Health coaching - support for you!

What is health coaching?

In health coaching, instead of doctors or therapists, people are advised and informed about a healthy lifestyle by a health coach. Often this is preceded by a visit to the doctor who recommends a visit to the health coach. In coaching, people are viewed holistically - with the aim of enabling the greatest possible vitality and performance. This can be cognitive, i.e. of perception and thinking, as well as physical. The client's goals are always in the foreground. Sports / exercise, nutrition, stress management, addictive substance consumption and personal motivation are discussed.

What does a health coach do?

The health coach works with his client on areas of life that can promote or damage health.
The client is only advised on influenceable factors that he himself can promote or change.
These include: diet, exercise (sport), relaxation, environmental and psychological factors.

• When it comes to nutrition, the coach looks at existing eating habits and advises the client on how to improve or supplement them. This is often about a calorie-adjusted diet that should lead to a normal weight. In addition, the client is also trained in the implementation of a balanced diet.
• In the area of ​​exercise, it is the job of the coach to bring the client closer to a suitable sport in an appropriate way and to ensure that it is implemented correctly and regularly.
• During relaxation, the client is trained by the coach in how to cope with stress through relaxation procedures and he gets to know all aspects of healthy sleep.
• In the field of environmental factors, the coach explains to the client all relevant information about luxury foods and other harmful substances that are anchored in the client's lifestyle.
• The psychological factors include the client's motivation and attitude towards himself and life. In all these areas, the health coach is at the client's side, accompanying and advising them by offering help to help themselves.

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What training does a health coach have?

The profession of health coach is a health care profession, but the title of "health coach" is not protected by law. This means that many schools in Germany offer training to become a health coach, but can vary greatly in terms of content, duration and quality.
In addition, it is also possible that every person can adopt the designation health coach even though he has not received any training. The training of a health coach can be very different. Training centers for therapeutic professions or alternative practitioner schools often offer training to become a health coach. Furthermore, advanced training institutes, for example at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, offer this training, which usually costs the trainee money. The contents of the training vary from provider to provider and their focus. At some institutes, training can take place on a part-time basis, while others only offer it full-time.

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Is that the goal of health coaching?

The aim of health coaching, after a detailed analysis of the working and living conditions of a client, is to train them in dealing with stressors and to provide them with supporting factors so that the client feels more health and satisfaction in their life all in all.
In order to maintain a person's balance and prevent diseases, lifestyles and habits are often changed with the help of the coach. This includes, for example, a change in diet, a sports program, relaxation or smoking cessation. With such changes, the coach pursues the goal of introducing changes that are individually tailored to the client in order to achieve lasting success without the client falling back into his old life pattern.
In addition to changes, other aspects of health coaching can also be strengthening and access to your own resources. The client goes the way to the goal together with the coach. Such a goal can be, for example, weight reduction, more well-being in everyday life through less stress and more sport or activation and participation in the social life of pain patients and the alleviation of physical symptoms.

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This is funded by the health insurance company for health coaching (bonus program)

Every health insurance company promotes different health programs and preventive examinations, so it is not possible to generalize whether a health insurance company supports health coaching or not.
With some health insurances, participation in a corresponding coaching is rewarded with a bonus program in which you can collect points, which in turn can be exchanged for money or other promotions. Another way of promoting health coaching through the health insurance companies is to reimburse the costs of such coaching.
At Techniker Krankenkasse, for example, it is possible for you to be trained by a health insurer's own coach and so take part in health coaching. If you are interested in health coaching, it is advisable to contact your own health insurance company and clarify in a targeted manner whether and with which services the health insurance company supports such coaching.