Question?  What is your personal wellness vision?  What motivates you to be the healthiest and fit person you can be?  Tell us your success story.

Risa Olinsky

www.risaclassiccoach.com

Group support with peers, friends, co-workers family or any exteneded network is an added bonus! As a wellness coach, I realize that their are clients who may not be able to afford the hourly rate so bringing together a few people to support each other is an alternative.  I have created a program around using pedometers as a motivator -  a small group that meets once for an one and a half and then again a month later.  The simple and straightforward goal is to increase physical movement  - the pedometer gives immediate feedback.  The prograam is designed witha  coaching model - details can be found on my site www.RisaClassicCoach.com. It has also served as a jumping off point for potential coaching clients. The cost is doable, $125/person for 2.5- 3hours of time and the pedometer - plus online support during the month.   I have had tremendous success with it.  Research at Stanford has shown us that simply strapping on the pedeomter helps people increase their daily steps upwards of 2000.  If you have developed group coaching programs that have worked for you we  would love to have your feedback here. We would love to hear from you.

Risa Olinsky , M.A, Licensed Certified Wellcoach

www.risaclassiccoach.com  --

ExecutiveDirector and Founder of HWPN,

Heatlh & Wellness PRofessional Nework - www.hwpn.org

Fantastic article and some great comments posted.  Well done.  Interestingly, we've found that when combining the personalized, individualized coaching with some accountability and an extensive peer group (in the form of co-workers), the result can be fantastic.

Our work (www.USCorporateWellness.com) is exclusively within employers, who realize that they can reduce their healthcare, disability, sick time and recruitment/retention costs with an effective overall program.  It's always soooo good to hear from individuals who would never have thought about making changes, but jumped in with co-workers, tell us about their success stories.

To all of you out there who are carrying the torch for better health and wellness by being a coach for others, THANK YOU - and keep up the great work!

Brad Cooper, MSPT, ATC

CEO

US Corporate Wellness, Inc.

www.USCorporateWellness.com

What a great entry - an further indepth description of the benefits of wellness coaching.  

Ellen brought up a very interesting aspect of coaching - "Using the tools of coaching and positive psychology, we guide our clients through this process and help build "self-efficacy"; the personal belief and confidence that I am responsible and capable of making change, and the growth of intrinsic motivation to maintain these positive behavioral changes for the long run."  Often I hear the comment from  people  who are not familiar with coaching - " it sounds like what you are doing is therapy."  I answer - "NO this is not therapy - a coaching relationship is supportive, encouraging and non-judgmental interaction that supports positive lifestyle change and moves the client to action."  

Coaches may incorporate valuable tools from the field of psychology - but we are not therapists (unless otherwise trained as such.)  I coached a PH.D psychologist - who shared with me that the experience was very productive  in helping her move forward with goals she had not succeeded with in the past.   Many of my clients are in therapy as well - so the two can go hand in hand, but are different specialties.  

We have had four coaches so far on this forum who would probably love to hear from the public -

Have you had a coaching experience you would like to share?

Did you achieve your goals?  What were some of these goals?  

We would love to hear from you.

Risa Olinsky:  

www.RisaClassicCoach.com

Well, I for one am very happy to see this article has attracted such a lively discussion about the meaning of  "coaching" and the distinctions between life and wellness coaching. Most consumers have heard the term "life coach", some may even know the term "wellness coach". However,  I believe that until an individual experiences coaching they can't truly understand what the coaching relationship is, or how it can help them move forward on areas in their life where they are stuck.  

Risa and I are colleagues and friends, and have often discussed coaching distinctions and how to educate consumers around it.  I can only speak for wellness coaches who have certified through Wellcoaches (as I and Risa have), and as Risa pointed out... All Wellcoaches come from a professional background in health and/or fitness.  In wellness coaching, there are times when we need to put on our expert hat to give valid scientific information concerning fitness, nutrition, and other health matters and help clients break through the myriad of confusing information that floods the consumer market on health matters. We have the professional education to do so, whereas life coaches may not.  Armed with correct information, our clients can then figure out how to apply it best to their unique lives, and create wellness programs that work for them.  Using the tools of coaching and positive psychology, we guide our clients through this process and help build "self-efficacy"; the personal belief and confidence that I am responsible and capable of making change, and the growth of intrinsic motivation to maintain these positive behavioral changes for the long run.

As far as to how long this process takes, it is different for everyone, and often dependent on the original goals.  The coach's goal is never to hold on to their clients  "for life"; we want our clients to achieve self-efficacy. However, the process for someone who starts out morbidly obese with over 100 pounds to lose may need the support and assistance of their coach for a much longer period of time than someone who is struggling with managing day to day stress. I personally find most do very well with weekly sessions for the first few months, going to twice a month and eventually wean to once a month.  I gladly say goodbye to most of my clients after a four to six month coaching relationship, although many like to have a session once every 3-4 months after that to stay on target, reset new goals, and just for the accountability.

The bottom line is every coaching relationship is different, as is every coach and client. Hopefully the consumer will become more and more of this emerging field, hire coaches after a thorough search of their credentials and background, and those that they feel a good chemistry with. For some the relationship may be one month, others a year or more. In the hands of a good coach and as a client truly ready to take responsibility for change, most will exceed their expectations of what they can accomplish with their lives!

Ellen Goldman

EnerG Coaching, LLC   www.EnerGcoaching.com

Dave makes some very intersting points about coaching.  This specific story was not about life coaching, but  specifically about wellness coaching.  Life coaching is a broader area which does as Dave points out very well, encompass a broader spectrum of goals.  This was specifically about about improving ones wellness which emcompasses health, fitness, nutrition, stress and time management.  I have been for over 25 years, a personal trainer and after so many years of giving instruction, do this and do that,  I chose to certify as a WELLCOACH to enhance my abilities and benefits to my clients.  I like to describe training as " telling and selling."  Coaching is more like planting a seed, watering it, nuturing it and helping it grow - this takes time.   The word motivation comes from - to move - and I take it a step further - in coaching we move the client to action.  There is intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation - coaching works with both.  Dave is absolutley correct that the best thing a coach can give a client is their freedom - however - sometimes big lifestyle changes can take time and as a coach we are there to be sure these changes are long term, not short lived, like diets and health club memberships.  

 I generally look at a client's three to six month time frame, followed by what I describe as a maintanece stage. Later on in the work, we might touch base once or twice a month for check ins.

This does not mean that someone cannot achieve the desired results in less time - this is all dependant on the individual and the effort they are ready to put into the process.  

The difference between a " wellness coach" and a " life coach" is a wellness coach is a specialist in the health and wellness profession.  We come from specific training.   I have a Masters degree in exercise physiology, three ACE certifications , a n ACE speciality recognition  in nutrition edcuation and most recently became a Licensed Certified Wellcoach.  At 53 years old, it is a joy to take 30 years in health and wellness education and apply it to my work as a coach.  I myself was a deconditioned, 40 lb overweight, junk food eating teenager in the late 60's to early 70's along with being a smoker . I made major lifestlye changes in early adulthood - I have never reverted back to my old habits .  I am a wife, mother of two young men and business owner.  It is a joy now to be able to understand and translate the changes I made and have  maintained in my life into something which I can help others achieve.

For further information on wellness coaching and other programs - please visit www.risaclassiccoach.com  Thanks for all the feedback and I would love to read more from readers.  Please share this great article by Christina.

On a lighter note... as a coach, I should know better than to write a long post at 2:20am, not wearing my reading glasses, and not proofing it. There is no spell check here on the post, but even if there was, I just found about 5 errors in my post (including spelling "their instead of "there" and using the word "quote" when I just ment to put a term in quotation marks:)

Well, it just goes to show we coaches are human. I'll probably be haunted by this  on Google and Yahoo searches for the next year:) It's truly humbling... hopefully it will make me an even more effective coach!!

Dave Kanegis

Hi,

Your article is most interesting; however I'd like to make a distinction. The term wellness coach is very specific and carries certain connotations and assumptions.

What I believe you are really referring to is the concept of a life coach who can assist idividuals in various areas of their lives. Naturally, wellness is very important. However, you need to fully describe what wellness is.

From my standpoint, (as a Certified Empowerment Coach,) wellness can encompass a multiplicity of areas of the human existence. It may be physical health, a sense of emotional well being, appropriate exercize, personal time, job or relationship satisfaction. Basically, wellness is simply a construct to define a state of being.

An effective coach (as you so aptly mention in your article,) is not one who tells you what to do, but rather one whoo helps you to tap in to what is working in your life, and what you'd like to change. In my practice I prefer not to quote "motivate my clients," but rather to help them to become self-motivate. In that way, the work we tdo together becomes self sustaining. We are creating an approach to living that empowers the client to rtecgnize when they feel the need to make change, and then to use their inner ability to create that change.

As a coach, I look to make my services obsolete within a givin time frame. That being said, I am their with input, intuition and creativitiy that initially helps clients along the way.

I consider myself more of a lifestyle coach than a wellness coach. I think the distinction is an important one. In caoching all the words we use have meaning... just as they do in life. If we call ourselves a wellness coach; our thinking goes along one line.

Much like the leading diets... those that work best are ones that don't put you on a specific diet, but rather explain that youneed to look at how you eat as a long term lifestyle decision.

Thanks for the article. It's alway great to read about the positive use of coaching. And, you are correct about finding the right coach for you. Every coach has his or her own style... and you must be comfortable with it. My only caution is that sometimes, people choose coaches too similar to themselves, simply because they feel comfortable with them. Often a coach who you can relate to well, but who doesn't let you feel too comfortable, may be a more effective coach.

Dave Kanegis

I know Risa and she is a fantastic wellcoaches coaching colleague. Beth Tansey Peller, www.bewellwithbeth.com

What a joy - if you have any questions or feedback about wellness coaching  or would like to  learn more - I am happy to speak with you.  Risa Olinsky.