How To Become A Health Coach

Health coaches help clients to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Health or wellness coaches spend the major portion of their time in guiding clients about exercises and physical fitness, and they perform various other health-related tasks. Health coaches counsel clients to make better eating habits, overcome addiction, and help coordinate wellness programs with other health professionals. People normally join this profession from the medical or social work fields. In order to make a client base, a strong educational background and willingness to help others are crucial.

Health Coach Job Description
The following are some major tasks performed by health coaches:

• Persuade people to enroll in the program and provide coaching to reduce or eliminate unhealthy behaviors
• Encourage clients to adopt a lifestyle that will positively impact their health
• Develop a customized plan for clients, including fitness goals and plan of action to achieve them
• Coordinate with other health care professionals to provide helpful advice to the clients
• Participate in operational activities of the organization to meet customer needs
• Prepare and conduct health related seminars and training courses
• Prepare and distribute education health awareness material

How to Become a Health Coach
There are some major requirements to enter the health coach field. Health and wellness coaches do not have a specific degree requirement, but a bachelor's degree is preferable. There are a number of educational fields relevant to the profession of health coach, which includes psychology, counseling, and health promotion. Certification as a health and wellness coach is preferable, as it can open up more career opportunities and may also help in having a larger client base.

Education
Health and wellness coaching is a new field and it is not easy to find undergraduate programs. Some schools offer students to choose wellness coaching as a minor, which is based on courses in psychology, fitness, and nutrition. Students may also get the chance to intern, while studying for the program. If you aspire to be a health or wellness coach, you should learn relevant methods from an undergraduate degree in behavioral science and social work as well. A degree in counseling will greatly help in acquiring communication skills, which are essential in helping clients.

Experience
Wellness coaches may gain experience by beginning their career with entry level positions. In beginner level positions, health and wellness coaches could build up a client base and their reputation. They could also enhance their communication skills by working with individual clients or small groups. Communication skills are vital in engaging and inspiring clients. Some organizations may provide training to further hone coaching skills.

Certification
Employers may prefer candidates certified by Wellcoaches, which is a training program approved by the American College of Sports Medicine. This training is a thirteen week program required to earn certification.  Other requirements for certification are interview, written exam, evidence of clients, and career goals.  The certification given to health coaches needs to be renewed every three years.