Peek Inside the Mind of a Health Coach

By , Presented by Humana
These days, getting and staying healthy is becoming a bigger concern with diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease on the rise. But it can be hard to know where to start or who to ask for help beyond your primary care physician. Where do you turn when you just want someone to help you put together a plan to help you reach basic healthy lifestyle goals?

This is where Health Coaches come in! These professionals are fairly new faces in the healthcare world, but their impact has been growing rapidly. Health Coaches can help tailor a plan specific to your goals, whether you would like to lose weight or simply start building healthier habits. We've interviewed two Humana Health Coaches, Melina and Kristina, to give you a peek into the world of these professionals--and why you should consider giving Health Coaching a try to take your healthy lifestyle commitment to the next level. 

Please describe the role of a Health Coach. What services can a Health Coach provide?
Melina: Health Coaches provide goal-planning support, encouragement and accountability. When appropriate, we may also offer resources or basic education on how healthy wellness habits can reduce risks in other areas. We are also able to provide a connection point (if needed) to other programs that may be offered within a member’s benefit plan for a well-rounded network of support. We do not prescribe treatment for conditions, as we are not nurses or doctors, so any recommendations given to our members by their physicians are honored and followed.

What differentiates a Health Coach from a personal trainer or nutritionist?
Kristina: Personal trainers and nutritionists give specific advice in the areas of fitness and nutrition (respectively). By working with a Health Coach, individuals can better utilize that advice by developing their own unique wellness paths. Health Coaches don’t just address what needs to change. Instead, they address how people will actually implement those changes in their daily lives.

What are the advantages of using a Health Coach vs. going it alone?
Melina: Working with a Health Coach is a great way to reserve a supportive space to focus on a plan for healthy change. While many people can certainly have success going it alone, it’s often helpful to have that extra accountability from someone who is focused on your needs. It can be very beneficial to have someone available to help you brainstorm a plan or to point out unhealthy patterns.

How much effort does it take to work with a Health Coach?
Kristina: Since health coaching is centered around the changes you want to make, the effort you’ll need to put forth depends on what goals you set for yourself. However, interacting with your Health Coach is easy--he or she is there solely to support you!

What are the advantages of having a professional cheer you on instead of a friend?
Melina: While a friend can be a wonderful part of a bigger support system, Health Coaches have been professionally trained to support people through the change process. Making changes is not always a simple task, especially for the long term. Health Coaches have the tools to consistently push that process along. They also help people realize their personal talents and strengths, which is a very important key to success.

How long does the Health Coaching process generally take?
Melina: Some people just need a little help planning for a goal, while others really enjoy the regular contact for the long term. Our aim is to create confidence in making healthy lifestyle changes for the long term, so we don’t limit that process to a certain number of days or weeks. Personally, I’ve had members work with me anywhere from three months to three years! 

What’s the best way to motivate someone without sounding preachy or overbearing and putting them off? I imagine there’s a fair amount of finesse in your job.
Melina: It's helpful to remind our members that we aren’t setting the goals for them. If a person does not want to change a certain area, then we aren’t going to force it. Instead, we can shift to what is more important to them. The best way to support someone along their journey is to simply take an interest in who they are--and to really listen to what they want and need.

Kristina: I invite individuals to explore their own motivation. (It’s also helpful for me to know what a person’s intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are.) I often ask a lot of reflective questions. What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you? What is important to you about being healthy? What’s driving you to make health changes at this time? Tapping into motivation helps people clarify their health goals and allows us to define specific steps to reach those goals.

What’s your favorite area or means of helping people? 
Melina: I enjoy the behavior change process itself. No matter what area a member is focusing on, it’s always interesting to guide someone through new behaviors and learning strategies that can be used to keep them consistent--time management, back up plans, relapse prevention and seasonal plans are my favorite aspects.

Kristina: I enjoy helping people achieve a healthy balance between different aspects of their lives. Every individual comes into coaching with different strengths and abilities. It’s enjoyable to collaboratively explore those skills and figure out how they can be utilized to strengthen areas that the individual would like to improve.

What’s the best part about being a Health Coach?
Melina: Self-discovery is my favorite part. Many of my members start off working toward one goal that they thought they wanted and find themselves valuing and succeeding in a completely different area along the way. 

Kristina: The best part about being a Health Coach is witnessing how much happier people are when they are healthier. It’s also very rewarding to see people pursue their own personal journeys toward optimal health. 

What is one notable instance where you were able to significantly change someone's life through your profession?
Melina: I can remember one person whose weight-loss focus turned out to be purely driven by what was being pushed in the media. After working with each other for a few months, we discovered that the member actually felt great at her current weight and instead really wanted to focus on being active with her family. So, after a while, we saw the member succeeding at exercise, completing races with the kids and trying new outdoor activities. The member told me that she never would have stopped focusing on the number on the scale if she hadn't worked with a Health Coach.

Kristina: I worked with one individual who had hypothyroidism, which made weight loss challenging. Despite this, she has always maintained great determination to lose weight and is motivated to continually make healthy changes to both her diet and fitness routine. She has lost over 25 pounds since November of 2011, reducing her weight from 162 to 136 pounds! Did I mention that she is a 71-year-old ovarian cancer survivor? She has turned her health challenges into opportunities for positive change. Moreover, her countless accomplishments are proof that a healthier lifestyle can be established at any age.

How do you connect people with other Humana tools?
Melina: Humana has a variety of wellness options and rewards programs. During the initial goal-planning phase, we often identify new resources that might make the process more effective and supportive. With permission, we connect our teams with the members to communicate what other benefit options or community resources they may be able to use. We also partner with our HumanaVitality program to help members incorporate different workshops and activities to earn reward points. It’s always a nice perk for our members to treat themselves with a small reward from their points system when they reach a big goal!

Kristina: Many people I work with have some type of Humana account (MyHumana, Vitality, etc.), but they don’t always fully utilize it. I often invite members to explore their Humana accounts and to take advantage of the many useful wellness features we have to offer.

Thanks, Melina and Kristina! Interested in having your own Health Coach? Check with your health insurance provider to find out if you're eligible for this great service! Click here to learn more about Humana Health Coaches.

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