When you think of a coach, you may have several different visions come to mind. Do you think of an NFL coach such as Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur? What do you think of your child’s soccer coach? It may not be our first thought, but when I think of coaching I think of having someone by my side helping me reach my health goals, as well as holding me accountable to the changes I want to make.
When I was in high school, my dad was rushed to the hospital for chest pain and quickly had an angioplasty done. At the time, stents were not commonplace, so my dad just had his blocked artery cleared and remained in the hospital for about five days. My dad was a Vietnam vet who came back to civilian life with feelings of anger, depression, and sadness. Although he did his best to live his life, I can now in reflection see how these events took the ultimate toll on his health, as smoking and junk foods became coping mechanisms for unresolved emotions.
The medical professionals who saved my dad’s life did incredible work, but when it came to helping him understand what types of lifestyle changes he needed to adopt, there was nothing to really support my dad as he tried to figure out what to do next. When my dad came home from the hospital, I found it odd that they basically handed him some pamphlets about eating better, told him to exercise and stop smoking, and sent him on his way. There he was with a thousand things to change and no one to help him figure out what that would look like in his everyday life. Years later, I myself sought some guidance with weight loss by joining Weight Watchers. The program was more than just information. I joined the company and went on to facilitate and coach them for 21 years.
Something about that experience made me realize that I could help people take better care of themselves as well but on a broader spectrum. So I went back to college as a returning adult to obtain a degree in Health and wellness and a certification as a Board Certified Health and wellness coach – (NBC-HWC). By learning that wellness was a combination of physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, social, and even occupational balance, I started to learn that working on all parts of a person leads to overall well-being. We see this documented in “blue zones” around the world where populations live the longest, healthiest lives by having healthy habits in many of these areas.
What is often misunderstood about coaching is the idea that the coach has to have all the answers. This is not the case at all. In fact, the skills of coaching are actually to ask deep, open-ended questions to help the patients or clients find the answers that will work best for them. The coach helps to steer the ship and help the person navigate obstacles, set goals, and provide accountability and encouragement as the person takes on new lifestyle changes.
Imagine the power if my dad had had a coach calling him every week just asking how he was doing, and if that coach had been able to help him figure out what to do when his co-workers were smoking or how to change the habit of always having a bag or chips or frozen pizza for a snack at night.
Long-term lifestyle change takes a lot of work and time. Those of us who have tried to forgo sugar or train for an athletic event know that there are ups and downs, and the journey does not come without its struggles. This is where a coach plays a vital role. When someone trying to meet a goal has someone helping them with support and accountability, the game changes as there is so much more power when we don’t feel like we have to do it alone.
At Bellin Health we offer a free wellbeing package to any company or person interested called the “Lifesaver Wellbeing series” to help integrate health and wellbeing information into our community.
Resources can be found at www.bellin.org/lifesaver. We also have a package that can be purchased by employers of all sizes called “Lifesaver Coaching and Culture.” This package included 1 1 to-coaching for covered employees as well as group sessions to help individuals explore how they can integrate healthier habits into their lifestyles. Because the coaching is delivered virtually, companies from around the world can sign up for this package.
I believe that the future of health care will have many more alignments with health coaches. How life-changing it would have been for my dad to have a coach to help him figure out how to pack a healthy lunch or how to make exercise fun. If he had someone to help him steer the ship, I think it could have elongated his life. My dad struggled with lifestyle changes on and off for the rest of his life and passed away from a heart attack at the age of 61. I think that coaching can change that story for many others if we have the courage to place certified coaches in roles to work with our patients who need help making lifestyle changes.
