at heart who would really rather just be home cozied up with a blanket, netflix and, depending on the day, a cup of tea or a nice glass of Pinot Noir. But I digress, why am I talking about networking on a health blog you might ask? Well, it goes with the conversation.
Whilst attending this event, I was having a lovely conversation with a woman in the product industry. This differs on many levels from the service industry in which I reside. She is a jewelry designer and makes gorgeous, handcrafted pieces for anyone to enjoy. We were chatting about trends in fashion and she then asked me a question that I have never been asked before- she asked really good questions. So she inquired, “Do you find trends in the health coaching industry as well?” And I replied, the one reply we all use when we need some time to configure a well thought-out response, “that’s a GREAT question.”
So I contemplated for a moment and began my response. Really, I thought, I feel like the coaching industry, being a women’s health coach, is quite “anti-trend.” Which actually fits me quite well. I was never one to follow the herd. I like to be an outsider and set my own trends. Sometimes that backfired in middle school, but again, I digress.
Health coaches go against the grain, that’s not to say we don’t adhere to medical advice given to our clients by their doctors, that goes without saying. But we are thinking outside the typical health model box. And to be even more anti-trend, we’re allowing the client to make their own changes and to have their own voice in the process, because they are the only ones who can implement change, and make it last. We don’t diagnose and prescribe, and we try our best not to make too many recommendations, but rather, education. We let intuition drive, and therefore, allow women to determine their own paths, not the other way around.
Not only are we anti-trend in the support versus advice arena, but we also steer very clear from diet culture. Never once will you hear me say or promote “How to get your body back after pregnancy!” or “Need to lose 10lbs- try Keto!” These fads are just gross, unsustainable, and wreak havoc on our nervous systems. What we will discuss is, “How would it feel in your body to get more rest?” and “What does rest mean to you?” and “What small change can you make in your day to get more rest?”
Now I am not going to sit here and bash diet culture and spend all my time telling you how wrong and dangerous following just any protocol is to try to get your desired results- all because your best friend Crystal down the street told you it worked for her! Nope, not here to do that! What I am going to mention is how helpful, sustainable, and impactful, making real sustainable change can be for your health and wellbeing, regardless of your current health status, and your desired results. What does that look like for you? How would your life change if your health status were different? Health coaching might be right for you in order to get to the root cause of what’s happening, and making sustainable and impactful changes to improve your outcomes.
Yours in health,
Alexis
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