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The Difference a Coach Can Make

There are probably not many Americans who have missed the fact that the Super Bowl is coming up soon. One of the big stories here in the Augusta Georgia area is that the Arizona Cardinals coach, Ken Whisenhunt, is a native son. Whisenhunt graduated from a local high school here, went on to Georgia Tech, and now finds himself at the center of one of the biggest sporting events on the planet. But does the coach really make a lot of difference for the team and how they play? You know the answer… absolutely! Coaches make a huge difference, and that's why team owners are willing to pay millions for a top notch coach.

You may not be aware that coaching goes far beyond athletics these days. Professional coaching started as a service for top executives and entrepreneurs whose livelihood and the fortunes of their companies depended on their own clear thinking and decisive ability to take action based on facts and guiding principles. The executive coach's job was not to tell them how to run the company, but to provide them with a new perspective, a moment of "I never thought about it like that before!"

Now professional coaching is accessible to the general public, and has a special niche in the health care field. A Health Coach is a professionally trained individual whose task is to assist people in not so much "knowing what to do" as "doing what they know." That perspective another person brings is often just what is needed to take away the roadblocks to success in healthy living. Much of what a coach does is to assist one in the self awareness journey - making the invisible become visible.

From my perspective as a physician, this is a tremendously important step forward. For the past 25 years of practice, I have seen how much good health depends on our ability to follow through on intention to create good health by choices and behaviors. Weight control through eating and exercise choices is the most obvious that comes to mind, but there's more. For example, we know that overweight people who exercise regularly are healthier than normal weight people who are sedentary. But if your weight is normal, how's your motivation to get out and exercise every day? Would a Health Coach help with that? What if you have "skinny genes" and enjoy being physically active, but you enjoy the "standard American diet" (s.a.d.) of proinflammatory fats and sugars, increasing your risk of cancer by skimping on vegetables? You know "what to do," you just need a strategy and some accountability to someone who will care enough to raise the standard. Additionally, because people who are sure they are in tune with their life purpose will naturally lead healthier less stressful lives, life coaching impacts health as well.

So the role of a Health and Life Coach goes beyond health education, moving information into action. A good Coach can help you begin a process of changing your thoughts to a more empowering self-perception, no more "I am a loser" but rather "I am growing and learning, and picking myself up from every time I fail." Remember that thoughts lead to feelings, feelings lead to actions, and actions lead to results. A professional Coach will use a systematic process to help you discover how that sequence is playing out in your life, and then work on a strategy to change it to something that works better for you.

Because the field of Coaching is relatively new, standards and certification are uneven. It's important when choosing a coach to ask what someone's qualifications and training are, and about any certificates of completed coursework in the area. Often a professional coach will offer a free introductory session so that you can feel confident the individual will be a good fit for you before paying any money. Coaching can be done effectively in person or in many cases long distance over the telephone.

In the long run, I am delighted that Health and Life Coaching are becoming more widespread, and I am hopeful that people needing to work on changing their thoughts and behaviors regarding health will take advantage of this opportunity. Both my wife and I have taken advantage of professional coaches. It was so instrumental in Gail's life that she is now finishing up a two year certification program and loving using her coaching skills to empower people to live their passion. Make 2009 a great year of success in health and life! And stay in touch.

For your health and wellness,

Robert Pendergrast, M.D.