Coaches, like myself, are being utilized more with individuals to find balance in their lives. We’re also valued with small businesses and corporations to help employees stay healthy, which improves business productivity. The Wall Street Journal reports that there is “a broader shift within the health-care industry toward keeping people well instead of simply treating them when they’re sick.”

A health and wellness session can be either one-on-one or in a small group, with the client in the driver’s seat to define their goals and ultimately deciding strategist to reach their goals.

Below are some signs to determine if getting the help of a Health & Wellness Coach is right for you.

You're trying to break unhealthy habits without success.

Change feels impossible. Motivation is low. A "bad" day derails all progress. You’ve tried time and time again without succeeding, and trying again will just bring you down deeper in the hole you’re digging.

You’re “shoulding” yourself. A lot.

This might sound like:

I should be walking or exercising more… 

I should be eating better… 

I should be going to bed sooner…

I should have more energy to play with my kids…

I should have a higher sex-drive…

You “eat your feelings,” also known as emotional eating.

You use food to comfort your feelings and evoke positive feelings about yourself. Eating a short-term gratification that leaves you feeling worse about yourself. Self-compassion is low. Eating is mindless. We’ve all been there: you have a bag of chips or cookies, sit down on the couch to watch TV, and then you look down without remembering eating anything. And, you don’t feel satisfied or better about yourself. In fact, your feel worse about yourself and the cycle repeats.

Note: health coaches can work with clients on disordered eating and emotional eating. If you have an eating disorder, please contact your medical professional.

You feel an imbalance with your health and you’re not sure why.

Maybe it’s your digestive system (bloating, gas, inconsistent or irregular bowel movements, heartburn, general discomfort), brain fog, low libido, stress and emotions are difficult to understand and regulate… whatever it is, something is “off” and you feel stuck. Drained. Lethargic. Goals seem like unachievable aspirations.

A medical professional said you have to make a lifestyle change for health concerns but you don’t know how to start.

A doctor may tell a patient to eat better, exercise more, take their prescribed medicine. Then come back for a check-up a few months down the road. It all sounds good at the time. But often patients don’t know how to start a daunting lifestyle change like this. This is when a health coach can be super effective to support and work through strategies that make change possible and sustainable for improved health and well-being.

You’re tired of fad and yo-yo dieting–and feel frustrated with weight management.

Weight loss comes with a variety of lifestyle related challenges. Short-term diets are just that. These type of diets don’t know you as a unique person and put you into a one-size-fits-all box without teaching you real-life skills to keep weight off for good.

Or the diet worked! But you bounced back as soon as you come off the diet. You realize that the diet may or may not have worked, but either way you couldn’t live on that diet forever.

You are having a hard time taking care of others.

Your cup is “empty.” You want your first priority to be establishing healthy habits for yourself. You want to be a positive role model and inspiration for the people around you by loving yourself inside and out.

You want a personal approach to your health from a caring professional who has your best interest at heart.

The Internet exhausts you and you’re overwhelmed by information overload. Social media creates a negative headspace for you. Where do you begin on your journey to create a balance of wellness? You want to drill down and identify the root causes of any issues you may be dealing with rather than general information not specific to you.

You’re tired of feeling like you're broken or need to be fixed.

Maybe another coach or health professional has made it feel like there is something wrong with you. You can’t keep up with friends or loved ones and you feel ashamed or embarrassed. You are not broken. You are living a human experience. You want to live a more healthy, confident life without feeling stuck in your body or condition.

If any of these sound like where you are right now, then health coaching could be a great option to help you take back your power, physical health, and well-being.