If you have a chronic disease, you know that it’s important to take your medication and follow your doctor’s instructions. But did you know that health coaching can also help manage your condition? Health coaches work with patients to develop personalized plans that include lifestyle changes and goals. If you’re interested in getting health coaching talk to your doctor, but first finish reading this article. You may find that this type of support is just what you need to manage your chronic disease.

What is Health Coaching?

Health coaching is a process that helps people achieve their health goals. A health coach works with clients to create a personalized plan, provides support and guidance, and helps them stay on track.

Health coaching can be helpful for people who want to improve their health, lose weight, or manage a chronic condition. It can also be useful for people who want to make healthy changes in their lives but don’t know where to start.

A health coach can help you set realistic goals, develop a plan of action, and stay motivated. He or she can also provide feedback and accountability, which can be especially helpful when it comes to sticking to a diet or exercise program.

What if Your Doctor was your Online Health Coach?

This is a question that more and more people are beginning to ask, as the field of health coaching continues to grow. A health coach is a professional who helps people to improve their health and wellbeing by providing advice, support and guidance.

Many doctors are now starting to offer health coaching services to their patients. This can be a great way for patients to get the advice and support they need to make healthy changes in their lives. A doctor who is also a health coach can provide personalised advice based on the patient’s specific needs and goals.

The traditional doctor-patient relationship is undergoing a major shift. Doctors are beginning to realize that they can no longer be all things to all people. Patients are more comfortable being active participants in their health care, and they want access to medical information on demand.

Furthermore,  the doctor’s role as information provider is shifting to the online world of science-based evidence with hundreds of studies available at your fingertips with just one push of a button.  

This has led some experts to say that the doctor’s role will change from sharing knowledge through talking, writing prescriptions, procedures and surgery but instead support patients or potential patients by giving them options responsible for making informed decisions about their health rather than dictating treatment choices, diagnosis or prognosis .

This is where the online health coach comes in. An online health coach is a doctor or other health care professional who provides information and support to patients online. They can help you make informed decisions about your health, provide guidance on how to manage chronic conditions, and offer support and encouragement when you need it.

Health Coaching Strategies by Family Doctors

There are many different ways that doctors can implement health coaching strategies into their practice. One approach is to hold regular office visits where patients can meet with their doctor one-on-one to discuss their health concerns. During these visits, the doctor can ask questions about the patient’s lifestyle habits, diet and offer advice on how to make healthy changes. The doctor can also provide resources such as pamphlets or websites with more information on healthy living.

Another way that doctors can use health coaching strategies is by following patients who are currently trying to make healthy changes. Patients who are making an effort to eat healthier, stop smoking or establish other positive health goals can report on their progress with the doctor during scheduled follow-up visits. This gives doctors a better idea of how effective a patient’s health coaching strategies have been and allows them to adjust accordingly.

Doctors also have the option of establishing reward systems for patients engaging in healthy practices. They can encourage their patients by offering small incentives such as gift cards or certificates after a certain number of office visits or medication refills until all recommended screenings have been completed. Doctors may even offer larger incentives such as trips, gym memberships, or spa treatments for people meeting certain health milestones.

In addition, doctors can implement health coaching strategies by involving the whole family as a unit rather than focusing on individual patients. This approach allows doctors to address areas of concern for an entire family such as obesity or illness prevention. For example, physicians may encourage parents to make healthy lifestyle changes and establish a regular exercise routine for their children.

Support groups can also be another form of utilizing health coaching strategies. Patients who participate in groups with other people facing similar health issues can share their experiences and help each other reach common goals. Doctors should also consider helping patients establish social networks through referrals from other doctors, neighbors, and friends to allow them to access additional support when needed.

Health Coaching Tips by Dr. Fikayo 

Dr. Fikayo is an NHS-trained family doctor based in the UK. She is passionate about guiding patients to more convenient yet practical ways of maintaining good health, especially using online video conferencing tools to monitor their progress.

She enjoys helping people understand the importance of using simple small steps, which can be practiced everyday for good health. Preventing the onset of many diseases such as diabetes and hypertension requires one to be mindful about our daily habits, such as portion control, sleep hygiene and physical activities.

This is a list of helpful health coaching tips that you can start using today, such as;

• Try doing basic household chores such as cleaning to get in the habit of consistent physical activity, before joining a gym
• Replace alcoholic or carbonated drinks with fruit infused water during meals
• Keep a ledger of your blood sugar levels or blood pressure readings
• Take online courses on cooking delicious Mediterranean inspired dishes, especially with fresh vegetables and spices.
• Make a note of every single question you may have about your illness, or if you are a caregiver of someone with a long term illness, and be open to sharing your doubts with your doctor – and insist on talking about alternative strategies.
• Use mobile apps to keep a body composition chart to track your achievements, such as how much your waist has gone down, or how many steps you can walk without catching your breath or even how many cigarettes you are not smoking this week.