Has your doctor ever told you to lose weight, but when you leave the office, you’re not sure where to turn? Or perhaps you’ve been told that your heart disease has progressed, or that you’re “in menopause,” or that you or your child has diabetes. Along with access to health care and skyrocketing costs, perhaps one of the most glaring limitations in our current health system is that there’s usually not a substantive “there, there,” meaning, it can be difficult to find a health expert who can help you every step of the way—from diagnosis of a condition to preventing or reversing it.
Creating a “there, there”
In response, on December 29, 2008, pioneers and leaders in medicine met in Alexandria, Virginia at the Samueli Institute to discuss the Wellness Initiative for the Nation (WIN). And to foster health and well-being, one of the key recommendations included training health care practitioners as Health and Wellness Coaches.
The power of health and wellness coaching lies in its ability to improve and optimize your lifestyle (such as diet, de-stressing, physical activity, and social support) based on your personal health and wellness goals. Or, by enabling you to put information into action, it can empowHer you to advocate for your health during doctor visits. Or to better manage an existing condition. Whatever you want to achieve, a professionally trained coach with expert knowledge and strong emotional intelligence can be a powerful co-advocate who helps you transform your health and well-being.
Deborah Kesten, MPH, and Larry Scherwitz, PhD, are certified wellness and cardiac coaches, who specialize in preventing, halting, and reversing overeating, overweight, and obesity and heart disease. They are also international lifestyle and nutrition researchers and award-winning authors. Visit them at www.Enlightened-Diet.com to learn more about them and their Coaching and Optimal Eating programs.